How to Apply to Mathematics at SMU: B.S. and B.A. in Dedman College, Entering as a Pre-Major and Declaring Through the University Advising Center, and Requirements for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas offers undergraduate mathematics through the Department of Mathematics in Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences. This guide follows SMU’s website for fall 2027 entry and is organised for US domestic applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, followed by transfer students. Computer science is not covered here (this site has a separate article), and neither are data science or other majors. SMU’s course catalog (catalog.smu.edu) was not read, so the full course lists and any GPA threshold for entering the major are not given; check SMU’s website and the department’s undergraduate advisor.

1. Degrees and tracks

• Two degrees: the department awards a B.S. and a B.A. in mathematics. Its home page says its strengths are computational and applied mathematics, with specializations in applied and/or numerical mathematics, pure mathematics, computer science and computer engineering, engineering, and operations research.
• B.S.: the undergraduate page says it suits students heading to industry careers in analytical problem solving or to graduate school in any mathematical science, and is attractive as a second major for students in computer science, economics, electrical or mechanical engineering, management science, physics and chemistry. It requires three 4000+ courses toward a concentration in pure, applied or computational mathematics, plus three 3000+ advanced mathematics electives. The B.A./B.S. page lists three B.S. specializations: pure, applied and computational mathematics.
• B.A.: described as a traditional mathematics degree for careers in teaching, industry, business and government, and as a second major for students in the social sciences, business, humanities or fine arts. It requires six advanced electives, two of which can be mathematically significant courses from other departments such as computer science, operations research or statistics. The B.A./B.S. page lists B.A. tracks in finance, economics, computer science, engineering and operations research.
• The department home page, the undergraduate page and the B.A./B.S. page do not list the specializations in exactly the same way; confirm with the undergraduate advisor and the catalog for your entry year. Specialization courses are mostly taken in the junior and senior years.
• Related: a mathematics minor and graduate degrees in computational and applied mathematics exist; the B.A./B.S. page also lists the B.S. in data science as a related program, which this guide does not cover.

2. How admission works: Dedman College first, then declare

• At application: SMU says first-year applicants can indicate the two areas of study they are most interested in and work out their plan with advisors after arrival. Apart from business (where you must indicate interest to be considered for direct admission to the Cox School) and arts majors requiring auditions or portfolios, all first-year students are accepted as “pre-majors” in Dedman College regardless of intended major. The mathematics department is within Dedman College, and the pages read do not mention a separate admission standard for mathematics.
• Declaring mathematics as a first major: the department says to do so through the University Advising Center with the first-year advisor assigned on arrival. A second or third major is declared by emailing the major declaration form to Dedman College Academic Services; after declaring you are assigned a department advisor. The timing, grade thresholds and any capacity limits for declaring are not stated on the pages read; ask the undergraduate advisor.
• Department resources: the advising page links a welcome guide for new and prospective majors, a list of frequently asked questions and a tour of careers using applied mathematics (all PDFs), plus forms for declaring a major, re-evaluating transfer credit, pre-approving courses taken elsewhere and changing degree requirements. It tells students to read the catalog entry for the year they arrived.
• Undergraduate advisor: Professor Weihua Geng (wgeng@smu.edu), per the department’s undergraduate page.

3. Prerequisites and placement

• High school maths: the university-wide minimum is 3 units of maths (algebra I and II, and geometry). Any additional high school maths expectation specific to the major is not stated on the pages read.
• Quantitative Foundations: the placement page says all SMU students must meet this requirement, and the department offers three courses for it: two calculus I courses (MATH 1309 Business Calculus and MATH 1337 Calculus I) and one non-calculus course (MATH 1307). Students planning any STEM field, or a data science second major, should take MATH 1337 (preceded by MATH 1304 Precalculus if necessary).
• Placement exams: non-credit online exams on Canvas, taken before the AARO orientation session, are required to enrol in MATH 1309 or 1337; otherwise take MATH 1303 or 1304 first. Each exam can be taken up to twice. Only students with SMU credit for precalculus (for example through the precalculus AP exam) can enrol without the exam.
• AP/IB: the department says students who pass a calculus AP or IB exam with the required score receive SMU credit, and it does not recommend giving up that credit to retake calculus; students who plan further maths can enrol at AARO without a placement test. The score table is not on the pages read; ask the department.
• Calculus in high school without AP/IB credit: take the online placement test for your intended course. Those who do very well on the MATH 1337 test and need Calculus II can also take the optional Consolidated Calculus test; passing allows MATH 1340, which reviews essential Calculus I concepts before covering Calculus II and awards credit for both in one semester (strongly recommended for STEM students).
• Credit exams: students with honors-level or college-level high school calculus who could not take an AP/IB exam can sit an in-person credit exam during move-in week for MATH 1309, 1337 or 1338 (about as hard as an AP exam); contact the department over the summer or winter to schedule it. Those who took courses beyond Calculus II without credit should contact the department.
• Honors maths sequence: the pages read do not describe an honors entry.
• Maths competitions: the pages read do not say how they are viewed in admission.

