Tufts University vs Southern Methodist University (SMU)

Tufts University and Southern Methodist University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Tufts, a private research university in Medford, Massachusetts, boasts a lower acceptance rate (13%) compared to SMU's 53%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with Tufts excelling in fields like biomedical engineering and international relations, while SMU is renowned for its business, engineering, and arts programs. Tufts' student body is slightly larger, with over 6,000 undergraduates, while SMU has a more compact undergraduate population of around 6,500. Both universities boast impressive graduation rates, with Tufts at 93% and SMU at 86%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these universities' similarities and differences, and make an informed decision about which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Southern Methodist University	Tufts University
Overview
Location	Dallas, Texas	Medford, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Suburb: 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%	97.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	53.1%	11.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $85
SAT range	1340 - 1510	1440 - 1550
ACT range	31 - 34	33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	16.0%	32.0%
Students submitting ACT score	23.0%	23.0%
Total number of applicants	15,685	31,198
Total number of admissions given out	8,333	3,566
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,572	1,800
Yield rate	18.9%	50.5%
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	$72,336	$81,700
Average net price	$41,986	$31,630
Tuition	$53,464	$61,646
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,860 Meal plan: $6,578	Room/dormitory: $8,832 Meal plan: $7,378
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	74.0% Average amount $34,940	38.0% Average amount $47,937
Students receiving federal student loan	25.0% Average amount $5,241	20.0% Average amount $3,824
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $29,055	9.0% Average amount $8,607

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,908 Men 50.5% Women 49.5%	6,676 Men 44.8% Women 55.2%
Graduate students	5,477 Men 52.4% Women 47.6%	6,617 Men 38.6% Women 61.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	59.4%	N/A
International students	8.1%	14.0%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	3,403	4,100
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Texas California Florida New York Illinois	New York California New Jersey Connecticut Maryland

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Education Legal Profession Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Social Sciences Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	82.4%	93.8%
Dropout rate	4.7%	1.2%
Transferred out	12.4%	4.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $210,928 Year 2: $207,590 Year 3: $167,393 Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $98,934 Year 2: $112,802 Year 3: $128,899 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $120,961 Year 2: $113,135 Year 3: $123,967 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $104,612 Year 2: $107,163 Year 3: $117,666 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $96,349 Year 2: $97,959 Year 3: $113,556 Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,010 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $111,235 Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $75,720 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $89,511 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,529 Year 2: $73,635 Year 3: $83,832 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,321 Year 2: $71,778 Year 3: $83,710 Public Health (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,852 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $76,984

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Tufts University vs Southern Methodist University (SMU)

Southern Methodist University

Tufts University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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