Southern Methodist University (SMU) was founded in 1911 by the Southern Methodist Church. The school’s original campus was located in the Highland Park area of Dallas. It was created to provide higher education to the area’s growing population, and it quickly became one of the leading universities in Texas. In 1915, SMU opened its first building for classes and began offering a variety of degree programs. The university continued to expand over the years, adding new buildings, such as Dallas Hall and Ownby Stadium in 1921, and adding more degree programs. In 1925, SMU moved its campus to its current location on University Boulevard in Dallas.
SMU has continued to grow over the years and now offers more than 90 undergraduate degree programs and more than 70 graduate degree programs across seven schools: Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences; Simmons School of Education & Human Development; Cox School of Business; Meadows School of Arts; Lyle School of Engineering; Perkins School of Theology; and Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education & Human Development. SMU also offers a wide range of research opportunities for students across all disciplines, including a variety of research centers and institutes dedicated to various areas such as energy policy, data analytics, entrepreneurship, poverty research, public policy analysis, medical humanities, leadership development and more. In addition to academic achievements, SMU is also known for its athletics program which includes NCAA Division I teams competing in football, basketball, golf and other sports. See topschoolsintheusa for LSAT test dates and centers in Maryland.
Southern Methodist University, as one of the top colleges ranked by major educational institutions, has impressed us by its high selectivity and student friendly application process during admissions. The following tables detail 2018 class profile, including total applications received, average high school GPA, SAT scores/ACT scores, and acceptance rates of Southern Methodist University. To learn more about GPA, SAT and ACT scores information, please follow the links below. If you want to find even more about Southern Methodist University, such as tuition fees and scholarships, you can click the link after tables to visit the school’s official website.
Official website: https://www.abbreviationfinder.org/acronyms/smu_southern-methodist-university.html
Admissions Stats
Southern Methodist University is a highly selective private university located in Dallas, Texas. The university has an acceptance rate of 44%, which means that only 44 out of every 100 applicants are accepted. The average SAT score for accepted applicants is 1237, while the average ACT score is 26. Of the admitted students, approximately 50% are from Texas, while the remaining 50% come from other states and countries. The student body is comprised of about 5,700 undergraduate students and 3,400 graduate students. SMU has a student-faculty ratio of 11:1 and an average class size of 21. SMU also boasts a 97% retention rate for first-year students and a four-year graduation rate of 74%. As far as diversity goes, 31% of SMU’s student body are non-white and 8% are international students. SMU also offers more than 200 majors and programs to choose from across seven different schools and colleges.
Fall 2022 Selectivity
| Selectivity | more selective |
| Fall 2022 acceptance rate | 59% |
| Early decision acceptance rate | N/A |
| Early action acceptance rate | N/A |
| Acceptance rate (excluding early action and early decision students) | 59% |
Fall 2022 Applications, Acceptances & Enrollments
| Applicants | 8,239 |
| Female applicants | 4,652 |
| Male applicants | 3,587 |
| Applicants accepted | 4,899 |
| Female applicants accepted | 2,750 |
| Male applicants accepted | 2,149 |
| Freshman enrollment | 1,479 |
| Female freshman enrollment | 788 |
| Male freshman enrollment | 691 |
| Early decision applicants | N/A |
| Early decision applicants accepted | N/A |
| Early decision applicants enrolled | N/A |
| Early action applicants | N/A |
| Early action applicants accepted | N/A |
| Early action applicants enrolled | N/A |
| Total enrolled incoming freshmen who were accepted under early acceptance or early action | N/A |
Fall 2022 Wait List
| School has a wait list | Yes |
| Applicants placed on wait list | 1,058 |
| Students accepting place on wait list | 472 |
| Students accepted from wait list | 45 |
Fall 2022 High School Rank
| Freshman students submitting high school class standing | 46% |
Fall 2022 High School GPA
| Freshman students submitting high school GPA | 100% |
| Average high school GPA | 3.4 |
| High school GPA 25th-75th percentile range | 3-3.7 |
Fall 2022 Freshman SAT Scores
| Freshman students submitting SAT scores | 65% |
| SAT Critical Reading average score | 615 |
| SAT Critical Reading 25th-75th percentile range | 560-670 |
| SAT Math average score | 630 |
| SAT Math 25th-75th percentile range: | 580-680 |
| SAT Writing average score | 610 |
| SAT Writing 25th-75th percentile range | 560-660 |
| SAT Essay 25th-75th percentile range | N/A |
Fall 2022 Freshman ACT Scores
| Freshman students submitting ACT scores | 57% |
| Average ACT Composite score | 28 |
| ACT Composite 25th-75th percentile range | 25-30 |
| ACT English 25th-75th percentile range | 25-32 |
| ACT Math 25th-75th percentile range | 25-31 |