Southern Methodist University (SMU) vs Belmont

Southern Methodist University (SMU) and Belmont University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. SMU, a private research university in Dallas, Texas, boasts a lower acceptance rate and a larger student body compared to Belmont, a private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee. While both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, SMU excels in business, engineering, and the arts, while Belmont is renowned for its music, nursing, and business programs. SMU's higher graduation rate indicates a strong commitment to student success. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these universities' unique strengths and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Belmont University	Southern Methodist University
Overview
Location	Nashville, Tennessee	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	84.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Interdenominational	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.1%	53.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1150 - 1340	1340 - 1510
ACT range	24 - 30	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	22.0%	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	44.0%	23.0%
Total number of applicants	9,614	15,685
Total number of admissions given out	8,468	8,333
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,834	1,572
Yield rate	21.7%	18.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$59,150	$72,336
Average net price	$35,268	$41,986
Tuition	$36,650	$53,464
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,250 Meal plan: $5,990	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)	88.0% Average amount $21,471	74.0% Average amount $34,940
Students receiving federal student loan	35.0% Average amount $5,137	25.0% Average amount $5,241
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $25,329	5.0% Average amount $29,055

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,076 Men 34.8% Women 65.2%	6,908 Men 50.5% Women 49.5%
Graduate students	1,620 Men 31.0% Women 69.0%	5,477 Men 52.4% Women 47.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	59.4%
International students	0.8%	8.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	3,734	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	Visual & Performing Arts Health Professions Business Legal Profession Communications Technology	Business Engineering Education Legal Profession Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	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	68.2%	82.4%
Dropout rate	31.7%	4.7%
Transferred out	N/A	12.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $100,913 Year 2: $110,643 Year 3: $117,926 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,633 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $91,743 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,539 Year 2: $80,669 Year 3: $88,128 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,485 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $76,331 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,188 Year 2: $62,674 Year 3: $71,582 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $51,042 Year 2: $52,420 Year 3: $67,413 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $61,328 Year 2: $61,651 Year 3: $57,696 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,459 Year 2: $55,026 Year 3: $57,289 Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,024 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $48,289 International Business (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $46,756	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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Southern Methodist University (SMU) vs Belmont

Belmont University

Southern Methodist University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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