Southern Methodist University: $1.0B Revenue, $903.7M Expenses

The composite efficiency score of 56/100 puts Southern Methodist University at C — neither standout nor failing. Some factors run above the median (often reserves) while others run below (often revenue stability or officer-comp ratio).

On revenue, Southern Methodist University is among the largest U.S. nonprofits: $1.0B in 2023 reported revenue. Organizations at this scale typically operate hospitals, university systems, or national federations — the financial pattern looks more like a corporation than the small-charity stereotype. Reserves are the limiting factor: Southern Methodist University carries relatively few months of operating expenses on its balance sheet, which can leave an organization exposed if a major funding source pauses.

Revenue trend is mildly positive across the five-year filing window — modest growth, consistent with stable funding sources keeping pace with organizational costs. Officer compensation is modest relative to organizational size: Southern Methodist University reports $8.6M in total compensation for current officers and key employees (Form 990 Part IX, line 5) against $1.0B in revenue. The ratio is well within the bands third-party charity raters consider reasonable at this scale. In the Education category, Southern Methodist University sits alongside universities, K-12 systems, scholarship funds, and education-research organizations. Education-sector nonprofits often hold large endowments, which affects how the reserves-and-revenue figures should be read.