Student Financial Services

Financial Information and Student Responsibilities

The Financial Information Bulletin is published annually and serves as the official guide to SMU's financial policies, tuition, fees, and estimated living expenses. All students are responsible for reviewing and understanding these regulations before enrolling.

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Prior to enrollment each semester, students must acknowledge and agree to the Student Rights and Responsibilities, which include:

• Financial Rights and Responsibilities

• Honor Code and Student Code of Conduct

• Appeals and Complaints

This acknowledgment appears as a task on the student's my.SMU dashboard one month before enrollment opens. A downloadable PDF is available on the Student Rights and Responsibilities website.

Tuition, Billing, and Payment

Students must ensure their accounts are paid in full by the due date specified on their bill. Failure to do so may result in financial holds, late fees, and possible cancellation of enrollment.

Billing and Payment Process

• Billing notifications are sent to the student's SMU email and any designated authorized payer(s) when a bill is generated.

• Students and authorized payers can access bills online through SMUpay.

• If a billing notification is not received two weeks before the due date, students should contact Student Financial Services, Office of Student Accounts.

Payment Deadlines

• In-person and mailed payments must be received by 4:00 p.m. CT on the due date at the Office of Student Accounts, located on the first floor of the Laura Lee Blanton Student Services Building.

• Online payments (e-check or credit card) must be posted by 11:59 p.m. CT on the due date.

• Students enrolling after the payment due date must pay at the time of enrollment.

Delinquent Accounts

• Accounts not cleared by the due date will be subject to a 1.5% monthly past-due fee.

• Financial holds will prevent future registration and/or diploma issuance.

• The university may cancel current enrollment for unpaid accounts.

• Unpaid balances may be referred to a collection agency and reported to the national credit bureaus.

• A collection fee of up to 30% of the outstanding amount, as permitted by law, will be assessed and due in full at the time the account is referred to collection.

• An additional $50 collection management fee will also be applied.

• All costs, including collection or attorney fees, incurred in recovering the outstanding balance are the responsibility of the student.

Credit Balances and Withdrawal Refunds

All credit balances are reviewed by Student Financial Services for accuracy before refunding.

• Credit balances resulting from financial aid disbursement are reviewed before refunding.

• Refunds of financial aid funds are issued directly to the student, except for Parent PLUS Loans, which are refunded to the parent borrower unless a PLUS Loan Refund Release form is submitted.

• International wire refunds are returned to the original account, minus a $35 processing fee.

• Tuition refunds for withdrawals require an official withdrawal and follow the prorated refund schedule in the Financial Information Bulletin. Withdrawal policies, including medical and mandatory administrative withdrawal, are found under Withdrawal from the University in the Enrollment and Academic Records section of this catalog.

• Students withdrawing before completing 60% of a term may have their financial aid adjusted, which may result in an outstanding balance. This calculation is federally mandated and independent of the University's refund policies for withdrawals.

• Students withdrawing after the 60% point of a term are considered to have earned 100% of their aid.

• If a credit balance remains after adjustments, the account will be reviewed for possible refund or funds returned to the funding source.

• An Authorization to Credit Account (ACA) must be on file, allowing the university to apply credit balances to outstanding charges. Parent loan borrowers must submit an Authorization to Credit Account-Parent (ACAP) form.

To avoid unexpected financial consequences, students should consult with a financial aid advisor before withdrawing.