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Student Achievement

Graduation Rate

SMU’s average four-year (68 percent) and six-year (79 percent) graduation rates are similar to those of the University’s peer groups.

Details about students who enter SMU as first-year students seeking Bachelor’s degrees and who complete their degrees four and six years are below.

 

IPEDS Reporting Year

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

 

2019

2020

2021

Four-Year Graduation Rates

Cohort

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Average

2013*

2014*

2015

SMU

67

67

67

68

71

68

68

72

73

75

Cohort Peers Average

69

69

69

71

71

NA

70

NA

NA

NA

Aspirational Peers Average

74

74

74

75

75

NA

74

NA

NA

NA

Colonial Group Average

72

72

73

74

74

NA

73

NA

NA

NA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Five-Year Graduation Rates
 Cohort  2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Average 2013 2014 2015
 SMU  77 76 77 78 80 77 78 80  80 NA
 Cohort Peers Average  79 78 79 80 80 NA 79 NA NA NA
 Aspirational Peers Average  86 87 87 88 88  NA 87 NA NA NA
 Colonial Group Average  84 85 85 86 86  NA 85 NA NA NA
               

Six-Year Graduation Rates

 

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Average

2013*

2014*

2015

SMU

79

77

79

79

81

78

79

81

NA

NA

Cohort Peers Average

80

80

80

82

81

NA

81

NA

NA

NA

Aspirational Peers Average

88

89

89

89

89

NA

89

NA

NA

NA

Colonial Group Average

85

86

87

87

87

NA

86

NA

NA

NA

 

Notes

Cohort and aspirational peer data for the most recent year has not yet been shared. This page will be updated when that data is received.

1. Cohort peers: institutions which are operationally comparative to SMU. That means they are private, similar in size and in offerings. They include: American University, Baylor University, Fordham University, George Washington University, Lehigh University, Pepperdine University, Syracuse University, Texas Christian University, University of Denver, University of Miami, University of Tulsa, and Villanova University.

2. Aspirational peers: institutions with which SMU seeks to be comparable in characteristics and quality. They include: Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis University, Carnegie Mellon University, Emory University, Northeastern University, Tufts University, Tulane University, University of Notre Dame, University of Rochester, University of Southern California, and Wake Forest University.

3. The Colonial Group: The Colonial Group is a consortium of fourteen universities formed by the Provosts of the universities, and supported by the Institutional Research offices through data exchanges and information sharing. They include: Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis University, George Washington University, Lehigh University, New York University, Northeastern University, Southern Methodist University, Syracuse University, Tufts University, Tulane University, University of Miami, University of Notre Dame, and Wake Forest University. 

* Has not yet been reported to IPEDS. IPEDS began reporting in 2013.
NA - Not Available