Payment Options

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SMU offers a variety of payment options and plans to assist its students while they are in college. These payment options include cash, check, eCheck*, money order, cashier’s check, electronic credit card (American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and VISA), direct wiring of funds and financial assistance. In addition to the above payment options, SMU also provides several payment plans to aid in college expenses that are administered by the Division of Enrollment Services. A list of institutional, state and federal sources of financial assistance can be found in the following sections: Loans , Guidelines for Need-Based Assistance , Grants , and SMU Satisfactory Progress Policy . 

*Contact your financial institution to determine whether ACH transactions are allowed.

SMU MONTHLY PAYMENT PLANS

Objective: Pay term charges for tuition, fees, room and board in monthly installments with no interest charges.

Payment Plan Options: The SMU monthly payment plans are available on a term basis. Payment plans do not automatically renew. Accordingly, for each term you wish to make monthly payments, you must enroll in a new payment plan. Payment plans are available for Fall, Spring and Summer Terms. Plans are not available for Jan, May, August, and Winter Terms.

Refer to www.smu.edu/paymentplans for detailed payment plan information.

Term Payment Plans include:

• 6-Month Payment Plan: The 6-Month Payment Plan runs July 5 through December 5 for fall and January 5 through June 5 for spring, with a $50 per term nonrefundable enrollment fee and an enrollment deadline of August 10 for fall and January 20 for spring.
• 5-Month Payment Plan: The 5-Month Payment Plan runs August 20 through December 20 for fall and January 20 through May 20 for spring, with a $65 per term nonrefundable enrollment fee and an enrollment deadline of September 30 for fall and February 28 for spring.

Term Payment Plans include:

• Summer Tuition Payment Plan: The Summer Payment Plan consists of 3 installments: May 20, June 20 and July 20, with a $75 nonrefundable enrollment fee and an enrollment deadline of June 10. Please note that this plan may overlap with the fall and spring plans, so please plan accordingly should you decide to enroll.

Enrollment 

A student or an “Authorized Payer” can enroll in one payment plan per term. Multiple payment plans per term are not permitted. The student or Authorized Payer who creates the payment plan will become the “Plan Owner”. Changes to the payment plan can be made by the student, Authorized Payer, SMU and Nelnet Campus Commerce. Only the Plan Owner can change the payment method (current bank account or credit card used for scheduled payment plan payments). 

Automatic payment is required to enroll into a payment plan. Payments must be made via automatic deduction (ACH) from a regular United States checking or savings account or via credit/debit card (American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and VISA). ACH payments are free of charge. Credit/debit card payments will be assessed a non-refundable 2.85 percent service fee per transaction (charged by Nelnet Campus Commerce). ACH payments are processed on the 5th or 20th of the month, depending on which payment plan you select. When the 5th or 20th falls on a weekend or holiday, ACH payments are processed the following business day. Dates and plan terms may be subject to change without notice.

For assistance with your payment plan, please contact Nelnet Campus Commerce at 888-470-6014 from 7 am - 9 pm Monday - Friday CST and 8 am - 2 pm on Saturdays CST. You can also contact SMU Student Financial Services via email at enrol_serv@smu.edu or by phone at 214-768-3417 from 9 am - 4 pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and 10 am - 4 pm on Wednesdays. 

Additional Information

Please consider one of these payment plans or make full payment directly to SMU by the payment due date in order to avoid a late payment fee. Charges in excess of financial aid should be resolved by paying in full or by enrolling in a plan by the due date. A down payment will be required if you enroll in a payment plan close to or after the first installment is due. More financial information can be found on the Student Financial Services’ website at smu.edu/bursar. You can meet with a Student Account Adviser in the Blanton Student Services Building or call 214-768-3417 for assistance.

SMU PREPAYMENT PLAN (One Single Payment Up Front for All Terms)

SMU allows a matriculated undergraduate full-time (12–18 credit hours) student to prepay a minimum of two years and up to four years of tuition and general student fees at the current year rate. It covers fall and spring terms only.

The prepayment amount is due on the payment due date for the fall term; or, if the current fall term has already been paid in full by the payment due date, the remaining terms must be fully paid by the last day of October of the current school year.

Scholarships and grants may not be used to reduce the prepayment amount.

If the student withdraws or is dismissed from SMU, the unused credit in the prepayment account will be refunded to the signatory on the Enrollment form, after the student’s account has been paid in full.

For information on the SMU Prepayment Plan, please contact the Prepayment Plan Coordinator, LeaAnn Palya at lpalya@smu.edu.

TAX EXCLUSION

Gift Tax Exclusion

Under the Internal Revenue Code, Section 2503(e)(2)(A), a direct transfer of funds to an educational institution such as SMU to be applied to cover the present and/or future costs of tuition for a college or university student does not count as a “gift” for federal gift tax purposes. Please contact your personal tax adviser for more information.

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