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Submit Your Application

Undergraduate Students who are U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens (i.e., permanent residents):

• Submit the  and the .

Undergraduate Students who are not  U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens (i.e., permanent residents), but are considered a Texas resident:

• Submit the  only.

Graduate students submit either the FAFSA or TASFA. The CSS Profile is not required for graduate programs. Students are encouraged to submit aid applications as soon as they are available. 

Filing Dates and Deadlines:   Please remember that you must resubmit aid applications each academic year.

The Department of Education and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have worked together to develop a process, known as the FUTURE Act Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX). This process was formerly known as the IRS-DRT (Data Retrieval Tool). FA-DDX simplifies the steps to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by allowing FAFSA to retrieve income and tax data directly from the IRS. Using the FA-DDX saves time, reduces data entry errors, and reduces the need for additional documentation and/or follow-up. All FAFSA applicants and contributors who indicate they have filed their federal tax returns prior to completing their FAFSA may use the FA-DDX process to complete their FAFSA.

All other FAFSA data fields must be completed manually and corrected manually, if necessary, once you receive the FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS). Corrections to the CSS Profile must be made by Financial Aid Services. Contact the ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Mane Desk at (214) 768-5555 or manedesk@smu.edu for help correcting the CSS Profile.

Make sure to keep all the records you use to file the FAFSA or TASFA, such as your tax documents, W-2's, child support payment records, etc., in a place where you may access them easily. If you are selected for financial aid verification, you may be required to submit one or more of these documents to Financial Aid Services. 

FAFSA is used to determine your eligibility for federal and state aid, whereas the TASFA is used only in determining eligibility for state aid. The CSS Profile is used to determine eligibility for ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ need-based aid. Information on scholarships offered by ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ can be found on the Scholarships webpage. Students are also encouraged to research local organizations or club affiliations for scholarship opportunities. 

Review Your FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS)

Previously referred to as the Student Aid Report (SAR), you will receive your FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) from the Department of Education a few days after you submit your FAFSA. You may check the status of your FAFSA and retrieve a copy of the FSS by logging in to the  website. Please review the information in the FSS carefully and make corrections as soon as possible, if needed. If you have questions about how to make a corrections, you may contact the ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Mane Desk at (214) 768-5555 or manedesk@smu.edu or the Department of Education at (800) 433-3243 (4-FED-AID).   

Set Up Your ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Email Account

Create your ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ e-mail account as soon as you receive instructions. The ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ email is the primary method of communicating with students regarding official business, which includes Financial Aid Offer notifications. Please check your ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ email often for information regarding your financial aid and other official information.  

Watch for Your Financial Aid Offer

Student Financial Services will mail financial aid offers to new undergraduate first-year and transfer students. All graduate and continuing undergraduate students will receive an e-mail notification when their aid offer is available in their my.ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ portal.

Undergraduates

• New students will receive their initial financial aid offer by mail based on their selected admission notification (Early Action, Regular Decision). Subsequent aid notifications will be sent by email and available to view in the my.ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ portal.
• Summer and Fall admitted transfer students will begin receiving financial aid offers in mid-March.
• Spring admitted transfer students will begin to receive financial aid offers in October.   
• Continuing students will begin receiving financial aid offers in May. 

Graduates

• New and continuing students will receive e-mail notifications to view their financial aid offer in their my.ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ portal.
• Both new and continuing graduate students will begin to receive their financial aid offers in May.

To ensure timely processing of your financial aid package be sure to check your student dashboard in my.ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ for any pending "To-Do" items.  

View Your Financial Aid in my.ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½

Your financial aid notification will include instructions on how to accept your aid in . You will be able to view your aid and take actions to accept, decline or reduce the funding you have been offered. You will be unable to increase any offered amounts.

Verification

***Aid offers may be revised after the verification process is completed so check your ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ e-mail often.***

If your FAFSA is selected for verification, Financial Aid Services will notify you via your ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ e-mail and it will appear as a "To-Do" item. To prevent any delays in processing your financial aid, please submit all requested documents promptly. Financial aid offers are subject to change upon completion of the verification process. You will be notified of any changes to your financial aid via your ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ e-mail address.

Any outstanding To-Do items will be listed on the my.ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ student dashboard.  

Additional Financial Resources

• Use our Net Price Calculator to estimate your costs for a year at ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½
• Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan
  • A parent of a dependent student may apply for this credit-based loan at  and must meet credit approval by the Department of Education. Should the parent applying for the loan have an adverse credit history, they may still be eligible to apply for the loan.
• Federal Direct Grad PLUS Loan
  • Graduate students who file the FAFSA may apply at  for this credit-based loan and must meet credit approval from the Department of Education. Should the student applying have an adverse credit history, they may still be eligible to apply for the loan.
• Private Alternative Loan
  • Private or alternative loans are credit-based loans in the student's name and may require a cosigner.

Still Have Questions?

Please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions on our website. If you do not find what you are looking for, please contact the ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Mane Desk via email at manedesk@smu.edu or by phone at 214-768-5555.