| Miami | Category | SMU |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 2, 1809 | Founded | April 17, 1911 |
| Oxford | Location | Dallas |
| More than 200, including pre-professional studies | Number of majors | More than 100, and 85 minors |
| 75%-82% | Acceptance rate | 53%-61% |
| No. 1 among Ohio public universities for return on investment (Payscale.com), No. 2 public school and No. 13 overall nationally for undergraduate teaching (U.S. News & World Report), No.6 public university (LinkedIn Top Colleges), No. 35 best value public college (The Princeton Review) | Academic rankings | No. 1 university in North Texas (U.S. News & World Report), No. 2 private university in Texas (U.S. News & World Report), Top 20% national university (U.S. News & World Report), Top 125 best colleges for future leaders (TIME) |
| $15,161 for Ohio residents, $38,682 for non-residents | Average tuition | $67,736 |
| Ben Roethlisberger - Super Bowl winning quarterback Paul Ryan – Former Speaker of the House Michael “The Miz” Mizanin – WWE wrester Benjamin Harrison – 23rd President of the United States Nick Lachey – Singer, songwriter, TV personality Tina Louise – Actress, most famous for her role at Ginger Grant on Gilligan’s Island Katie Lee – Chef and Food Network and Cooking Channel host Mark Coleman – UFC Hall of Fame inductee Mike DeWine – Governor of Ohio Eric Lange – Character actor, best known for the TV show Lost Wally Szczerbiak – Former NBA player Paul Brown – NFL Hall of Fame member, founder of the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals P.J. O’Rourke – Author and political satirist Donna Shalala – Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Margaret Peterson Haddix – Children’s author best known for the series Shadow Children and The Missing Chung Un-chan – Former Prime Minister of South Korea Sidney Souers – First Director of Central Intelligence John Henry Patterson – founder of the National Cash Register Company Ryan Graves – Former CEO of Uber Marne Levine – Former chief of staff for the National Economic Council | Famous alumni | Barbara Bush - Former First Lady of the United States Kathy Bates - Academy Award-winning actress James Cronin - Nobel Prize-winning physicist Lauren Graham - Actress best known for Gilmore Girls Tucker S. Bridwell - President of Mansefeldt Investment Corp. Brian Baumgartner - Actor best known for The Office Regina Taylor - Golden Globe-winning actress and playwright Beth Henley - Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Bill Fagerbakke - Actor best known at the voice of Patrick in SpongeBob SquarePants Amy Acker - Actress best known for Angel and Person of Interest Lamar Hunt - Founder of the American Football League |
| $40.9 million | Athletic budget | $159 million |
| $850 million | School budget | $923 million |
| Miami University is known as the “Mother of Fraternities” because four national fraternities were founded there, and the “Cradle of Coaches” for producing three Super Bowl-winning coaches and multiple others who revolutionized football. | Interesting fact | SMU’s live Shetland pony mascot, Peruna, has represented the university since 1932 and is in its 9th generation. |
| 17 | NCAA appearances | 13 |
| Sweet 16 in 1999 | Best performance | Final Four in 1956 |
| In January 2025, Head Coach Travis Steele signed a contract extension through the 2031-2032 season that included a $300,000 base salary through 2026, $400,000 2026-2030, and $500,000 2030-2032. The contract also includes $1 million in retention and performance-based bonuses. In February 2026, Miami University offered him an extension through the 2033-2034 season that has not been signed. | Coach’s salary | SMU, a private university, has not disclosed Head Coach Andy Enfield’s contract details since he was hired in 2024 from the University of Southern California. SMU paid his $2 million buyout fee. Enfield’s USC salary was $3,806,389 for the 2023-2024 season. |
In Other News
1
Ohio property tax bills target the needy by establishing residential...
2
OPINION: Here’s why I stood on stage with Donald Trump as a Democrat
3
Over 100K outages reported since Wednesday, AES says
4
Ohio prisons director leaves agency for job in governor’s office
5
Newly-elected Franklin school board member resigns
About the Author

