Quad

Head-to-head

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Syracuse has 2.1× as many undergrads as Southern Methodist

    Undergrads
  2. 2

    Southern Methodist's SAT midpoint is 55 points higher than Syracuse's

    SAT midpoint
  3. 3

    Syracuse costs about $3.4K less per year on average than Southern Methodist ($57,389 vs. $60,825, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  4. 4

    Syracuse has 4 pts more Pell recipients than Southern Methodist (17% vs. 13%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  5. 5

    Syracuse admits 49% vs. 63% at Southern Methodist

    Acceptance rate
  6. 6

    Syracuse's grants cover 33% of its full price on average, vs. 29% at Southern Methodist

    Aid generosity

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

Syracuse admits 49%, Southern Methodist 63%; Southern Methodist's yield is higher, at 18%.

Acceptance rate
Southern Methodist63%
Syracuse49%
Quad's selectivity
  • Southern MethodistVery selective
  • SyracuseVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1200–1600
Southern Methodist
1340–1490
Syracuse
1300–1410
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Southern MethodistGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • SyracuseRigor and GPA very important50%

Who's on each campus

Syracuse has 2.1× as many undergrads as Southern Methodist and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Southern Methodist7.3K
Syracuse15.5K
Pell Grant share
Southern Methodist13%
Syracuse17%

Majors and faculty

Finance leads at Southern Methodist, and Psychology at Syracuse; Southern Methodist has 11 students per faculty member to Syracuse's 15.

Students per faculty member
Southern Methodist11 to 1
Syracuse15 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Southern MethodistFinance, General13%
  • SyracusePsychology, General8%

What each costs

Syracuse costs about $3.4K less a year than Southern Methodist on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Southern Methodist$60.8K
Syracuse$57.4K
Aid generosity
Southern Methodist29%
Syracuse33%

What each pays off

Syracuse's former students earn more, a median $79.2K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Southern Methodist$78.4K
Syracuse$79.2K
Graduation rate
Southern Methodist82%
Syracuse83%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; Syracuse got more selective while Southern Methodist got less.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Southern MethodistGrowing+29%
  • SyracuseGrowing+66%
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

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