Southwestern University

1840

Southwestern is Texas' first institution of higher learning. There's a whole back-story there, but it can be saved for another time.

Texas Ivy

Yes, there is ivy in Texas (Hedera helix: an evergreen plant). The university relegates it to just a couple of spots because it's a bit of a social climber and the buildings don't like it.

The purpose of Southwestern University has many pieces, including cultivating academic excellence; promoting lifelong learning and a passion for intellectual and personal growth; fostering diverse perspectives; being true to oneself and others; respecting the worth and dignity of persons; and encouraging activism in the pursuit of justice and the common good.

For Those Who Were Wondering

Southwestern University is a 4-year, independent, undergraduate national liberal arts college consisting of The Brown College of Arts and Sciences and The Sarofim School of Fine Arts.

Distinction Redefined

Paideia is the embodiment of interdisciplinary study -- an intensified liberal arts experience -- where groups of 10 students meet with one professor over the course of 6 semesters. Pronounced pie-DAY-uh, from the Greek word paidos, Paideia means the "sum of one's educational experiences" and emphasizes community, thought, action, and creativity through a rigorous pursuit of knowledge.

Attention, Not Anonymity

With a student/faculty member ratio of 10:1 and an average class size of 14 students, students will know their professors -- and those professors will know their students. It's not uncommon for Southwestern faculty members to include students on collaborative research and publications.

Stodgy Stats

Students from 35 states and 10 nations make up a total student body of approximately 1,350 students. Generally, 50 percent of enrolled students rank in the top 10 percent of their respective high school classes and about 25 percent are from underrepresented groups. Without becoming overwhelmed with statistics, anyone interested should look at the following numbers: SAT middle 50 percent (critical reading and math): 1150-1350; ACT middle 50 percent: 24-30.

Undergraduate Degrees

Southwestern offers a BA-Bachelor of Art; a BS-Bachelor of Science; a BM-Bachelor of Music; a BFA-Bachelor of Fine Arts; and a BFF-Best Friends Forever (JK). At Southwestern, it's all about undergraduate education; no graduate degrees are offered.

Award-Winning Campus

Southwestern's tree-shaded campus is everything students imagine when they dream about college, and then some. Grand buildings radiate around the heart of campus, offering 2 live-performance theatres, a spacious sports/recreational center, several research laboratories, an observatory and a teaching greenhouse and community garden. Eighty-five percent of students live in spacious on-campus residential housing, which includes wireless Internet, cable TV, and housekeeping services.

A Free Ride

Isn't everyone looking for one? With the Pirate Bike, students have got it! These bright yellow bikes scattered across campus are ready to ride anytime, day or night. Members of the campus community may ride the bikes from one campus spot to another and leave them outside their destinations, unlocked and awaiting the next riders.

Keen on Green

Southwestern University is green -- literally and figuratively. That part earlier, about encouraging activism in the pursuit of justice and the common good? It's for real, and it applies to the environment, too. Southwestern's environmental initiatives include 100% "green" wind power for all electrical needs, computer-based effluent water irrigation systems, an alternative transportation Pirate Bike Program, use of sustainable and recycled products, low or no maintenance building finishes and products, low-volume shower heads, and LEED certification on all new construction projects -- just to name a few.

Pirate Athletics

Ninety percent of students participate in intercollegiate, club, intramural, and recreational activities. Southwestern's Pirates compete in NCAA Division III men's and women's basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, men's baseball and football, and women's softball and volleyball. As part of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, Pirates have won championships in baseball, softball, volleyball, women's basketball, men's golf, and women's golf. Intramural and club sports include handball, rock climbing, ultimate Frisbee, and dodgeball, to name a few.

Southwest Opens Doors

Nearly 80 percent of employers only hire candidates with relevant work experience...but that's not a problem at Southwestern. With New York Arts Internships, Washington, DC Politics Semesters, and numerous opportunities all over the world, Southwesterners have: interned at the US State Department; interned at Glamour Magazine; interned at Saturday Night Live; and conducted on-campus research for NASA.

