Southern Methodist University
TX · Private · South · National university · Top 100 tier
Admission rates
Latest admit rates
How much of the class comes from ED
~25% of enrolled freshmen were admitted through Early Decision.
This is a share of the freshman class, not an admit rate.
† Regular round (est.) = (all admitted students − Early Decision admits) ÷ (all applicants − Early Decision applicants). It also includes Early Action, because the Common Data Set does not report Early Action counts.
Trends, Fall 2020–Fall 2025
Admission rates
ED share of the enrolled freshman class (% of first-years admitted ED, not an admit rate)
Early plans
Fall 2027 applicants
Testing
Testing policy
Superscoring
What this means:
- SAT
- Superscores
- ACT
- Superscores
Source ↗ · checked Nov 3, 2026
Test-optional for fall 2027 entry. Enrolling students must submit every sitting.
How to send scores
Self-report accepted; official scores only after admission/enrollment
Must produce official reports for every sitting behind a self-reported superscore.
School’s words: “Official test scores are required at the time of enrollment. ... At the time of enrollment, students must produce each official sitting that would calculate to the score self-reported.”
Source ↗ · checked Nov 3, 2026
Students submitting scores
‡ Est. % submitting scores adds the share of enrolled first-years who submitted the SAT to the share who submitted the ACT.
Score ranges (middle 50%)
Enrolled first-years who submitted scores, Fall 2025. A quarter scored below the range and a quarter above.
Trends, Fall 2020–Fall 2025
Share of enrolled students submitting scores
SAT composite, middle 50%
ACT composite, middle 50%
Year-by-year data, Fall 2020–Fall 2025
| CDS year | Admitted | Admit rate | ED rate | ED share of class | Est. % submitting | % SAT | % ACT | SAT mid-50 | ACT mid-50 | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | Common Data Set not found online | ||||||||||
| 2020-21 | 7,379 | 52.7% | 65.1% | 22% | 95% | 40% | 55% | 1250-1440 | 29-33 | ||
| 2021-22 | 8,333 | 53.1% | 54.9% | 22% | 39% | 16% | 23% | 1350-1490 | 31-34 | ||
| 2022-23 | Common Data Set not found online | ||||||||||
| 2023-24 | Common Data Set not found online | ||||||||||
| 2024-25 | 9,657 | 63.3% | 87.4% | 21% | 24.8% | 15.5% | 9.3% | 1340-1480 | 30-34 | ||
| 2025-26 | 11,459 | 47.6% | 80.3% | 25% | 18% | 9.4% | 8.6% | 1360-1470 | 31-34 | ||
Waitlist admit rate
Share of students who stayed on the waitlist and were later admitted, by entering class.
- 2025: 23%
- 2024: 11%
- 2021: 29%
Test policy in each Common Data Set
History only. The current policy is under Testing above.
- Fall 2027 Test-optional2025-26 CDS
- Fall 2026 Test-optional2024-25 CDS
- Fall 2025 CDS not available2023-24 CDS
- Fall 2024 CDS not available2022-23 CDS
- Fall 2023 Test-optional2021-22 CDS
- Fall 2022 Required2020-21 CDS
- Fall 2021 CDS not available2019-20 CDS