The Financial Aid Office at SMU is committed to serving students by providing information to secure the necessary financial resources to meet their educational goals and financial obligations to the university.
Students wanting to apply for financial aid can complete and submit the FAFSA and CSS/Financial Aid Profile. Instructions on the financial aid process are found on SMU's Financial Aid website.
Point of contact for academic, financial advising (including access to disability counseling), and other student support services for service members, and veteran students and their families:
SMU Veteran Services Office
6185 Airline Road, Suite 100
Dallas, TX 75205
214-768-4348
vabenefits@smu.edu
VA Educational Benefits and FAFSA
VA educational benefits are not impacted by the FAFSA. If you receive grants or loans through FAFSA, you will still receive the same amount of VA educational benefits as if you did not. Many undergraduate students are eligible for federal grants and we highly recommend that undergraduates file a FAFSA. If you are a graduate student and think that you might want to use loans, you should also complete a FAFSA.
Post-9/11 GI Bill® and Scholarships
Some scholarships may reduce the amount of tuition payment the GI Bill® sends. If your scholarship or grant is tuition and fee specific, it will be subtracted from your net tuition and fees before your tuition is reported to VA.
Undergraduate students, SMU Yellow Ribbon Scholarships are offered as part of SMU funded aid. SMU scholarships that are tuition and fee specific will be reduced if aid will exceed tuition and fees for a term. If Chapter 33 benefits exhaust prior to graduation or if you choose not to use your benefits for a term, academic scholarships may be reinstated as long as academic renewal requirements have been met.
Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering Military Tuition Policy
The Lyle School of Engineering has a long history of educating military personnel, veterans and federal government employees, offering special tuition rates for graduate students that will allow your G.I. Bill benefits to go further. Students can use their VA educational benefits, in addition to receiving exclusive pricing. To determine if you are eligible, please review the Lyle School of Engineering Tuition Discount Policy. Please direct all questions about the tuition discount policy to lyleexecutive@smu.edu.
Federal Tuition Assistance
Information for Service Members Receiving Department of Defense Tuition Assistance
Under the Department of Defense Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (DoD MOU), Military Tuition Assistance (TA) is awarded to students currently serving in the National Guard, reserves, or on active duty. TA can be used for voluntary education programs that support professional and personal self-development goals. TA is available for courses that are offered in the classroom or by distance learning and are part of an approved academic degree or certificate program. TA enrollment requests must be submitted and approved prior to the course start date.
TA is awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded. When a student withdraws, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of TA funds originally awarded.
To comply with the Department of Defense policy, SMU will return any unearned TA funds on a proportional basis through at least the 60% portion of the period for which the funds were provided. TA funds are earned proportionally during an enrollment period, with unearned funds returned based upon when a student stops attending. These funds are returned to the military Service branch.
Instances when a service member stops attending due to a military service obligation, Southern Methodist University will work with the affected service member to identify solutions that will not result in student debt for the returned portion.
Service members should speak with their respective Service Educational Services Officers (ESO) or counselor within their Military Service prior to applying and enrolling at SMU.
In accordance with the Department of Defense Memorandum of Understanding:
- Southern Methodist University (SMU) is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
- Individual academic program accreditations are available online in SMU's catalog
- SMU is approved for Veterans Affairs benefits
- SMU is approved for Federal student aid programs through the Department of Education
SMU prohibits the payment of any commission, bonus, or other incentive payment based directly or indirectly on securing enrollments or federal financial aid (including TA funds) to any persons or entities engaged in any student recruiting, admission activities, or making decisions regarding the award of student financial assistance.
SMU prohibits high pressure recruitment tactics such as making multiple unsolicited contacts (3 or more), including contacts by phone, email, or in-person, and engaging in same-day recruitment and registration for the purpose of securing Service member enrollments in non-credit courses/programs.
Students are never automatically enrolled in courses at SMU. Student will enroll themselves in courses. When a restriction prevents a student from enrolling themselves into a course, a student will only be manually added if they have provided signed, written authorization to be added.
Tuition Assistance Program Requirements
- SMU assesses the same tuition and fee amounts to all Service members without regard to their Service component.
- Course enrollment information, course withdrawal, course cancellation, course completion or failure, grade, verification of degree completion, and billing are reported to the TA issuing Service's education office.
- Degree requirements are outlined in the SMU catalog (catalog.smu.edu) and include course information, required and elective courses, and graduation requirements for the program. Academic advisors should be consulted to review the choice for a program of study and to review transfer course work that applies to the program of study. Once a student is admitted into an academic program, they can assess their degree plan outline through my.SMU.edu.
- Service members must obtain approval from their Service in order to use Tuition Assistance funds. All Military TA must be requested and approved prior to the start date of a given course.
TA enrollment requests must be submitted and approved prior to the course start date. For more information on using TA at SMU, please contact Neel Purohit.
Follow the links below for your service branch's website for additional information:
State Tuition Assistance
Funded by the State of Texas, the State TA program is an education benefit that provides money for college to eligible members of the Texas Military Department pursuing their educational and career goals. This benefit is available during Fall and Spring semesters only (no Summer classes) to actively drilling members (not AGR) of any of the three following Texas components:
- Texas Army National Guard (TXARNG)
- Texas Air National Guard (TXANG)
- Texas State Guard (TXSG)
More information about State TA and the application process can be found on the Texas Military Department website.
Emergency Short-Term Loan
To bridge the gap for students waiting at the start of a semester for their first VA payment, SMU offers a short-term, no-interest loan.
Note: The term Veterans is used on this page to describe students who are eligible for and/or claiming veteran benefits for the term. This includes veterans, active duty servicemembers, spouses, and dependents.
The White Loan is managed through the Dean of Student Affairs’ office and offers up to $1,000 in assistance. The Bursar’s Office processes these loans upon approval from Student Affairs.
The Bursar’s Office will place a hold on the veteran’s future enrollment. The loan must be repaid no later than the day before continuing enrollment begins for the following semester. Once the loan is repaid, the Bursar’s Office will remove the enrollment hold.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.