Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for Southern Methodist University, University of Denver, University of San Francisco. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | Southern MethodistDallas, TX | DenverDenver, CO | San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 63.3% | 77.8% | 61.7% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1340–1490 | 1240–1410 | 1190–1390 |
| Average net price | $40,89212.8% on Pell grants | $36,13114.2% on Pell grants | $41,43128.0% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $67,040Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $61,398Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $60,492Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 84.3% | 75.6% | 70.1% |
| First-year retention | 90.5% | 88.9% | 83.7% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 12.8% | 14.2% | 28.0% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $78,354 | $71,155 | $89,812 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $19,500 | $21,844 | $23,000 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 11:1 | 10:1 | 12:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 7,277 | 6,025 | 5,287 |
| Consensus percentile | 37Lower is better | 38Lower is better | 38Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 69 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 62 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 79 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | Southern Methodist | Denver | San Francisco |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #88 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #117 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #110 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| Forbes | #103 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #169 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #172 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #739 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #221 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #578 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | #278 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #260 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #130 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #118 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #648 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #354 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| QS | #1100 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #1151 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #1386 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 |
Students comparing Southern Methodist University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing University of Denver on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing University of San Francisco on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
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