I have scholarships – how do I keep them?
Each scholarship has specific renewal
requirements. Most scholarships have GPA and enrollment (ex. 3.000 SMU
Cumulative GPA and minimum 12 hours) requirements, while some
(departmental, athletic) have Major or participation requirements.
Please check with the awarding department or Financial Aid for details
on how to maintain your awards.
What does my scholarship cover? (Computer, books, Study Abroad, etc.)
Each scholarship has different
restrictions and allowances – most scholarship pay for Tuition and Fees,
but there are some exceptions. Please contact Financial Aid for
specifics on your scholarship.
Is there a limit of scholarships I can
receive?
SMU’s policy limits maximum
payments from SMU institutional scholarships, grants and benefits to a total of
tuition and fees, and cannot be awarded for pursuit of a second
undergraduate degree. Your total financial aid cannot exceed cost of
attendance.
http://smu.edu/financial_aid/Costs.asp
If my balance is already paid and I get a
new scholarship, can I get a refund?
If there is a balance due on your account then the scholarship might be applied to the balance, if the scholarship has certain restrictions (example if your bill is paid in full and the scholarship is only deemed eligible for payment of tuition and it is paid it may not be applicable) Please contact the Scholarship office for specifics on your scholarship.
I have a 4 year merit scholarship – if I
take a semester/year off, will I lose the rest of it?
Most merit scholarships are awarded for a certain number of semesters (usually 8, or 5 for transfer students). If you take a semester off but still maintain eligibility requirements (GPA requirements and full time enrollment requirements) you will be eligible to renew and continue the award.
I lost my scholarship – can I get it back?
It is possible to appeal for renewal
of Merit Aid if you lost your scholarship due to GPA or Satisfactory
Academic Progress (SAP) issues.
Basic
information can be found on the Office of the Provost website
and you can see details of the
SAP Appeal on the Financial Aid website.
Scholarships that were awarded based on a
student’s Major or participation in a certain team or group are not
necessarily renewable if the student is no longer participating. Please
see the awarding department for details, or to the
Student Athlete
Handbook for information on Athletic Aid non-renewal.
A student who attends summer school
http://smu.edu/summer/ at SMU and receives grades during the summer term that will raise his or her cumulative SMU grade point average to 3.000 or better can have his or her scholarship(s) renewed for the next academic year. (For purposes of this policy, grades from academic work from the SMU Study Abroad or SMU-in-Taos programs will also be considered. You should note that this renewal consideration after the completion of the summer term(s) will not occur automatically and will require that you submit a written petition (by letter or email) to the Financial Aid Office for scholarship reinstatement. Subsequent to the submission of your petition, the Financial Aid Office will review your cumulative SMU grade point average for award renewal after the grades are posted. (as with all institutional financial aid awards, you must remain enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student during the fall and spring semesters).
I’m an upper classman – can I still apply
for new scholarships?
If you have declared a major, your
department is the best place to look for new scholarships. The
Financial Aid Scholarship page has links to departmental opportunities,
as well as searchable databases for Off-Campus scholarship
opportunities.
You can also check out the SMU Student
Senate scholarship opportunities at:
http://smu.edu/studentsenate/committees/scholarship.asp
My roommate/friend/teammate and I have the
same grades and the same classes – why are our scholarships different?
Each student is individually evaluated by
Admissions, Departments and Athletics (if applicable) on a number of
different variables. Each Financial Aid package is custom built for
that student.
What is the First Year/Transfer Application
form?
This form is supplied to all accepted FY and transfer student
through your Admissions acceptance packet. This form allows FA to find
recipients for specific restricted scholarships that SMU offers.
What do I do if a scholarship check is
made out to me AND SMU?
All off campus scholarship checks made out to the student AND SMU must be endorsed to SMU. The SMU FA office will then apply the scholarship to your student account.
Does National Merit change my other
awards?
No, National Merit awards will be in addition to SMU merit scholarships. For speicafic information and limitations please refer to the link below.
http://smu.edu/financial_aid/Scholarships.asp#NMerit
For National Merit Corporate Sponsored Recipient: Award amounts and restrictions vary. The award is limited to the amount of the Corp Sponsorship only. Please refer to your NM award letter.
Why has my Byrd scholarship not disbursed
to my account yet?
The State of Texas has discontinued Byrd Scholarships as of Spring 2012.
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