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SMU Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

70% 4-Year Graduation Rate
79% 6-Year Graduation Rate
90% Retention Rate

Southern Methodist University 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

How many SMU first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore SMU retention rates, graduation rates, drop out rates and more.

SMU Retention Rate

90% Freshmen Retention Rate
Good Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.

With 90% students making it past their freshmen year, SMU has freshmen retention rates above the national average.

Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.

When looking at just colleges and universities in Texas, the average is 68.17%.

SMU Retention  90 out of 100
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Texas Retention  68 out of 100
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Retention Rate
SMU90%
Nationwide70.57%
Texas68.17%

SMU Graduation Rates

79% 6-Year Graduation Rate
14.95% Transfer Rate
5.25% Dropout Rate

There were approximately 1,395 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?

Four years after beginning their degree, 70% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 79% of the students had graduated and after eight years 80% of this class completed their degree.

The official graduation rate of SMU is 79%. This is the percentage of students who completed their degree within 150% of the published time. That means six years for a standard bachelor's degree program.

The average length of time it takes an SMU undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.13 years.

Four Year Graduation Rate  69%
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100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  79%
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  80%
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100%

SMU Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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Completion WithinUndergraduatesPercentage
Four Years1,23169%
Six Years1,39579%
Eight Years161%
Did Not Complete36120%
The non-completers rate is anyone who is not still enrolled at the institution after eight years. Both transfer students and drop-outs could be included in this group.
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SMU Drop Out Rate

Approximately 361 students or 20% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 361 students who did not complete their degree?

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Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled10.3%
Transferred26573.4%
Dropped Out9325.8%

SMU Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

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Race/EthnicityGraduation Rate
American Indian or Alaskan Native67%
Asian81%
Black / African-American75%
Hawaiian50%
Hispanic75%
International73%
Multi-Ethnic76%
White83%

Some Students Take More Time To Graduate

First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years. Some schools cater to mostly traditional students while others cater to 'non-traditional' students. So called 'non-traditional' students include part-time students or those who may be returning after an absense. It is common for part-time and/or adult students to take longer to graduate.

Traditional Students:

First-time, full-time students under the age of 25.

Non-Traditional Students:

Any student that is not first-time, full-time, and under the age of 25.

The majority of students at SMU are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.

Examining the graduation rates of the specific cohorts shown below may be more revealing than looking at the overall graduaton rates.

First-Time / Full-Time SMU Graduation Rates

80% First-Time, Full-Time
80% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / full-time students at Southern Methodist University represent 80% of the students in the class of 2015, and 81.08% of SMU bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 70%, first-time students in the SMU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the SMU graduation rate was 80%, and by the eight year mark, 81% of the cohort had completed their degree.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.

Four Year Graduation Rate  70 out of 100
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Six Year Graduation Rate  80 out of 100
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Eight Year Graduation Rate  81 out of 100
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SMU First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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First-Time / Full-Time CompletionsSMUNationwide
Four Years70%37.92%
Six Years80%46.43%
Eight Years81%47.82%

First-Time / Full-Time SMU Drop Out Rates

266 first-time / full-time students or 19% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Full-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled10.38%
Transferred20476.69%
Dropped Out6022.56%

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on SMU first-time, part-time students.

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

20% Returning, Full-Time
75% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

346 SMU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 19.53% of the students in the class of 2015.

Non first-time students could include transfer students or adults who have returned to school after an absense.

With a six year graduation rate of 75%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 75%.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 49.57% after four years, 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.

Six Year Graduation Rate  75 out of 100
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Eight Year Graduation Rate  75 out of 100
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SMU Non First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Full-Time CompletionsSMUNationwide
Four Years0%49.57%
Six Years75%53.83%
Eight Years75%55.07%

Non First-Time / Full-Time SMU Drop Out Rates

86 non first-time / part-time students or 25% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.00%
Transferred5665.12%
Dropped Out3034.88%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

1% Returning, Part-Time
38% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

16 SMU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.90% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 38%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 44%.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.03% after six years, 36.03% after eight years.

Six Year Graduation Rate  38 out of 100
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Eight Year Graduation Rate  44 out of 100
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SMU Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Part-Time CompletionsSMUNationwide
Four Years0%30.46%
Six Years38%36.03%
Eight Years44%37.80%

Non First-Time / Part-Time SMU Drop Out Rates

9 non first-time / part-time students or 56% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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Returning / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled111.11%
Transferred555.56%
Dropped Out333.33%

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