Southern Methodist University is located in University Park, Texas, an incorporated residential district surrounded by Dallas. Its 163-acre main campus is in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, just north of central Dallas.
Although the campus has a suburban setting, SMU is closely connected to Dallas and provides access to the city’s museums, performing arts venues, restaurants, internships, businesses, and cultural attractions. The university is also associated with locations in Plano, Texas, and Taos, New Mexico.
SMU’s Main Campus Location
Southern Methodist University is situated on a 163-acre campus in suburban University Park (an incorporated residential district surrounded by Dallas), remains independent of state support and nonsectarian in its teaching, although it is related to the Methodist Church.
Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a private research university in Dallas, University Park, and Highland Park, Texas. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates satellite campuses in Plano, Texas, and Taos, New Mexico.
Look quickly at the stately, red-bricked Georgian buildings and lush greens and you might think you are on a rural or suburban college campus; but an aerial view of Southern Methodist (SMU) reveals the true star of the campus: Dallas.
Set in a wealthy neighborhood of one of the nation's biggest cities, private SMU has an urban campus, offering students limitless opportunities for interaction with the surrounding metropolis, from world-class museums and performing arts to internships and career networking.
City, Neighborhood, and Campus Setting
SMU’s campus is commonly described as suburban because it is located in University Park, a residential municipality surrounded by Dallas. At the same time, its location gives students direct access to the opportunities and attractions of a major metropolitan area.
This mid-size private university provides “a wealth of academic resources. [and] a flood of opportunities for those who want them,” allowing SMU to lead the way for the Dallas-Fort Worth area in developing innovative industries and initiatives in semiconductors, biotechnology, clean energy, precision medicine, and AI.
Since many attend the university for the Cox School of Business, internship seekers and graduating students who want to stay in Dallas will appreciate that the school is ideally located “to secure great jobs with Fortune 500 companies right here in Dallas.”
SMU integrates internships and experiential learning opportunities outside of the classroom so you build experience before applying for a job.
How Far Is SMU From Dallas Airports?
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport is approximately 15 miles from campus.
Love Field (served by Southwest Airlines) is approximately 4 miles from campus; airport shuttle minivans are also available at this airport.
Airport shuttle minivans are available for the ride from the airport to campus; direct-dial free phones are located near the baggage area. The minivans and taxis leave from the lower level of the airport.
Amtrak trains and Greyhound/Trailways bus lines serve Dallas.
| Transportation point | Distance or information |
|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport | Approximately 15 miles from campus |
| Love Field | Approximately 4 miles from campus |
| Amtrak | Trains serve Dallas |
| Greyhound/Trailways | Bus lines serve Dallas |
Driving to Southern Methodist University
From I-30 (U.S. Routes 67/80), exit to U.S. Rte. 75 N. Exit from Rte. 75 to Mockingbird Lane West, which will take you to campus.
What Is Near SMU?
There’s no shortage of things to do at and around SMU. Students will find everything from foosball matches in Klyde Warren Park, SMU football games, and “boulevarding” (“basically tailgating but on steroids”) to the “amazing arts and restaurant scene around campus,” the “fine dining and dancing” in uptown Dallas, and the museums in the Dallas Arts District, which are common destinations for walking tours.
Most Popular Places Off Campus include Morton H. Myerson Symphony Center, Dallas Museum of Art, West End Historical District, Klyde Warren Park, John F. Kennedy Memorial - Sixth Floor Museum, Southfork Ranch, Deep Ellum, Northpark Center, and Uptown.
Outside visitors are also drawn to campus to visit the George W. Bush Presidential Library, yet another link the school maintains with the surrounding community.
Not to be overlooked are the highly-ranked visual and performing arts programs, or the world class Meadows Museum (which houses one of the largest collections of Spanish art outside of Spain).
