Boston University (BU) vs Southern Methodist University (SMU)

Boston University and Southern Methodist University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Boston University, nestled in the heart of Boston, boasts a vibrant urban campus and a diverse student body, while Southern Methodist University, located in the vibrant city of Dallas, offers a more traditional campus setting and a strong emphasis on undergraduate education. With acceptance rates of 21% and 48%, respectively, both universities are highly selective, attracting top students from across the nation. While Boston University excels in fields like engineering, business, and health sciences, Southern Methodist University shines in areas such as business, engineering, and the arts. Explore the comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these universities, including their graduation rates, student demographics, and popular majors, to determine which institution best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Boston University	Southern Methodist University
Overview
Location	Boston, Massachusetts	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	94.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	18.6%	53.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $95	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1360 - 1520	1340 - 1510
ACT range	31 - 34	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	32.0%	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	23.0%
Total number of applicants	75,778	15,685
Total number of admissions given out	14,129	8,333
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,011	1,572
Yield rate	28.4%	18.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$79,606	$72,336
Average net price	$25,852	$41,986
Tuition	$58,560	$53,464
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,990 Meal plan: $5,850	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)	53.0% Average amount $50,486	74.0% Average amount $34,940
Students receiving federal student loan	24.0% Average amount $4,317	25.0% Average amount $5,241
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $25,248	5.0% Average amount $29,055

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	18,229 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	6,908 Men 50.5% Women 49.5%
Graduate students	17,875 Men 42.5% Women 57.5%	5,477 Men 52.4% Women 47.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	59.4%
International students	26.6%	8.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	11,356	3,403
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York California New Jersey Connecticut Pennsylvania	Texas California Florida New York Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Computer and Information Science Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Business Engineering Education Legal Profession Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	89.4%	82.4%
Dropout rate	10.3%	4.7%
Transferred out	N/A	12.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $115,398 Year 2: $125,611 Year 3: $147,490 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $110,318 Year 2: $110,878 Year 3: $142,427 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,155 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $117,665 Computer Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,383 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $115,901 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $104,027 Year 2: $106,688 Year 3: $113,743 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,380 Year 2: $102,306 Year 3: $111,308 Insurance (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $112,170 Year 2: $97,959 Year 3: $108,260 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $108,069 Year 2: $92,743 Year 3: $106,517 Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $87,263 Year 2: $96,829 Year 3: $104,284 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $81,137 Year 2: $83,848 Year 3: $99,636	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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