Timing your Transfer

There are several policies and issues that students should consider when planning their transfer to SMU. Being aware of these as early as possible is key for optimal transfer success. Timing your transfer well can help you save time and money.

Residency Requirement

SMU requires all undergraduate students to complete a minimum of 60 hours at SMU in order to earn an SMU undergraduate degree.

This means that the maximum number of transfer credits that apply to your SMU degree is generally 62.

If a student has more than 62 hours that are considered transferable, they will all ‘transfer’ and be used in the admissions, scholarships and financial aid processes, but the student must still complete a minimum 60 hours at SMU. The student and their academic advisor will determine which hours will apply to the SMU degree.

Transfer Scholarships

To be considered for a transfer scholarship, a student must have a minimum of 50 transferable hours and a minimum GPA requirement of 3.7 or 3.5, depending on the scholarship type. Why not try and position yourself for a scholarship before transferring? All of our transfer scholarships are awarded upon entry, so you cannot be considered for the scholarships after you matriculate at SMU.

In order to maintain scholarship status at SMU, transfer scholarship recipients must complete 12 hours of enrollment each regular semester and must earn a minimum 3.0 GPA. One important note to remember is that SMU has a +/- grading scale. Since most Texas community colleges do not use the +/- scale this usually catches students unaware . Remember if you earn a B- at SMU, then that would be less than a 3.0 GPA.

Students with under 30 transfer hours and a competitive high school record may be eligible for First Year scholarships.

Financial Aid

If you require financial assistance and qualify, you'll need to be enrolled in a minimum of 12 hours each semester at SMU in order to receive financial aid.

Since the cost of tuition is the same whether you take 12 hours or 18 hours, most students carry a minimum load of 15 hours for cost effectiveness. Click here to see more about tuition and fees.