Southwesterners Abroad

Go more places than that little garden gnome on TV. Over 50 percent of Southwestern students parlez, habla, sprechen and parla in nearly 40 countries.

Getting In and Getting to Go

Scrounging for change between sofa cushions or the floorboard of a car isn't going to pay for college (though it might buy a Caramel Macchiato...possibly). Seriously, this is a significant investment -- one that will influence the rest of a student's life. When comparing college costs, prospective students want to make sure they're looking at the bottom lines. Tuition at public universities may seem lower at first glance, but when students factor in hidden fees, financial assistance, and average graduation rates ("Still in your 7th year, Van?") it can be quite a different story.

Working Together

When it comes to financial assistance, everyone's situation is different, and Southwestern takes that into account. The university partners with students and their families to explore every possible financing option available, whether it's assistance in the form of scholarships, grants, work-studies, low-interest loans, or payment plans.

Robust Merit Scholarships

At Southwestern, students can automatically qualify for thousands of dollars in scholarships without involving a single acronym. Well, technically, there's really no getting around SAT/ACT. But other than that, all admitted students who meet straightforward academic requirements can qualify for SU Merit Scholarships without a FAFSA, SAR or ARRGH (okay, that last one is made up).

Georgetown

Nestled between the cool, clear waters of the North and South San Gabriel Rivers and the gently rolling hills of Central Texas is the beautiful City of Georgetown. Live music, art shows, and festivals. Get in the car? Nah, it's all a few blocks away at Georgetown's historic town square. If students are jonesing for quick drives, Austin is only 26 miles/minutes away, depending on interpretation of speed limits. Personally? It's not recommended to mess with Texas!

Austin

The first thing students need to know about Austin is that it's only a stone's throw from Georgetown. The live music capital of the world, Austin is one of the country's top 5 "intellectual capitals" according to Fortune magazine. So, there's anecdotal proof that musicians are wicked smart.

Anyone a connoisseur of kitsch? In Austin, being delightfully over-the-top is the rule rather than the exception. Everyone's got to do his or her part to "Keep Austin Weird." Grab some friends and experience Spamarama (as in potted pork, not the fiesta for unwanted e-mail), wear a costume to Eeyore's Birthday Celebration, or face fears at Bat Best.

• Area and ethnic studies
• Latin American Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Women's Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Biological/life sciences
• Biology/Biological Sciences
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Biochemistry
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Animal Behavior and Ethology
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Business/marketing
• Business/Commerce
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Accounting
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Communication/Journalism
• Speech Communication and Rhetoric
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Computer and information sciences
• Computer and Information Sciences
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Education
• Education
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• English
• English
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Foreign languages and literature
• German
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• French
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Spanish
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Classics and Classical Languages
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Ancient/Classical Greek
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Latin
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• History
• History
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Mathematics and statistics
• Mathematics
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Computational Mathematics
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Natural resources/environmental science
• Environmental Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Parks and recreation
• Kinesiology and Exercise Science
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Philosophy and religious studies
• Philosophy
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Religious Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Physical sciences
• Physical Sciences
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Chemistry
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Physics
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Psychology
• Psychology
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Social sciences
• Anthropology
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Economics
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• International Relations and Affairs
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Political Science and Government
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Sociology
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Visual and performing arts
• Dramatic/Theater Arts
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Art
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Art History, Criticism and Conservation
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Music
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.

• Acceptance Rate
• Applied2,795
• Accepted1,692
• Acceptance Rate60%
• Enrolled1,394
• Female Applicants1,705
• Females Accepted1,067
• Female Acceptance Rate62%
• Male Applicants1,090
• Males Accepted625
• Male Acceptance Rate57%
• Applying
• Application Fee$
• Required for All Essay or personal statement
  Transcript of high school record
  Letter(s) of recommendation
  Counselor recommendation required; teacher and parent recommendation optional
  
• Required for Some Interview
  
• Average high school GPA for first-year freshman
• Application Deadlines
• Type Application Closing Notification Date Rolling Admissions
• Fall freshmen February 1st April 1st Yes
• Out-of-state Fall freshmen April 1st Yes
• Early decision plan Not Reported
• Other early decision plan Not Reported
• Transfer April 1st August 1st --
• Test Scores Accepted
• Test Average School Accepted 25th Percentile* 75th Percentile*
• SAT Critical Reading 602 530 660
• SAT Math 601 550 650
• SAT Writing
• ACT Composite 27 24 29
• * 25th and 75th percentile is the score that 25/75 percent of students score at or below.

