George Washington University (GWU) vs Southern Methodist University (SMU)

George Washington University (GWU) and Southern Methodist University (SMU) stand out as two prestigious institutions of higher learning, each offering a unique educational experience. GWU, located in the heart of Washington, D.C., boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on public affairs and international relations. SMU, situated in vibrant Dallas, Texas, is known for its business and engineering programs and its commitment to community engagement. While both universities share a reputation for academic excellence, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	George Washington 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	91.0%	91.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation		Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	49.7%	53.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $80	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1310 - 1490	1340 - 1510
ACT range	30 - 34	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	18.0%	23.0%
Total number of applicants	27,236	15,685
Total number of admissions given out	13,539	8,333
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,571	1,572
Yield rate	19.0%	18.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not 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	$78,335	$72,336
Average net price	$31,240	$41,986
Tuition	$59,780	$53,464
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $15,260 Meal plan: $3,240	Room/dormitory: $10,860 Meal plan: $6,578
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	74.0% Average amount $31,678	74.0% Average amount $34,940
Students receiving federal student loan	30.0% Average amount $5,150	25.0% Average amount $5,241
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $25,366	5.0% Average amount $29,055

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,502 Men 36.3% Women 63.7%	6,908 Men 50.5% Women 49.5%
Graduate students	14,955 Men 38.1% Women 61.9%	5,477 Men 52.4% Women 47.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	98.7%	59.4%
International students	11.6%	8.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	6,693	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 New Jersey Virginia California Pennsylvania	Texas California Florida New York Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Social Sciences Legal Profession Computer and Information Science	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	83.7%	82.4%
Dropout rate	16.1%	4.7%
Transferred out	N/A	12.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Systems Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $160,692 Year 2: $146,893 Year 3: $153,607 Human Resources Management and Services (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $124,764 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $130,306 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $124,241 Year 2: $127,142 Year 3: $127,952 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $107,834 Year 2: $114,046 Year 3: $119,393 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $106,809 Year 2: $101,072 Year 3: $112,813 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $98,922 Year 2: $104,061 Year 3: $111,679 Public Health (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $84,962 Year 2: $104,192 Year 3: $105,816 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $104,747 Year 2: $96,405 Year 3: $105,562 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,274 Year 2: $101,254 Year 3: $103,350 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $77,345 Year 2: $83,177 Year 3: $102,875	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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