Southern Methodist University

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Southern Methodist University

Southern Methodist University operates as a private nonprofit institution located in Dallas, Texas (suburb: large), with a total reported enrollment of 7,277 students of which 7,491 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile’s peer group and cost cohort are determined. Southern Methodist University is categorized as “16” under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.

Selectivity and financial signals give context to what applicants can expect. The reported admission rate is 63.3%, drawn from the most recent IPEDS Fall enrollment survey, with an average SAT of 1,428 and an ACT midpoint of 33. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $40,892, with published in-state tuition of $67,040 and a Pell grant recipient share of 12.8%. Median federal student debt at graduation is $19,500, drawn from the U.S. Treasury-matched College Scorecard file.

Outcomes reveal whether the investment pays back. The 4-year completion rate is 83.8%, and the first-year retention rate is 90.5%. Graduates earn a median of $78,354 ten years after enrolling, compared with $65,556 six years post-enrollment. Within three years of entering repayment, 131300.0% of borrowers are making progress on their federal loans, and 80.2% of graduates earn above the high-school threshold. Treating these numbers as a single snapshot alongside the cost cohort is the standard approach for evaluating ROI under the College Scorecard methodology.