Santa Clara University vs Southern Methodist University: Acceptance Rate, SAT & Net Price

Santa Clara University and Southern Methodist University are about equally selective, admitting 48.0% and 47.6% of applicants respectively. For a family earning $48,001–$75,000, the average net price is about $26,531 per year at Santa Clara University versus $24,152 at Southern Methodist University. Admitted students post SAT middle-50% ranges of 1360–1480 at Santa Clara University and 1340–1480 at Southern Methodist University.

Santa Clara University vs Southern Methodist University: admissions and cost statistics from the most recent Common Data Set, IPEDS, and College Scorecard
MetricSanta Clara UniversitySouthern Methodist University
Overall acceptance rate48.0%47.6%
Early acceptance rate50.0%60.4%
SAT middle 50%1360–14801340–1480
Avg unweighted GPA3.73.7
Yield rate19.0%19.0%
Class size1,6411,592
Net price, $48,001–$75,000 income$26,531$24,152
Net price, over $110,000 income$60,678$58,213

Admissions and cost data as of July 3, 2026 (CDS 2024–25 cycle), from the most recent Common Data Set, IPEDS, and College Scorecard. Rows appear only where both colleges report the statistic.

Frequently asked questions

Is Santa Clara University harder to get into than Southern Methodist University?

The two are about equally selective: Santa Clara University admits 48.0% of applicants and Southern Methodist University admits 47.6%, based on the most recent Common Data Set.

Which is cheaper for a middle-income family, Santa Clara University or Southern Methodist University?

For a family earning $48,001–$75,000, the average net price is about $26,531 per year at Santa Clara University and $24,152 at Southern Methodist University, so Southern Methodist University is the lower-cost option at that income level (source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard/IPEDS data).

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