Private nonprofitFour-year

Southern Methodist University

Dallas, TX · Highest award: Graduate degree

Compare this college with another → · Official website ↗

Net price (avg)
$40,892
Academic year 2023-24
Tuition & fees
$67,040
Academic year 2024-25
Graduation rate
84.3%
Fall 2018 entering cohort (150%), Fall 2016 (200%)
Median earnings (10 yr)
$78,354
Entering cohort AY2009-10 / 2010-11, measured in 2022 dollars

Read the years, not just the numbers

Each figure below is labelled with the period it covers, because they are not all from the same year. Tuition is Academic year 2024-25, while the earnings figure describes students who entered Entering cohort AY2009-10 / 2010-11, measured in 2022 dollars. They are historical facts about this institution, not a quote for you.

What it actually costs

Net price is what students paid after grant and scholarship aid — usually far below the sticker price.

Total cost of attendance
$85,606
Academic year 2023-24
Tuition & fees (in state)
$67,040
Academic year 2024-25
Tuition & fees (out of state)
$67,040
Academic year 2024-25
Room & board (on campus)
$19,064
Academic year 2024-25
Room & board (off campus)
$11,314
Academic year 2024-25
Books & supplies
$800
Academic year 2024-25

Average net price by family income

Academic year 2023-24

$0–30,00023,544
$30,001–48,00020,038
$48,001–75,00024,152
$75,001–110,00033,477
$110,001+58,213

Figures are U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard data for Academic year 2023-24, published by the U.S. federal government. They are historical reference values, not a quote, and not an offer. Your actual cost will depend on your own circumstances.

This college’s official net price calculator ↗

Outcomes

Historical results for students who attended. They do not predict your own.

Graduation rate (150% time)
84.3%
Fall 2018 entering cohort (150%), Fall 2016 (200%)
Graduation rate (200% time)
82.8%
Fall 2018 entering cohort (150%), Fall 2016 (200%)
Retention (full-time)
90.5%
Fall 2023 cohort
Median earnings (6 yr)
$65,556
Entering cohort AY2009-10 / 2010-11, measured in 2022 dollars
Median earnings (10 yr)
$78,354
Entering cohort AY2009-10 / 2010-11, measured in 2022 dollars
Loan default rate (3 yr)
0.0%
FSA FY2022 cohort
Median debt of completers
$19,500
NSLDS FY2020/21 pooled
Median debt monthly payment
$206.73
NSLDS FY2020/21 pooled
Repayment rate (3 yr)
75.0%
NSLDS FY2013/14 cohort

Compared with a high-school graduate

Students here earned a median of $78,354 ten years after entering, against a national benchmark for high-school graduates of $36,082. That benchmark is 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, 2024 dollars.

Admissions and size

Many institutions do not report these — “Not reported” is not a zero.

Admission rate
63.3%
Fall 2024
Average SAT (equivalent)
1,428
Fall 2024
ACT 25th–75th percentile
30–34
Fall 2024
Undergraduate enrollment
7,277
Fall 2024
Student-faculty ratio
11:1
Fall 2024
First-generation share
15.7%
Fall 2024
Pell grant recipients
12.8%
Academic year 2023-24
Federal loan recipients
21.5%
Academic year 2023-24
Median family income
$67,697
AY2022-23 (median family income)

Student body

Fall 2024

White56%
Hispanic18%
Black5%
Asian8%
Two or more races5%
Nonresident / international4%

Other Four-year institutions in TX

Peer institutions
InstitutionNet priceGrad rateEarnings (10 yr)
Abilene Christian UniversityNot reported59.0%$55,736
Abilene Christian University-Undergraduate OnlineNot reportedNot reported$55,736
Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College Berkeley - AustinNot reportedNot reportedNot reported
Alvin Community College$8,52524.0%$45,762
Amberton UniversityNot reportedNot reportedNot reported
American College of Acupuncture and Oriental MedNot reportedNot reportedNot reported
American InterContinental University-HoustonNot reported4.5%$36,144
Angelo State University$15,09144.0%$50,116
Arizona College of Nursing-DallasNot reportedNot reported$34,657
Arlington Baptist UniversityNot reported19.4%$44,644
Austin CollegeNot reported67.0%$61,296
Austin Community College District$6,39020.2%$43,177

Earnings by field of study

Four years after graduation, by programme. Compare each against the national median for that field.

Earnings by field of study
ProgrammeMedian earnings (4 yr)National medianMedian debt
Business Administration, Management and Operations.$188,716$103,485Not reported
Information Science/Studies.$173,816$112,705Not reported
Computer Systems Analysis.$172,353$113,439Not reported
Systems Engineering.$163,769$144,565Not reported
Finance and Financial Management Services.$155,769$110,694Not reported
Law.$153,614$107,773Not reported
Real Estate.$147,770$135,104Not reported
Applied Mathematics.$144,761$116,060Not reported
Manufacturing Engineering.$141,296$122,873Not reported
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods.$140,799$124,807Not reported
Finance and Financial Management Services.$133,852$83,343$19,500
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations.$133,137$97,366Not reported
Computer Science.$126,590$107,009$26,000
Marketing.$124,730$79,106Not reported
Accounting and Related Services.$112,268$95,833Not reported
Mathematics.$111,773$69,562$21,000
Business Administration, Management and Operations.$106,799$68,257$19,500
Accounting and Related Services.$103,675$76,194$15,850
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics.$93,769$55,000$19,730
Economics.$91,701$82,686$19,500

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (release 2026-06-10) — https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/ · Data last updated 2026-06-10