Lubbock Christian University vs Southern Methodist University (SMU)

Lubbock Christian University (LCU) and Southern Methodist University (SMU) stand as distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique opportunities and experiences to their students. LCU, a private Christian university, boasts a close-knit community with a strong emphasis on faith-based education, while SMU, a private research university, is renowned for its academic rigor and diverse student body. With acceptance rates of 68% and 48%, respectively, LCU offers a more accessible admissions process compared to SMU's highly selective approach. While both universities offer a range of undergraduate and graduate programs, LCU's popular majors lean towards fields like nursing, business, and education, whereas SMU's strengths lie in areas such as engineering, business, and the arts. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details regarding student demographics, graduation rates, and other key factors that set these two esteemed institutions apart, helping you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Lubbock Christian University	Southern Methodist University
Overview
Location	Lubbock, Texas	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	70.0%	91.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Churches of Christ	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	95.2%	53.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75
SAT range	940 - 1186	1340 - 1510
ACT range	20 - 26	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	37.0%	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	38.0%	23.0%
Total number of applicants	893	15,685
Total number of admissions given out	850	8,333
Admitted students who chose to enroll	310	1,572
Yield rate	36.5%	18.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$39,706	$72,336
Average net price	$24,079	$41,986
Tuition	$24,700	$53,464
Room & board	$7,130	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)	97.0% Average amount $14,001	74.0% Average amount $34,940
Students receiving federal student loan	90.0% Average amount $5,011	25.0% Average amount $5,241
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $13,669	5.0% Average amount $29,055

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,393 Men 36.8% Women 63.2%	6,908 Men 50.5% Women 49.5%
Graduate students	268 Men 18.7% Women 81.3%	5,477 Men 52.4% Women 47.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	59.4%
International students	2.5%	8.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	604	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	Health Professions Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business Psychology	Business Engineering Education Legal Profession Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	42.9%	82.4%
Dropout rate	25.8%	4.7%
Transferred out	29.4%	12.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,092 Year 2: $80,779 Year 3: $84,377 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,681 Year 2: $68,858 Year 3: $70,520 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,673 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $54,899 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,510 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $52,504 Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $34,816 Year 2: $42,235 Year 3: $39,456 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,170 Year 2: $35,559 Year 3: $37,337 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,498 Year 2: $24,615 Year 3: $27,600 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,848 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,771 Year 3: N/A Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,367 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	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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