This page provides the latest information on Southern Methodist University (SMU)'s admission process, acceptance rate, and student profile. SMU's acceptance rate is 63.35% for 2024-2025 admission. A total of 15,245 students applied and 9,657 were admitted to the school. Its acceptance rate is relatively high, making it somewhat easy to get into SMU.
To apply to SMU, recommendations and personal statement (or essay) are required to submit. The SAT and ACT score is not required, but considered for admission. In addition, english proficiency test score is also considered (required).
For the academic year 2024-25, SMU's acceptance rate is 63.35% and the yield (also known as enrollment rate) is 17.77%. 7,131 men and 8,114 women applied to SMU and 4,384 men and 5,273 women students were accepted.
Among them, 841 men and 875 women were enrolled in SMU. You can explore the SMU's admission rates and SAT score trends over the past decade, including year-by-year data and analysis, by visiting Admission Trends page.
| Total | Men | Women | Another Gender | Gender Unknown | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applicants | 15,245 | 7,131 | 8,114 | 0 | 0 |
| Admitted | 9,657 | 4,384 | 5,273 | 0 | 0 |
| Enrolled | 1,716 | 841 | 875 | 0 | 0 |
| Acceptance Rate | 63.35% | 61.48% | 64.99% | - | - |
| Yield | 17.77% | 19.18% | 16.59% | - | - |
Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)
For the academic year 2025, 266 students (16% of enrolled students) submitted SAT scores and 160 students (9% of enrolled students) submitted ACT scores as part of the admission process at SMU.
The median SAT score for admitted students is 1,420, including 700 in SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and 720 in SAT Math. The 75th percentile SAT EBRW score is 740 and the 25th percentile is 670. For SAT Math, the 75th percentile score is 750 and the 25th percentile is 670.
The median ACT composite score is 32, with a 75th percentile score of 34 and a 25th percentile score of 30 at SMU. The median ACT Math score is 30 and the median ACT English score is 33.
The SAT and ACT scores at Southern Methodist University are competitive and high compared to similar colleges (SAT: 1,314, ACT: 29 - private (not-for-profit) research university with high research activity).
| 25th Percentile | 50th Percentile (Median) | 75th Percentile | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Total | 1,340 | 1,420 | 1,490 |
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing | 670 | 700 | 740 |
| SAT Math | 670 | 720 | 750 |
| ACT Composite | 30 | 32 | 34 |
| ACT Math | 27 | 30 | 33 |
| ACT English | 30 | 33 | 35 |
Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)
For the academic year 2024-25, total 1,716 first-year students enrolled in SMU. The proportion of full-time students is 99.94% and part-time students is 0.06%.
By gender, the proportion of men students is 49.01% and women students is 50.99%.
The following table shows the first-year students by gender and enrolled type at SMU.
| Total | Men | Women | Another Gender | Gender Unknown | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 1,716 | 841 | 875 | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time | 1,715 | 840 | 875 | 0 | 0 |
| Part-time | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)
It requires to submit High School GPA, High School Record (or Transcript), Completion of College Preparatory Program, Recommendations, English Proficiency Test, and Personal statement or essay to its applicants.
The SAT and ACT test score is not required, but considered in admission process at SMU. The english proficiency test is required .
The next table summarizes the application requirements to apply Southern Methodist University.
For more admission information such as minimum GPA and deadlines, see its online application page .
| High School GPA | Required |
|---|---|
| High School Rank | Considered, if submitted |
| High School Record (or Transcript) | Required |
| Completion of College Preparatory Program | Required |
| Recommendations | Required |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies | Considered, if submitted |
| SAT / ACT | Considered, if submitted |
| English Proficiency Test | Required |
| Other Test (Wonderlic,WISC-III,etc) | Not Considered |
| Work experience | Considered, if submitted |
| Personal statement or essay | Required |
| Legacy status | Considered, if submitted |
The following provides general admission information for applying to SMU:
The institutional SAT code for SMU is 6660 and 4-digit ACT code is 4174.
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