• Tuition
• In-state tuition *$35,240
• Out-of-state tuition *$35,240
• In-district tuitionN/A
• * Tuition costs are based on a full academic year typically extending from September to June.
• Fees
• Full-time student feesNot Reported
• Room and board *$11,010.00
• Room only *$5,650.00
• * Room and board charges vary according to board plan selected (i.e., 12-meal plan, 19-meal plan, etc.) and student level (freshman, sophomore, etc.)
• Other Payment Considerations
• Guaranteed tuition plan offeredNo
• Tuition pre-payment planNo
• Tuition payment plans offeredInstallments
• Student groups that qualify for full or partial waiver of tuitionEmployees or children of employees

• Gender
• Total Undergraduate Students1,394
• Male Student Percentage39%
• Female Student Percentage61%
• Ethnicity
• Hispanic/Latino18.15%
• Black or African American3.01%
• White or Caucasian70.66%
• American Indian or Alaska Native.79%
• Asian4.02%
• Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.22%
• Two or more races1.94%
• Unknown.65%
• Other Student Statistics
• International Breakout.57% representing 6 other countries
• Out-of-state Students10% out-of-state student

• Housing
• College-owned housing available Yes
• Housing Requirements None
• Housing options Coed housing , Female-only housing, Special housing for disabled, Male-only housing
• Percentage of undergraduate students who live in college-owned housing 78%
• Student Activities
• Student-run campus newspaper Yes
• Drama / theater group Yes
• Student-run radio station Yes
• Student-run television station No
• Marching band No
• Choral groups Yes
• Student Services
• Legal services No
• Health clinic Yes
• Personal / psychological counseling Yes
• Women's center No
• Student Organizations
• Greek fraternities Yes
• Greek sororities Yes
• Local fraternities No
• Local sororities No
• Other organizations Not Reported
• Most popular organizations Student Peace Alliance (SPA), Students for Environmental Activism & Knowledge (SEAK), Alpha Phi Omega, Men's IFC, Women's Panhellenic
• Campus Security and Safety
• 24-hour emergency telephone / alarm services Yes
• 24-hour patrols by trained officers Yes
• Students patrols Yes
• Late-night transport / escort services Yes
• Electronically-operated dormitory entrances Yes
• Other Not Reported

• Men's Sports
• Sport Intramural Intercollegiate Scholarship
• Baseball No Division 3 No
• Basketball Yes Division 3 No
• Cheerleading Yes No No
• Cross-country running No Division 3 No
• Fencing Yes No No
• Football Yes No No
• Golf No Division 3 No
• Lacrosse No Division 3 No
• Racquetball Yes No No
• Rock climbing Yes No No
• Soccer Yes Division 3 No
• Softball No No No
• Swimming No Division 3 No
• Tennis Yes Division 3 No
• Tennis Yes No No
• Ultimate Frisbee Yes No No
• Volleyball Yes No No
• Women's Sports
• Sport Intramural Intercollegiate Scholarship
• Baseball No No No
• Basketball Yes Division 3 No
• Cheerleading Yes No No
• Cross-country running No Division 3 No
• Fencing Yes No No
• Football Yes No No
• Golf No Division 3 No
• Lacrosse No No No
• Racquetball Yes No No
• Rock climbing Yes No No
• Soccer Yes Division 3 No
• Softball No Division 3 No
• Swimming No Division 3 No
• Tennis Yes Division 3 No
• Tennis Yes No No
• Ultimate Frisbee Yes No No
• Volleyball Yes Division 3 No

• Faculty Breakout
• Total Faculty165
• Full-time Percentage71%
• Part-time Percentage29%
• Female Percentage48%
• Male Percentage52%
• Student:Faculty Ratio10:1 or 1,384 students to 133 faculty