Southern Methodist University

Overview of Southern Methodist University

---

SMU students also take their learning on the road. The study abroad opportunities are vast and comprehensive. Students can choose to study in France, England, Holland, Israel, or many other fascinating countries.

SMU is well-known for its varsity athletics, but every student can play a sport or engage in a more cerebral pastime. There are intramural sports that are welcome for players of any experience level, but club sports are also offered for those who demand a higher level of play. Intramurals include sports such as floor hockey, flag football, table tennis, and E-sports, among others. Club-level teams compete against other universities as well as community-level teams. Club sports include lacrosse, rugby, tennis, ultimate frisbee, and water polo, to name a few.

Top Rankings For Southern Methodist University

---

Admissions

---

Tuition Cost & Financial Aid

---

Since Southern Methodist University is a private institution, it's hard to avoid higher tuition rates. However, that higher price is ameliorated by strong financial aid packages. The starting cost of tuition, fees, books, and supplies at SMU is $57,000 for a full-time student. When all living expenses and other costs are factored in, a year at SMU runs around $76,000. Off-campus students have estimated costs running around $69,000. These numbers come down dramatically for the 80% of students who receive grants and scholarships, as well as other forms of aid.

Once financial aid is factored in, the net price of Southern Methodist University is offset significantly. In fact, the average net cost for SMU is $40,000. Of full-time students who receive Title IV aid, those from lower-income households have a lower net price of around $26,000. Students from the highest income bracket pay a bit more, $43,000, for a year of undergraduate education.

Sticker Price

---

Academics

---

Southern Methodist University is one of the top private universities in Texas. Their academics are highly regarded by those in business and elsewhere in society. SMU earns that reputation and shows evidence of their strong academics in their educational statistics. Those numbers reflect a very high rate of first-year student retention, very high graduation numbers, and a jaw-dropping average class size.

Retention rates are one of the more important numbers for any university. They reflect what first-year students think of a college or university. Since 91% of SMU's first-year students return for a second year, it's assumed that they find a very high value in their classes, instructors, and overall campus experiences. This assumption is borne out in SMU's 81% graduation rate, which is tied with a low 14% transfer rate. Thus, 95% of SMU students are thought to graduate on their Dallas campus or elsewhere.

Such strong retention and graduation figures must be attributed to something. Some may think it's SMU's athletic department, but their students are probably more impacted by the size of their classes. The average SMU class has only 11 students. With such small classes, students can establish a great rapport with their instructor. Many students will also point out that when classes are small it's hard to get away with skipping the reading.

Student Population Total

---

Outcome & Salary

---

Southern Methodist University students enter the working world well-prepared to become high earners and tomorrow's leaders. Most see a terrific return on their educational investment, but none more than those who earn their bachelor's degree in computer science. Those students earn a median base salary of $72,000. Of the remaining top-earning degrees, those on the lower end of earning are public relations and other communications degree holders, who report median salaries of $42,000.

The SMU degrees that didn't make the top ten do very well, also. Even those that start work with lower salaries are able to rise through the ranks on the basis of their smarts and academic training. Further, SMU students find no trouble entering the graduate program of their choosing.

Photos & Videos

---