Undergraduate Scholarships & Financial Aid

Did you know the cost of college varies from person to person? Depending on your audition or portfolio, academic profile, and family income, you may qualify for academic scholarship, artistic scholarship from Meadows, and/or need-based aid from SMU or the U.S. government.

At Meadows School of the Arts, we value talent, dedication, and academic dedication, and strive to ensure that we are creating the best possible financial aid packages for our students.

Bottom line: Don't let the price tag scare you.

How do students afford Meadows? 

  • 8 Million

    Meadows awards over 8 million dollars of scholarships and grants annually.

  • 3 Out of 4

    75% of SMU students receive either scholarship or financial aid from the university.

  • 97%

    Over 97% of our incoming Dually Admitted students received scholarship or financial aid from the university.

Financial aid packages are typically comprised of a combination of need-based funding and scholarships.

Possible Components of a Meadows Scholarship/Financial Aid Package

SMU ACADEMIC MERIT SCHOLARSHIP  MEADOWS ARTISTIC MERIT SCHOLARSHIP

Entering first-year and transfer students majoring in Art, Dance, Film & Media Arts (B.F.A.), Music, or Theatre, and who have been admitted to SMU and to Meadows via audition or portfolio submission are considered for renewable artistic merit scholarships.

Scholarship selection is based on audition performance or quality of portfolio, as well as departmental need for the specific discipline/instrument. A separate application is not required for Meadows Artistic Merit scholarship consideration. Award amounts vary by discipline.

Minors (Music, Dance, Art) are not considered for artistic scholarships. 

How to Apply for Financial Aid

All Meadows applicants should take the next steps submit financial aid information, or let Meadows know that you don’t intend to apply for financial aid. We need to know either way for scholarship consideration to be complete. Please check out our step-by-step guide on the process of applying for financial aid. If you are Dual Applicant (applying to both SMU and Art, or Dance, Film (BFA), Music, or Theatre), you should check out our Dual Admit financial package ranges to get an idea of how much Meadows Artistic Scholarship and other free money recent Dual Admits were awarded.

Paul Phillips conducting and guest artist mezzo soprano Michaela Martens singing at Meadows at the Meyerson on 31 March 2015
Aid Process
Package Ranges