Getting To Know: Southwestern University (TX)
First chartered in 1840, Southwestern University is the oldest continuously operating institution of higher education in the State of Texas. Southwestern has approximately 1,600 undergraduates who receive all of the attention from the faculty.
I came to learn about Southwestern University from Lily Rodriguez, Class of 2019. one of my former clients, who is now in graduate school at the University of Maryland-College Park. A few months later, I met Christine Bowman, Assistant Vice President for Admissions, during a professional development program. Christine is one of the brightest and most approachable senior admissions professionals that I have met as an admissions advisor. So, I have a treat for my readers. You can listen to an alumni perspective about Southwestern from Lily and learn more about the school from Christine.
No state goes big on publicly supported higher education like Texas.
The main campuses of the University of Texas, Texas A&M and the University of Houston and Texas Tech each have over 40,000 students. Yet the Lone Star State has few small private liberal arts colleges. Two, Austin College and Southwestern University, are among America’s 44 Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL). Southwestern is also one of only two CTCL schools—St. Mary’s College of California is the other—that are recognized as Hispanic Serving Institutions by the U.S. Department of Education.
Southwestern is a great alternative to a large state university in Texas or elsewhere for someone who is undecided on a major.
It might also be a good option for someone who knows, for sure, that they want a liberal arts education with smaller classes. You will not have a class with more than 39 students at this school. Ninety-four percent of all classes taught at Southwestern have fewer than 20.
Before I delve into my own perspectives about Southwestern University, I must praise the school for its web site.
Southwestern made it very easy for me to find anything that I wanted to know, especially financial aid information and institutional data. There are many YouTubes on this site, whether you want to take a virtual tour or learn about Paideia seminars, cross-disciplinary minors or graduating with Paideia Distinction. If I was a parent or student, I would know what I wanted to know about Southwestern University and not feel over sold. If I was a student who felt the fit, I would have applied. The university also makes some very nice print material. I picked up their brochure at a Colleges That Change Lives program in New York and thought it was very well done. Town and gown market together at a college fair as you will see in the photo below.
What is the admissions profile of Southwestern University?
Southwestern appears to attract a B+/A- student who has some rigor on the transcript. While admissions are test optional, scores are considered to be Very Important, if submitted. Among those who submitted scores for the Class of 2027, the middle 50 percent for the SAT was between 1180 and 1320. For the ACT it was between 24 and 30. Two-thirds of the class ranked in the top quarter of their high school class. Nearly half of the students are from groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in higher education.
Southwestern allows students to apply not only through the Common Application, but also its own online form and through Apply Texas.
Currently, 86 percent of the students come from in state. That’s rare for a nationally focused liberal arts college. It also surprises me given that Southwestern is much closer to a major city than many other liberal arts colleges I have visited. Home to more than just the University of Texas’ main campus, Austin is one of the most desired places for young people to live and work.
This school has become increasingly more selective while consistently maintaining while growing its freshman class by about 100 students since 2003.
That year Southwestern welcomed 343 students, according to the university’s institutional research office.. In 2022 there were 436. There have been closer to 500 in prior years. In 2003 Southwestern accepted 63 percent of all applicants. By 2022 the acceptance rate dropped to 45 percent. The number of applicants rose from fewer than 1,800 to over 5,500. That’s a “hockey stick” trajectory for a small school.
Clearly, the marketing of Southwestern to prospective students has gotten better over the last two decades. But the freshman retention rates dropped from 86 percent for the Class of 2022 to 83 percent for the Class of 2026. However, two-thirds of the Class of 2022 earned their degrees in four years. So did two thirds of the Class of 2023.
What do I like most about Southwestern University?
Academics
While Southwestern has a traditional set of liberal arts majors, it also has cross-disciplinary minors that are pre-professional as well as a large selection of language studies for a small school. There seems to be a feeling of “if it doesn’t cost much at first, let’s try it” towards helping to improve the student experience. I have recently seen this at other liberal arts colleges, specifically Allegheny, Guilford, Lake Forest, and Washington & Jefferson. Southwestern took the academics to a higher level with Paideia and some of the extracurricular activities, especially the Business Club. Christine will tell you more about Paideia in our interview.
Career development services
Southwestern got high marks for this in the Princeton Review, ranking fifth among all colleges of all sizes. I can see why. Students can take advantage of opportunities to tackle funded and independent research, paid and unpaid internships, case competitions and study abroad. The location helps, as does a possible preference for Texas residents to work in Texas. Lily was able to find three internships while she was at Southwestern.
