SMU Guildhall Financial Information

Invest in Your Future.

Choosing SMU Guildhall is the first step toward a fruitful career, turning your passion for gaming into a Game Changing profession

smu guildhall campus studio environment

Our longstanding history of success—of our academic and research programs, our student games, our faculty, and our alumni—showcases the hard-earned results of time-tested industry-modeled methodology. We've been doing this far longer, and better, than our competitors, and the testimonials of our alumni and of industry confirm that a Guildhall education outperforms the rest.

By studying with us, you get to reap the benefits of 20+ years of industry relationships and partnerships, faculty with hundreds of title credits to their names, cutting edge facilities, and a robust hardware and software tech package that is not only better than any others out there but one that is fully yours to keep—not just in a shared lab!

As we recognize that SMU Guildhall is an investment, our Student Services staff is also here to support you as you assess your financial options and to help make the process as seamless as possible.

Understanding the Cost of SMU Guildhall

Tuition and Fees

A detailed breakdown of the current tuition and fees for SMU Guildhall can be found on the bursar's website. *Please note that these tuition rates are for the current cohorts and may be subject to change.

Please send any questions regarding tuition to our admission office.

Review our Guildhall tuition details

The Rewards of a Guildhall Education

By choosing SMU Guildhall, you gain access to countless benefits:

Faculty with immense expertise from decades of experience working on hundreds of titles at more than 40 leading studios
Industry-leading cutting-edge hardware and software that outperforms that of other schools, which you get to keep!
20+ years of enduring and evolving relationships across the industry including 1000+ successful alumni
State-of-the-art facilities that, combined with industry-modeled curriculum, mimic a studio production environment
Team Game Production curriculum through which you'll make 3+ commercial-quality games, all before you graduate
A diploma from a highly reputable university that affords you numerous additional resources
A location in one of the nation's largest metropolitan areas and a top commercial center that has been named one of the best places to live, work, learn, and play
And more!

As a student here, you'll receive top-notch preparation by a program unequaled in its ability to combine education with practical experience. That unique combination, along with a star-studded faculty, results in professional game builders who are ready to contribute powerfully to game development on their first day of work. You'll graduate with a strong working knowledge of the gaming industry and unparalleled team project experience, which many studios consider equal to two years of industry work experience due to the commercial quality of the games we produce and the depth of our student work and research.

Discover SMU Guildhall Career Services

Check out our Industry Partnerships

Financial Aid Can Help You Afford Your Education

SMU Guildhall is dedicated to making a high-quality education affordable, regardless of a student's family circumstances or income level. Most students who attend SMU receive some form of financial assistance through government loans, private loans, or scholarships. SMU Guildhall Financial Aid advisors are here to help you through the process. Contact us with any questions that you may have.

Financial aid is available through a variety of avenues. The federal government through the FAFSA website assists graduate students through the Stafford loan program and the Federal Direct GradPlus loan program. Private institutions such as banks, credit unions and graduate loan programs also offer additional assistance for tuition, living expenses and program supplies.

SMU Guildhall Financial Aid and Student Services offers a complete array of financial support services to assist students during their time at SMU Guildhall. We’re here to answer your financial questions and make the process as seamless as possible.

Useful Financial Aid Websites:

https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa — Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
http://www.studentaid.gov/ — Submit your GradPLUS application for credit approval, complete your loan entrance counseling for Federal Direct Stafford and GradPLUS loans, and sign your Federal Direct Stafford and GradPLUS Master Promissory note.
http://www.finaid.org/ — Information on all types of financial aid including loan repayment
https://nsldsfap.ed.gov/nslds_FAP/ — Detailed information on all of your Federal student loan history

Financial Information For International Students

For students requiring a U.S. Visa, it is mandatory that your certification of funds be completed and returned with your SMU Guildhall application.

Financial Certification for Study at SMU (Financial statement must be original documents stamped by financial institution official and converted into US dollars)
Financial Resources for International Students – as International students studying abroad are not eligible for U.S. Federal Financial Aid, the following websites offer student loans to international students studying in the U.S. and Canada:
MPOWER Financing
International Student Loan

Health Care — All international students who are enrolled in one or more credit hours are required to maintain SMU Health Insurance as a condition of your enrollment. International students must enroll in the student health insurance plan prior to registering for classes unless they have a special waiver personally granted by the Student Health Center staff.

SMU Financial Resources

Guide to Financial Assistance at SMU: Financial Information Bulletin

Learn more about Financial Aid at SMU

Never Miss an Admissions Deadline

Share your contact information with us so we can send you future admissions information and updates:

Ready to Get Started?

Apply to SMU Guildhall today

Hopeful applicants should visit our Application Checklist to prepare and follow our steps to apply. This will include submitting your application form, a video essay, a specialization-specific portfolio, transcripts, test scores, and references. SMU Guildhall utilizes rolling admission dates in order to allow applicants ample time to work on their portfolio submissions.

View our upcoming application deadlines

Apply Now

“The Guildhall has taught me enough about every discipline that I know what's always going on with the other departments. That gives me an instant advantage. They also provided many opportunities where we were placed in leadership positions and needed to manage our own time, manage others, juggle tasks efficiently, and work with every other discipline. ”

Tommy Westerman (C5 )

Game Designer at Gearbox Software

“I learned real skills that translated immediately, and as a result I was able to move up quickly in a small independent game studio. At the Guildhall, the people in my cohort were really great. We had such a good time. ”

Ryan Lee (C2 )

Technical Artist at MOVES Institute, Naval Postgraduate School

“The Guildhall gives each student the tools needed to be successful in the gaming industry, not only within their specific discipline, but also for becoming a leader in the industry. The courses give you a well-rounded view of all aspects of the gaming industry and help you learn how to manage the scope of the project, the scheduling time line of the project, and how to work with all resources available to the project. Most importantly is the fact that the Guildhall program gives each student the opportunity to work with multiple different groups of people on multiple different projects which fosters communication among all aspects of a game development. ”

Nick Chinnici (C1 )

Senior Software Engineer Technical Lead at Infoscitex Corporation