Baylor University vs Southern Methodist University
Where graduates end up, what each school really costs, and who gets in, side by side from each school's official ABA data. Add your LSAT and GPA to see your chances and scholarship estimates at both.
VS
Add your numbersSee your admission chances and scholarship estimates at both schools.
The short version
- Southern Methodist places more graduates in BigLaw or federal clerkships: 36.4% of the Class of 2025, against 18.2% at Baylor.
- Baylor costs about $62K less over three years after the average scholarship: $123K against $184K, and more of its students get a scholarship (97% vs 94%).
- Southern Methodist is harder to get into: a 167 median LSAT and a 24.6% acceptance rate, against 164 and 18.9% at Baylor.
- Southern Methodist has the higher first time bar pass rate: 97.8% against 93.7%.
Baylor
vs
Southern Methodist
Where graduates go
Southern Methodist leads 3 of 5
18.2%
BigLaw + federal clerkships
✓36.4%
10.9%
BigLaw (501+ attorney firms)
✓33.8%
✓7.3%
Federal clerkships
2.7%
✓99.1%
Graduates employed
98.2%
93.7%
First time bar passage
✓97.8%
What it costs
Baylor leads 4 of 4
✓$123K
Three year net cost
$184K
✓97%
Students receiving a scholarship
94%
✓$33,518/yr
Median scholarship (recipients)
$26,000/yr
✓$32,334/yr
Average scholarship (all students)
$25,027/yr
Who gets in
Acceptance rate: Baylor 18.9% · Southern Methodist 24.6%
LSAT
Bars run from the 25th to the 75th percentile, with the median marked.
Baylor
159164165
Southern Methodist
163167168
156158160162164166168170
GPA
Undergraduate GPA of the entering class, same scale for both schools.
Baylor
3.493.773.89
Southern Methodist
3.523.813.92
3.403.503.603.703.803.904.00
Baylor University
Southern Methodist University
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Frequently asked questions
Is Baylor or Southern Methodist better for BigLaw?
Southern Methodist placed more of its Class of 2025 in BigLaw or federal clerkships: 36.4% against 18.2%. By BigLaw alone (firms of 501+ attorneys), Baylor placed 10.9% and Southern Methodist placed 33.8%. Federal clerkships were 7.3% at Baylor and 2.7% at Southern Methodist.
Which is harder to get into, Baylor or Southern Methodist?
Baylor's Fall 2025 entering class had a median LSAT of 164 and a median GPA of 3.77, with a 18.9% acceptance rate. Southern Methodist's had 167 and 3.81, with 24.6%. Add your LSAT and GPA above to see your estimated chances at both.
Which costs less, Baylor or Southern Methodist?
After the average scholarship, three years cost about $123K at Baylor and $184K at Southern Methodist, including living costs. Public schools are shown at out of state tuition. Your own scholarship can move these numbers a lot, so add your numbers above for an estimate.
Which gives more scholarship money, Baylor or Southern Methodist?
97% of Baylor students receive a scholarship, with a median award of $33,518 a year among recipients. 94% of Southern Methodist students receive a scholarship, with a median award of $26,000 a year among recipients.
Which has the better bar passage rate?
93.7% of Baylor's first time takers passed in 2025, against 97.8% at Southern Methodist. Each school's profile shows how that compares with the states where its graduates sat.
Should I choose Baylor or Southern Methodist?
It depends on your goals, your odds and your offers. Compare where each school's graduates end up, then add your LSAT and GPA above to see your estimated chances and scholarships at both. Your scholarship offer usually changes the cost more than anything else.
What a higher LSAT changes
Move the LSAT slider in the admissions calculator to watch your odds and scholarship estimates change at every school.
Figures come from each school’s official ABA disclosures. Admission chances and scholarship estimates are modeled from that data and are not predictions of any individual decision. Our data and methodology