University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) vs Southern Methodist University (SMU)

When it comes to higher education in Texas, University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) and Southern Methodist University (SMU) stand out as two distinct institutions with unique offerings. UHD, a public university located in the heart of Houston, boasts an open admissions policy and a diverse student body, while SMU, a private research university in Dallas, offers a more selective admissions process and a smaller, more affluent student population. With different acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, these universities cater to different student needs and aspirations. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Southern Methodist University	University of Houston-Downtown
Overview
Location	Dallas, Texas	Houston, Texas
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	64.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	53.1%	94.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $35
SAT range	1340 - 1510	N/A
ACT range	31 - 34	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	23.0%
Total number of applicants	15,685	6,148
Total number of admissions given out	8,333	5,831
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,572	1,360
Yield rate	18.9%	23.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$72,336	In state: $25,782 Out of state: $35,598
Average net price	$41,986	$13,460
Tuition	$53,464	In state: $6,252 Out of state: $16,068
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,860 Meal plan: $6,578
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	74.0% Average amount $34,940	88.0% Average amount $7,490
Students receiving federal student loan	25.0% Average amount $5,241	14.0% Average amount $4,717
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $29,055	1.0% Average amount $16,077

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,908 Men 50.5% Women 49.5%	13,612 Men 36.4% Women 63.6%
Graduate students	5,477 Men 52.4% Women 47.6%	1,465 Men 39.2% Women 60.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	59.4%	0.6%
International students	8.1%	5.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	3,403	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Texas California Florida New York Illinois	Texas Georgia Iowa Louisiana Michigan

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Education Legal Profession Computer and Information Science	Business Multidisciplinary Studies Computer and Information Science Health Professions Communication and Journalism
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	19:1
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%	30.2%
Dropout rate	4.7%	22.4%
Transferred out	12.4%	39.5%
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	Criminal Justice and Corrections (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,980 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $78,852 Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,187 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $76,489 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,158 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $73,620 Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,110 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $63,411 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,074 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $62,848 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,458 Year 2: $64,990 Year 3: $61,484 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,605 Year 2: $50,022 Year 3: $55,488 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,118 Year 2: $50,082 Year 3: $53,629 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,554 Year 2: $41,193 Year 3: $52,508 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,661 Year 2: $44,064 Year 3: $52,377

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University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) vs Southern Methodist University (SMU)

Southern Methodist University

University of Houston-Downtown

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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