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In 1915, Southern Methodist University opened its doors with 456 students and 37 faculty members. All classes were held in Dallas Hall. The university has since grown to accommodate 6,480 undergraduates and when combined with the graduate student population, the total number of students is 11,649. Five separate colleges combine to form the University where they maintain a student to faculty ratio of 11 to 1. Business, Humanities and Sciences, Engineering, Arts and the Education and Human Development Colleges each have departmental programs that are widely recognized.
The student body at SMU is made up of 39% students from within the state, 56% are from out-of-state and there are 5% International students. The ethnically diverse student population is 48% female and 52% male.
To gain admission to SMU students should have SAT scores that range from about 1340 – 1460 or ACT scores of about 32 and a GPA in the range of 3.43 – 3.93. As many as four of five undergrads receive scholarships but to be considered for financial aid, SMU requires both the FAFSA and the CSS profile. March 31st is the deadline for these forms. Submission of all the forms required for financial aid provides automatic consideration for General Academic Merit Scholarships that range from 20 to $30,000. There are also departmental scholarships that range between 5 and $10,000 as well as other invitation-only scholarships for high achieving students.
The preference of applications is the Common Application. Along with the application, the high school transcript, a counselor recommendation and an essay are required. Students can self-report test scores but official scores are required after admission.
The Engineering College has a 90% completion rate for graduation to go along with completing at least one internship. The department is 34% female and that is two times the national average. Some of the unique specializations in engineering are cybersecurity, biomedical and video game development that see students leaving these programs achieve the top 20% of the highest paid graduates from SMU.
The Humanities College has a human rights major that is a good choice for law school, nonprofits, political minded individuals. Students can also major in education, psychology or sports management and earn up to 6 credit hours for doing internships. The Meadows School of the Arts has Visual Arts, Performing Arts and Communications. The Cox School of Business now has a direct entry program into their business school that is presently ranked 19th in the country.
Due to the pandemic, only virtual campus visits are allowed at this point but if any of what you read above sounds interesting to you; contact Kendall Darcy at 713-320-2273 kdacey@smu.edu. She can get you the additional information you need to make an informed decision about whether Southern Methodist University is a good fit for you.
