Fordham vs Southern Methodist University (SMU)

Fordham University and Southern Methodist University, two esteemed private institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Fordham, rooted in Jesuit tradition, is located in the vibrant metropolis of New York City, while SMU thrives in the dynamic city of Dallas. With acceptance rates of 48% and 53%, respectively, both universities are moderately selective. While Fordham's student body is predominantly undergraduate, SMU boasts a larger graduate population. In terms of popular majors, Fordham excels in the liberal arts and sciences, while SMU is renowned for its business and engineering programs. With graduation rates hovering around 85% for both universities, students can expect a supportive environment that fosters academic success. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these institutions' unique strengths and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Fordham University	Southern Methodist University
Overview
Location	Bronx, New York	Dallas, Texas
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	88.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	58.3%	53.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1300 - 1480	1340 - 1510
ACT range	30 - 33	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	11.0%	23.0%
Total number of applicants	46,275	15,685
Total number of admissions given out	26,980	8,333
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,879	1,572
Yield rate	10.7%	18.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$72,559	$72,336
Average net price	$37,583	$41,986
Tuition	$54,730	$53,464
Room & board	$21,035	Room/dormitory: $10,860 Meal plan: $6,578
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	94.0% Average amount $34,114	74.0% Average amount $34,940
Students receiving federal student loan	52.0% Average amount $5,280	25.0% Average amount $5,241
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $26,677	5.0% Average amount $29,055

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,904 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%	6,908 Men 50.5% Women 49.5%
Graduate students	7,082 Men 34.3% Women 65.7%	5,477 Men 52.4% Women 47.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	60.9%	59.4%
International students	10.2%	8.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,749	3,403
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York New Jersey California Mississippi Connecticut	Texas California Florida New York Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Public Administration and Social Service Legal Profession Computer and Information Science Education	Business Engineering Education Legal Profession Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	83.2%	82.4%
Dropout rate	6.7%	4.7%
Transferred out	9.9%	12.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $146,081 Year 2: $100,690 Year 3: $124,166 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,577 Year 2: $113,850 Year 3: $121,893 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,586 Year 2: $85,538 Year 3: $98,267 Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,240 Year 2: $81,702 Year 3: $96,920 Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $103,078 Year 3: $95,156 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,465 Year 2: $73,195 Year 3: $87,850 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,578 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $87,004 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,968 Year 2: $71,351 Year 3: $82,005 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $58,702 Year 2: $79,081 Year 3: $81,526 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,805 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $73,993	Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,915 Year 2: $111,196 Year 3: $127,135 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $118,537 Year 2: $120,363 Year 3: $120,106 Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,239 Year 2: $101,558 Year 3: $116,891 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $104,021 Year 2: $101,072 Year 3: $112,196 Marketing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $89,842 Year 2: $101,072 Year 3: $107,302 Computer Systems Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,251 Year 2: $81,491 Year 3: $100,026 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,824 Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $99,671 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $81,633 Year 2: $81,554 Year 3: $99,143 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,678 Year 2: $73,446 Year 3: $89,611 Operations Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $89,319

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Fordham vs Southern Methodist University (SMU)

Fordham University

Southern Methodist University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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