4. Deadlines and materials

• Fall 2027 first-year: the process page lists 1 November 2026 for early action (non-binding) and early decision I (binding), and 15 January 2027 for regular decision (non-binding) and early decision II (binding). The international checklist says these are also the scholarship consideration dates.
• Platforms: the Common Application, ApplyTexas, the SMU online application or Coalition with SCOIR.
• Materials: application, essay (usually 250–650 words depending on the platform), official high school transcript (sent through an electronic service or a school official; transcripts emailed by students are not accepted), counselor recommendation; teacher recommendation and extracurricular résumé are listed as optional on some pages (the process page lists the résumé as an item and the international checklist marks it optional); the Early Decision Agreement Form for ED applicants; SAT/ACT optional. Whether a maths teacher must write is not stated.
• Application fee: USD 60 on the requirements and tuition pages; the international page banner says the fee is being waived for all first-year and transfer undergraduate applicants. Check the application system when you submit.
• Admitted profile (Class of 2028, university-wide, not mathematics): unweighted GPA mid-50% 3.54–3.94, ACT 31–34, SAT 1370–1500.
• Grades: there is no absolute cutoff; competitive applicants generally rank in the top quarter of their high school class, and rigor and the competitiveness of the school also count.

5. US domestic applicants

• Testing: fully test-optional with no preference either way, though without scores the other elements matter more. SMU superscores the SAT and ACT and accepts self-reported scores (SAT code 6660, ACT code 4174).
• Tuition: for 2026-2027, full-time (12–18 hours) is USD 31,868 per term plus mandatory fees; USD 2,046 per credit above 18 hours; part-time is USD 2,662 per credit. SMU is private, and the pages read show no in-state/out-of-state difference.
• One-time deposit: the admission page says a non-refundable USD 800 orientation, housing and matriculation deposit (USD 400 orientation, USD 300 matriculation, USD 100 housing). Early decision admits pay a deposit within two weeks of the decision.
• Scholarships and aid: all applicants regardless of citizenship are automatically considered for academic merit scholarships with no separate application; most are stackable but cannot exceed tuition and fees. Need-based aid is only for US citizens and permanent residents. Priority or guaranteed admission for state residents is not mentioned on the pages read.
• Second language: all students must demonstrate second-language proficiency; those entering below four college semesters must improve by two semester levels or reach four semesters.

6. International applicants

• Who counts: students who need a visa to study in the US; the process and counselor are determined by the current high school or university. US citizens attending school outside the US follow the international process; international students attending school in the US follow the standard one.
• English: required of graduates of non-US schools without an English-based (not bilingual) curriculum. The requirements page lists recommended minimums: TOEFL 90 (20+ reading and listening, 24+ writing and speaking), Duolingo 115, PTE 60; it also lists an exam labelled “ACT” with a recommended 6.5, which appears to be a labelling error, so check with admissions. The international checklist says SMU accepts the Duolingo English Test, TOEFL and IELTS, and some applicants may have it waived. The process page says TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo scores are needed only for students whose language of instruction is bilingual or not solely English.
• Exemptions: students at English-based high schools, or with SAT reading and writing 580+ or ACT writing 25+. Academically admissible students without sufficient scores may receive a conditional offer requiring a retake or SMU’s Intensive English Program. Class of 2028 averages: TOEFL 103, IELTS 7.7.
• Credential evaluation: in its answer on college credit, the requirements page says it is the student’s responsibility to ensure a professional evaluation and an official transcript accompany all foreign transcripts; the specific evaluation service for high school records is not named. Ask your counselor.
• Funds: the international page links the Form I-20; proof-of-funds requirements are not on the pages read.
• Scholarships: international students are automatically considered for academic merit scholarships like everyone else; need-based aid is not available to them.

