University of Dallas vs Southern Methodist University (SMU)

Nestled in the vibrant city of Dallas, University of Dallas and Southern Methodist University stand as two distinct beacons of higher education, each offering a unique blend of academic excellence and vibrant campus life. While both universities share a commitment to providing a transformative educational experience, they differ in several key aspects. From their contrasting acceptance rates and popular majors to their diverse student body demographics and graduation rates, these institutions cater to different student profiles and aspirations. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into the specifics and discover which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Southern Methodist University	University of Dallas
Overview
Location	Dallas, Texas	Irving, Texas
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: 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%	81.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Methodism	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	53.1%	58.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1340 - 1510	1110 - 1390
ACT range	31 - 34	24 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	16.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	23.0%	18.0%
Total number of applicants	15,685	4,990
Total number of admissions given out	8,333	2,912
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,572	476
Yield rate	18.9%	16.3%
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	$60,284
Average net price	$41,986	$25,620
Tuition	$53,464	$43,326
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,860 Meal plan: $6,578	Room/dormitory: $7,190 Meal plan: $6,282
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	74.0% Average amount $34,940	100.0% Average amount $34,881
Students receiving federal student loan	25.0% Average amount $5,241	55.0% Average amount $5,039
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $29,055	8.0% Average amount $14,955

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,908 Men 50.5% Women 49.5%	1,500 Men 43.4% Women 56.6%
Graduate students	5,477 Men 52.4% Women 47.6%	1,038 Men 56.5% Women 43.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	59.4%	N/A
International students	8.1%	4.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	3,403	909
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Education Legal Profession Computer and Information Science	Business Computer and Information Science Theology Liberal Arts English Language and Literature
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	82.4%	71.8%
Dropout rate	4.7%	8.1%
Transferred out	12.4%	20.1%
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	Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $87,039 Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: $103,591 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $74,295 Year 2: $77,966 Year 3: $87,899 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,858 Year 2: $60,878 Year 3: $67,182 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,533 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $58,755 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,528 Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $33,134 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,910 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $21,702 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: N/A Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,081 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,815 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Theological and Ministerial Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: N/A

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