Southern Methodist University, often known by its acronym of SMU, is a private university in University Park, Texas, USA. University Park is one of two adjacent Dallas suburbs sometimes called The Bubble (the other being Highland Park) because they are surrounded by the city of Dallas and are two of the most wealthy regions of the city and the surrounding metropolitan area.

SMU was founded in 1911 by the United Methodist Church, and the first building (Dallas Hall) opened in 1915. The university currently operates campuses in Dallas and Taos, New Mexico, serving a total of almost 11,000 students.