Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Southern Methodist University Featured Rankings
- #1 Christian Colleges in Texas 2026
- #2 Private Colleges in Texas 2026
- #5 Research Universities in Texas 2026
- #5 Online Master’s in Cybersecurity
- #5 Texas's Best Online Master's Degrees
- #5 Best Colleges in Texas 2026
- #6 Best Online MBAs Texas
- #9 Best Christian Colleges 2026
- #10 Online Master’s in Data Science
- #11 Accelerated Online Doctorate of Computer Science
- #17 Non-GMAT Online MBAs
- #18 Online MBAs
- #45 Best Private Grad Schools 2026
- #48 The Best Traditional MBA Programs
About Southern Methodist University
According to Wikipedia, Southern Methodist University is a private research university in University Park, Texas, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South—now part of the United Methodist Church—in partnership with Dallas civic leaders. However, it is nonsectarian in its teaching and enrolls students of all religious affiliations. It is classified among "R-2: Doctoral Universities – High Research Activity".
Southern Methodist University's Online Degrees
MBA in Business Administration
- Required Credits: 52
- Completion Time: 3-4 years
- Format: Fully online
MS in Cybersecurity
- Required Credits: 30
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MS in Data Science
- Required Credits: 33.5
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
Southern Methodist University Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15,092 | 63% | 91% | 83% | 1415 | 32 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Southern Methodist University Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $69,722 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $31,728 |
| 30K - 48K | $18,708 |
| 48K - 75K | $23,206 |
| 75K - 110K | $28,047 |
| 110K+ | $57,328 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Southern Methodist University Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Southern Methodist University students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $90,037 a year, and 92% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Southern Methodist University's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 12,900 | 7,491 | 5,409 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Southern Methodist University?
Southern Methodist University is located at 6425 Boaz St, Dallas, TX 75275-0221.
How Safe is Southern Methodist University?
Relative to its enrollment, Southern Methodist University has a violent crime rate of 0.06% and a property crime rate of 0.42%. Dallas has a violent crime rate of 0.66% and a property crime rate of 3.41%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Southern Methodist University Known For?
Southern Methodist University is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Religious Studies
- Law
- Anthropology
- Business
- Social Work
- Earth Sciences
- Computer Science
- Engineering
- History
- Political Science
- Communications
- Physics
- Education
- Medical
- Economics
- Literature
- Philosophy
- Psychology
- Mathematics
- Chemistry
- Biology
- Sociology
Southern Methodist University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Southern Methodist University's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Southern Methodist University ranks #34 in the U.S. and #145 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesSouthern Methodist University ranks #59 in the U.S. and #179 worldwide for influence in Law.
Southern Methodist University ranks #61 in the U.S. and #160 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesSouthern Methodist University ranks #66 in the U.S. and #164 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesSouthern Methodist University ranks #91 in the U.S. and #174 worldwide for influence in Social Work.
social-work DegreesSouthern Methodist University ranks #101 in the U.S. and #403 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesSouthern Methodist University ranks #102 in the U.S. and #376 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesSouthern Methodist University ranks #108 in the U.S. and #444 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesSouthern Methodist University ranks #108 in the U.S. and #281 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesSouthern Methodist University ranks #111 in the U.S. and #403 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesSouthern Methodist University ranks #116 in the U.S. and #375 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesSouthern Methodist University ranks #116 in the U.S. and #475 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesSouthern Methodist University ranks #122 in the U.S. and #431 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesSouthern Methodist University ranks #122 in the U.S. and #363 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesSouthern Methodist University ranks #123 in the U.S. and #528 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesSouthern Methodist University ranks #129 in the U.S. and #359 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesSouthern Methodist University ranks #130 in the U.S. and #411 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesSouthern Methodist University ranks #149 in the U.S. and #338 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesSouthern Methodist University ranks #163 in the U.S. and #623 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesSouthern Methodist University ranks #182 in the U.S. and #826 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesSouthern Methodist University ranks #189 in the U.S. and #679 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesSouthern Methodist University ranks #221 in the U.S. and #804 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesWho Are Southern Methodist University's Most Influential Alumni?
Southern Methodist University's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Criminal Justice, Business, and Religious Studies. Here are some of Southern Methodist University's most famous alumni:
- Tom Beauchamp
- An American philosopher.
- James Cronin
- An American physicist.
- E. P. Sanders
- An American biblical scholar.
- Clyde Snow
- An American anthropologist .
- Matt Zoller Seitz
- An American writer and critic.
- Hope Hicks
- An American public relations executive and political advisor .
- James Hendler
- An Artificial intelligence researcher.
- Walter Wink
- An American biblical scholar.
- Gillian Triggs
- An Australian legal scholar.
- David A. Hounshell
- An American historian.
- Chad Wolf
- An American government official.
- Peter A. McCullough
- An American cardiologist and medical professor.
Who Are Southern Methodist University's Most Influential Faculty?
Southern Methodist University's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Criminal Justice, Business, and Religious Studies. Here are some of Southern Methodist University's most famous faculty:
