Quad

Head-to-head

Southern Methodist
Emerson

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Southern Methodist grads earn $15.5K more ten years out than Emerson's ($78,354 vs. $62,832)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    Southern Methodist has 1.9× as many undergrads as Emerson

    Undergrads
  3. 3

    Southern Methodist's SAT midpoint is 70 points higher than Emerson's

    SAT midpoint
  4. 4

    Southern Methodist's grants cover 29% of its full price on average, vs. 26% at Emerson

    Aid generosity
  5. 5

    Emerson admits 51% vs. 63% at Southern Methodist

    Acceptance rate
  6. 6

    Southern Methodist graduates 3 pts more of its students than Emerson (82% vs. 79%)

    Graduation rate

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Emerson admits 51%, Southern Methodist 63%; Southern Methodist's yield is higher, at 18%.

Acceptance rate
Southern Methodist63%
Emerson51%
Quad's selectivity
  • Southern MethodistVery selective
  • EmersonVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1200–1600
Southern Methodist
1340–1490
Emerson
1270–1420
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Southern MethodistGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • EmersonGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Southern Methodist has 1.9× as many undergrads as Emerson; Emerson has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Southern Methodist7.3K
Emerson3.9K
Pell Grant share
Southern Methodist13%
Emerson16%

Majors and faculty

Finance leads at Southern Methodist, and Cinematography and Film/Video Production at Emerson; Southern Methodist has 11 students per faculty member to Emerson's 14.

Students per faculty member
Southern Methodist11 to 1
Emerson14 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Southern MethodistFinance, General13%
  • EmersonCinematography and Film/Video Production45%

What each costs

Emerson costs about $1K less a year than Southern Methodist on average; Southern Methodist's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Southern Methodist$60.8K
Emerson$59.8K
Aid generosity
Southern Methodist29%
Emerson26%

What each pays off

Southern Methodist's former students earn more, a median $78.4K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 70% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Southern Methodist$78.4K
Emerson$62.8K
Graduation rate
Southern Methodist82%
Emerson79%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; Southern Methodist got less selective while Emerson held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Southern MethodistGrowing+29%
  • EmersonGrowing+19%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why