Campus Landmarks at SMU
Most Popular Places On Campus include Dallas Hall, Meadows Museum, Hughes Trigg Student Center, Gerald J Ford Stadium, Fondren Library, and George W. Bush Presidential Center & Library.
Buildings constructed after World War II followed the original modern Georgian style.
The Owens Fine Arts Center, a complex consisting of ten major facilities for the teaching and presentation of the arts, included art museums, performing arts theaters, and an auditorium.
Combined, the libraries at SMU house more than two million volumes.
SMU’s Relationship With Dallas
SMU’s location is one of its defining characteristics: the university offers a traditional, green campus while being embedded in the Dallas metropolitan area.
Students praise the academic process, which is filled with “fun and interesting courses,” and which places students in “a close-knit community of the intellectually elite.”
The “school’s administration also “understands that studying abroad, internships, extracurriculars, etc., also play a crucial role in developing students into the adults and professionals they want to become.”
The “incredible alumni support” at SMU provides excellent connections into the business world (among others), and three “dedicated career services centers” help students find a job to further their career path.
The “strong traditions” and “top academics” of Southern Methodist University, graduates-especially those from the “phenomenal business school”-are well-prepared to make a positive impact on the world.
Campus Environment and Student Life
Southern Methodist University is a medium, 4-year, private university. This coed college is located in a suburban setting. It offers bachelor's, certificate, master's, and doctoral degrees.
At SMU, students take their academics seriously, but they also value socializing and have a “vibrant social life.” One student notes that “There is always a social event every weekend night to blow off steam.”
In order to foster a greater sense of community on campus, and improve social opportunities beyond a (strong) Greek culture, SMU recently invested heavily in new residential halls, and now requires all students to live on campus for the first two years.
An 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio encourages access to teachers, and students also have the opportunity to interact with faculty residing in dorms alongside them.
First-year students living on campus account for 96%, while 45% of undergraduates live on campus.
Academic and Professional Advantages of the Location
SMU’s Dallas location supports internships, professional networking, and connections with companies in the region.
Students find their coursework to be synced “to what you’ll face in the real world,” aided no doubt by the fact that many professors are “incredibly gifted in their fields” and have real-world experience in the subjects they teach.
They’re also described as “exceptional communicators” who “love interacting with students,” all of which allows them to better “offer real-life connections to the material we learn.”
As one enrollee puts it, professors “are willing to put in extra time to convey the material” and “will change their schedule to accommodate people.”
SMU researcher selected to lead $25 million project advancing critical minerals technology Largest individual research funding commitment in SMU history includes $19.3 million in U.S. Department of Energy funding to move mining innovation from the lab to the field.
SMU has also expanded programs connected with engineering, business, biotechnology, clean energy, precision medicine, and artificial intelligence.
SMU’s Additional Locations
In addition to the main campus in University Park near Dallas, SMU operates satellite campuses in Plano, Texas, and Taos, New Mexico.
In 1973 the university opened a 420-acre educational center at Fort Burgwin, New Mexico, near Taos. Courses in anthropology, archeology, biology, the fine arts, and the performing arts, among others, are offered at Fort Burgwin through the SMU-in-Taos Program.
SMU maintains a campus in Taos, NM, built on the site of a pre-Civil War fort and home to the excavation of a 13th-century Indian pueblo.
Why the Location Matters
The university’s location combines a residential campus atmosphere with access to the resources of Dallas and the wider Dallas-Fort Worth region.
Students will find everything from SMU football games and campus organizations to museums, restaurants, performing arts venues, parks, internships, and career networking throughout the surrounding area.
With plenty of financial aid options available, 73% of students graduate without any student debt at all.
9 out of 10 master’s degree students had jobs or were continuing their education within six months of graduation.
Taking advantage of unbridled experiences on the University's beautiful campuses and SMU's relationship with Dallas - the dynamic center of one of the nation's fastest-growing regions - alumni, faculty and more than 12,000 graduate and undergraduate students become ethical leaders in their professions and communities who change the world.