American University vs Southern Methodist University (SMU)

American University and Southern Methodist University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences to their students. American University, located in the heart of Washington, D.C., boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on public affairs and international studies. In contrast, Southern Methodist University, situated in the vibrant city of Dallas, Texas, is known for its business and engineering programs and its commitment to experiential learning. With varying acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation outcomes, these universities cater to different academic interests and career aspirations. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your unique goals and preferences.

	American University	Southern Methodist University
Overview
Location	Washington, District of Columbia	Dallas, Texas
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	90.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Methodism	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.1%	53.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $61	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1280 - 1440	1340 - 1510
ACT range	29 - 33	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	18.0%	23.0%
Total number of applicants	19,650	15,685
Total number of admissions given out	12,594	8,333
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,372	1,572
Yield rate	18.8%	18.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$70,512	$72,336
Average net price	$28,622	$41,986
Tuition	$52,542	$53,464
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,096 Meal plan: $6,314	Room/dormitory: $10,860 Meal plan: $6,578
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	64.0% Average amount $27,332	74.0% Average amount $34,940
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $4,933	25.0% Average amount $5,241
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $25,877	5.0% Average amount $29,055

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,463 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%	6,908 Men 50.5% Women 49.5%
Graduate students	6,389 Men 37.1% Women 62.9%	5,477 Men 52.4% Women 47.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	59.4%
International students	10.6%	8.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,080	3,403
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Texas California Florida New York Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Legal Profession Social Sciences Public Administration and Social Service Education	Business Engineering Education Legal Profession Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	78.7%	82.4%
Dropout rate	20.9%	4.7%
Transferred out	N/A	12.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,187 Year 2: $97,907 Year 3: $111,993 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $89,205 Year 2: $99,458 Year 3: $107,216 Economics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,457 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $93,099 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,734 Year 2: $74,953 Year 3: $85,544 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,308 Year 2: $60,771 Year 3: $80,276 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $60,267 Year 2: $63,203 Year 3: $78,002 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,356 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $76,697 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $66,014 Year 3: $76,448 International Relations and National Security Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,460 Year 2: $63,692 Year 3: $73,342 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,600 Year 3: $72,861	Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,915 Year 2: $111,196 Year 3: $127,135 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $118,537 Year 2: $120,363 Year 3: $120,106 Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,239 Year 2: $101,558 Year 3: $116,891 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $104,021 Year 2: $101,072 Year 3: $112,196 Marketing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $89,842 Year 2: $101,072 Year 3: $107,302 Computer Systems Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,251 Year 2: $81,491 Year 3: $100,026 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,824 Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $99,671 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $81,633 Year 2: $81,554 Year 3: $99,143 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,678 Year 2: $73,446 Year 3: $89,611 Operations Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $89,319

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