This information is issued by the Office of the Provost. It provides the general authority and reference for SMU financial regulations and obligations, as well as detailed information concerning tuition, fees and living expenses incurred while attending SMU. A catalog supplement containing this information is available in the Division of Enrollment Services and in the office of the dean of each school. It can be mailed, upon request, from any of these offices.
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 is a federal law that grants to students the right to inspect, to obtain copies, to challenge, and to a degree control the release of information contained in his or her education records. The Act and Regulations are very lengthy, and for that reason SMU has issued guidelines which are available to students in the Division of Enrollment Services. Policy 1.18 of the University Policy Manual, accessible on SMU’s website, also discusses this law. In general, no personally identifiable information from a student’s educational record will be disclosed to any third party without written consent from the student. Several exceptions, including these selected examples: (1) Information defined by SMU as directory information may be released unless the student sends a written request to the Registrar that it is withheld; and (2)information may be released to parent/guardian if the student is declared financially dependent upon the parent/guardian as defined by the Internal Revenue Service Code. A parent/guardian wishing to have access to a student’s education records must provide to the University Registrar a complete Declaration of Student Dependency form, available in the Registrar’s Office or on the Registrar's webpage.