7. Applicants from China

• International applicants are assigned an admission counselor by high school, and SMU’s website has a lookup.
• How the Gaokao is used, requirements for Chinese transcripts and school-leaving exams, and A-level or IB score requirements: not stated on the pages read. Contact your counselor or ugadmission@smu.edu.
• Students at non-English-based (or bilingual) high schools must submit English scores; check exemptions with your counselor as in section 6.
• AP and IB credit is covered in section 3.

8. Scholarships and opportunities

• Department merit scholarships: the department offers partial-tuition merit scholarships to students with an outstanding mathematics record and interest in a mathematics major; the process is on the Dedman College merit scholarships page, or contact the undergraduate advisor.
• Carrie and Edwin Mouzon Mathematics Scholarship: awarded to incoming first-year students or students who declare mathematics at their earliest opportunity, with an excellent mathematics background; if received on admission it may support up to eight regular semesters or until graduation.
• Olga Troitskaya Endowed Mathematics Scholarship supports mathematics students with academic ability and determination; the Robert W. Strow Mathematics Scholarship supports current students who chose a mathematics major and did strongly in first- and second-year mathematics.
• Dedman College departmental scholarships (continuing students): students with a declared Dedman College major apply with a form, transcript, a statement of up to 500 words on academic and professional goals and two SMU faculty letters; the page shows a deadline of 15 March 2027.
• Awards: the Charles J. Pipes Merit Award and the John Robert McCaw Endowed Merit Award recognise junior or senior mathematics students.
• Research: the department says undergraduates have opportunities to take part in faculty research and internships. The home page lists the SMU-RTG summer program but says it is accepting applications for summer 2023, which is out of date; ask the department for current information.
• Outcomes: the B.A./B.S. page says that, across business, engineering, computer science, statistics and medicine, career possibilities are endless with a mathematics degree from SMU. No employment or graduate-school data appeared on the pages read.

9. Transfer students

• SMU requirements: one full semester after high school; 24 transferable credits with a 2.7 GPA (with fewer, the committee considers the rigor of both the high school and college record). SMU welcomes about 500 transfer students a year.
• Dates: fall entry has a priority and transfer scholarship deadline of 1 April and a final deadline of 1 August; spring entry opens 1 August and closes 1 November; summer entry opens 1 November and closes 1 June. The page shows no years, so check.
• Mathematics: the department provides a transfer credit re-evaluation form and a pre-approval form for courses taken elsewhere. Specific calculus or linear algebra sequence and grade requirements for transferring into the major are not stated on the pages read, and the admissions office’s credit-transfer page was not read.

Checklist

US domestic applicants:

• Apply by 1 November 2026 (EA or ED I) or 15 January 2027 (RD or ED II); USD 60 fee (check the system); essay, transcript, counselor recommendation; testing optional
• At least 3 years of high school maths; take the calculus placement exam before AARO, and use AP/IB credit where eligible

International applicants (including China):

• Same dates, also the scholarship deadlines; for non-English-based high schools prepare TOEFL 90, Duolingo 115 or PTE 60, or ask your counselor about a waiver
• Ask your counselor how the Gaokao is used; need-based aid is not open to international students

After entry:

• Take MATH 1337 (MATH 1304 first if needed); declare mathematics as a first major through the University Advising Center; choose a B.S. specialization (pure, applied or computational) or a B.A. track (finance, economics, computer science, engineering or operations research)

Transfer students:

• 24 transferable credits, 2.7 GPA; fall priority 1 April, final 1 August; confirm mathematics transfer conditions with the department

Sources: Southern Methodist University, Mathematics department; Mathematics: undergraduate programs; Mathematics: B.A./B.S.; Mathematics: advising and declaring; Mathematics: placement and credit exams; Mathematics: why study here; Mathematics: awards and scholarships; Dedman College merit scholarships; Admission requirements; First-year application process; International students; International application checklist; Transfer; Undergraduate tuition 2026-2027. The transfer page shows no year on its dates, so check that they apply to fall 2027 entry; see SMU’s website for the latest.