Efforts to update the physical campus
Southwestern opened updated dining facilities this fall and has begun construction on a new welcome center and residence hall. The university has raised $80 million through a bond issue to leverage $120 million in future campus improvements. The endowment was approximately $366 million at the end of FY 2022 according to the National Association of College & University Business Officers. That’s greater than Gettysburg College (PA) and Muhlenberg College (PA) which are also known for generous aid, but also have over 1,000 more students.
Generous aid
Southwestern is one of the most straight up schools when it comes to merit aid. Merit scholarships reach down into about a third of a freshman class. If you can get into UT Austin or Texas A&M, or even Rutgers, you might qualify for an award as large as $33,000/year. The larger awards will bring your estimated cost of attendance below $40,000. This does not include the competitive awards, including the Brown Scholarship, at $41,000/year, and the Brown Scholars program, both of which require interviews.
Georgetown, Texas
This looks like a very nice town around a small college. But I also read that things close earlier than they would in a town that has a larger school. However, I could not imagine a better location to film a romantic comedy or love story around a college town. Southwestern actually has guidelines for filmmakers who want to make original work on campus.
And what are some things that prospective students and parents must consider?
Athletics and Greek social life are important at Southwestern.
When I attended The Colleges That Change Lives program in New York I learned that an average of a quarter of the student body at a small NCAA D-3 (non-scholarship) school play varsity sports. At Southwestern it’s a bit higher. About a third of the student body are varsity athletes who compete in 20 sports, including football, a major staple of life in the Lone Star State. The opportunity to continue in a sport appears to be as much of an attraction here as it has been at several Pennsylvania liberal arts colleges that I have visited. It also helps to be a sports fan, given that your friends might be on a team. Just over a quarter of the men and more than 30 percent of the women participate in Greek social life, high for a school of Southwestern’s size.
There’s less mass transit to get around
If you want to go to Austin for internships or entertainment during the school year you have to rely on access to a car. There’s no mass transit access like you will find in places like Boston or New York.
It helps to be familiar with Texas though Southwestern is similar to other liberal arts colleges in other regions. .
The campus culture at Southwestern appears to be quite inclusive due to the diversity of the student body. Student programs and organizations on campus encourage belonging and inclusion. While Texas is a minority-majority state, the political leadership in Austin leans right at this time. However, being a private institution, Southwestern tries to set its own direction. For example, while Texas is an open carry state on a public college campus, Southwestern students may not carry or store firearms on campus grounds.
Are there similar schools in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern States?
- Given Southwestern’s proximity to a major city as well as the approaches to the liberal arts and career development, I would say Ursinus College (PA) is similar. Also one of the Colleges That Change Lives, Ursinus has approximately the same number of students, has invested in the arts and helps their students to get to know their urban neighbor. Ursinus also places some importance on athletics and Greek life. Like Southwestern, Ursinus is one of the smaller colleges that I have visited and profiled that plays football.
- Washington & Jefferson University (PA) is similar with respect to size, leadership education and the liberal arts and ties to a major city. The school makes it easy to bus into Pittsburgh for entertainment and helps students to become better acquainted with the Steel City. Athletics and Greek life are fairly important at Washington & Jefferson compared to other liberal arts colleges I have visited.
- Lake Forest College (IL) is similar for much the same reasons, only it has a more formal set of programs for Chicago. However, that school has also moved more aggressively into preparation for health careers. It’s also a longer ride into the Windy City, but the town is served by commuter rail.
- Denison University (OH), another one of the Colleges That Change Lives, also does an excellent job at leveraging alumni and employer relationships in a large city (Columbus OH). Greek life and athletics are also more important there than they are at many other liberal arts schools. Plus, like Southwestern, you need to have access to a car to take advantages of access to the city.
- Muhlenberg College is similar in its approach to the arts, straightforwardness in the financial aid process and premedical preparation. It’s a longer schlepp to New York or Philadelphia from Allentown than it is from Georgetown to Austin, but you can take a bus. Southwestern and Muhlenberg also play the same number of sports, including football. However, athletes represent a smaller percentage of Muhlenberg’s student body and Greek life is less important.
Conclusions
Southwestern does what many good colleges do. It tries very hard to be straightforward, welcoming, and affordable, with achievable admissions for a very good student. There are also several best practices that combine the liberal arts with pre-professional instruction and programs that other schools would be wise to emulate. It’s really hard to fault Southwestern though I wish the freshman retention rate was a little higher. It also helps to be familiar with Texas before you come.
Listen to my interview with Lily Rodriguez now!
Listen to my interview with Christine Bowman now!
Report Card: Southwestern University (TX)
- Four-Year/Six-year Graduation Rate: B+/A
- Freshman Retention: B+
- Costs: A
- Community: A
- Curriculum: A
- Comforts: B+
- Connections: A (Texas)/ C (Elsewhere)
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