About
Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a private research university in University Park, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South—now part of the United Methodist Church—in partnership with Dallas civic leaders. It is currently non-sectarian in its teaching and enrolls students of all religious affiliations. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research spending and doctorate production".
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 6.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 192 Title IV programs, 33 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 158 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing33 · 17.2%
- No Data158 · 82.3%
- Failing1 · 0.5%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Near the line (±5%)
Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Programmatic accreditations · 7
Action history · 16
- Nov 2025Grant Substantive Change: ProgramSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Mar 2025Grant Substantive Change: ProgramSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Mar 2024Grant Substantive Change: ProgramSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Feb 2022Grant Substantive Change: OtherSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Dec 2021Renewal of AccreditationSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 1,351 students received $8.2M in Pell grants, alongside $73.3M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 1,478 borrowers who entered repayment, 17 (1.1%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Southern Methodist
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 10
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus33
Includes 6 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
- Peyton Hall2 firesDamage $1,000-$9,999
- Peyton Hall2 firesDamage $1,000-$9,999
- Shuttles Hall1 fireSmoking materialsDamage $0-$99
- Sigma Alpha Epsilon House1 fireHazardous productDamage $0-$99
Data quality: 1 report was later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Southern Methodist vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Southern Methodist selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectSouthern Methodist University | 84% | — | 12,116 | $41,778 | R2 Research |
American University | 75% | 62.0% | 12,321 | $41,945 | R2 Research |
Baylor University | 80% | 51.3% | 20,626 | $41,942 | R1 Research |
Boston College | 91% | 16.4% | 15,432 | $39,866 | R1 Research |
Boston University | 89% | 11.1% | 37,737 | $26,996 | R1 Research |
Brandeis University | 86% | 40.5% | 5,205 | $33,885 | R1 Research |
Carnegie Mellon University | 94% | 11.7% | 15,888 | $31,671 | R1 Research |
Emory University | 91% | 10.6% | 15,175 | $23,911 | R1 Research |
Fordham University | 82% | 59.3% | 16,150 | $42,581 | R2 Research |
George Washington University | 84% | 47.1% | 25,374 | $37,454 | R1 Research |
Lehigh University | 88% | 25.9% | 7,692 | $33,549 | R2 Research |
Northeastern University | 91% | 5.2% | 32,553 | $32,116 | R1 Research |
Pepperdine University | 83% | 62.9% | 8,976 | $45,409 | Doctoral/Professional |
Syracuse University | 84% | 45.9% | 22,589 | $41,026 | R1 Research |
Texas Christian University | 85% | 44.5% | 12,938 | $33,531 | R2 Research |
Tufts University | 94% | 11.5% | 13,599 | $35,435 | R1 Research |
Tulane University of Louisiana | 86% | 14.0% | 13,310 | $43,939 | R1 Research |
University of Denver | 76% | 77.8% | 12,813 | $36,037 | R1 Research |
University of Miami | 84% | 18.9% | 19,852 | $36,803 | R1 Research |
University of Notre Dame | 95% | 11.3% | 13,042 | $27,823 | R1 Research |
University of Rochester | 85% | 40.1% | 11,946 | $30,248 | R1 Research |
University of Southern California | 92% | 9.8% | 46,566 | $31,927 | R1 Research |
University of Tulsa | 72% | 61.5% | 3,914 | $23,678 | R2 Research |
Villanova University | 92% | 27.0% | 10,041 | $44,876 | R2 Research |
Wake Forest University | 89% | 21.7% | 9,322 | $28,746 | R2 Research |
| Peer group median | 86% | 26.5% | 13,310 | $35,435 |
Southern Methodist Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
University Decision Support (UDS) serves the central decision-making authorities of the University by providing data, information, and analytics for planning, evaluation, policy formulation, strategic planning, and related data and information informed issues and/or initiatives.
Visit IR office page- Michael David TumeoChief Institutional Research Officer
- Tristen Watkins, M.S.B.A.Coordinator for Institutional Effectiveness
- Susana Solera Adoboe, Ph.D.Provost Faculty Fellow for Institutional Effectiveness
- Dayna Oscherwitz, Ph.D.Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness
Common Data Set (26)
The institution's official annual Common Data Set publications — the most detailed reference for enrollment, admissions, and outcomes.
Reports & documents (3)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- GlossaryData Glossary - SMU University Decision SupportThe SMU Data Glossary is an enterprise-wide resource developed to standardize definitions and clarify terminology across Southern Methodist University's business units. It contains 115 defined terms, focusing on aspects of academic guidance, student classifications, athletics, student conduct, financial aid, grade point averages, Greek life membership, major fields of study, housing, admissions, career progression, student organizations, study abroad programs, and other elements pertinent to the operations and categorization of student data at SMU.smu.edu
- Strategic planStrategic Plan, 2016 - 20252015Southern Methodist University aims to foster a global society through teaching, research, and service. The strategic plan focuses on creating principled thought leaders and promotes an environment of dignity. It reaffirms SMU's commitment to academic freedom, ethical values, and its United Methodist heritage.smu.edu
Grants & funding (1)
Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.
Notable alumni of Southern Methodist (29)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Laura BushPolitics
- Rick ScottPolitics
- Jo JorgensenPolitics
- John TowerPolitics
- Lamar HuntBusiness
- Gerald J. FordBusiness
- Kathy BatesFilm and Television
- Amy AckerFilm and Television
- Brian BaumgartnerFilm and Television
- Eddie Bernice JohnsonPolitics
- Jeffrey SkillingBusiness
- Robert H. Dedman Sr.Business
Frequently asked questions about Southern Methodist University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Southern Methodist.
What is the graduation rate at Southern Methodist University?
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Who runs Institutional Research at Southern Methodist University?
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