Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a private research university in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, SMU operates campuses in Dallas and Taos, New Mexico. The university offers bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and professional degrees in a variety of disciplines. Notable alumni include former U.S. President George W. Bush, business magnate Ross Perot, Jr., and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Cormac McCarthy.
SMU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate, masters’, and doctorate degrees. The university is classified as a “Doctoral University: Higher Research Activity” by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. It has an endowment of $1 billion as of 2020. In 2019–2020, SMU enrolled nearly 11,000 students across its campuses in Dallas and Taos