Scholarships

Empowering outstanding students

At SMU, we believe that supporting our students strengthens our future. Through the University’s $1.5 billion campaign for impact, SMU Ignited: Boldly Shaping Tomorrow, SMU is furthering its centurylong commitment to provide an outstanding education to exceptional students from every background. Scholarships provide vital support to SMU’s undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students, enabling the University to deliver world-class learning and research opportunities to thousands of world changers in the global city of Dallas, Texas.

3 out of every 4 SMU students receive scholarships and/or financial aid
72% of students graduate without student debt thanks to financial aid and scholarship programs

Donors can support need- and merit-based programs to attract, retain and graduate the best and the brightest. Whether establishing permanent scholarship endowments or supporting annual scholarships, your gift can create a legacy of academic, professional and personal excellence that will endure for generations to come.

Donors can help undergraduate students in several ways:

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  • Unrestricted support
    • Undergraduate scholarships
    • Graduate fellowships
    • Postgraduate fellowships
    • Opportunity SMU undergraduate recruitment and retention fund
    • SMU Fund for Scholarships
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  • Group-specific support
    • Presidents’ Scholars program
    • Leadership scholars
    • Ethnicities
    • Geographies
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  • School- or discipline-specific support
    • School scholar programs
    • Industry- or field-specific scholarships

Join the stampede

Gifts to SMU scholarships can be directed as:

  • Endowment gifts of $100,000 or more to aid student success in perpetuity.
  • Current-use gifts to be directed at the University’s discretion.
  • Planned gifts to support future Mustangs.

Give today

When you make a gift to scholarships, your support will be used right away to support undergraduate student recruitment, retention and graduation initiatives. To make an endowment or planned gift to SMU scholarships, contact the Office of Gift Planning at plannedgiving@see-sac.com or 214-768-1911.