North Texas Community College Scholarships
This full-tuition scholarship is awarded annually to students transferring from Collin, Dallas, Grayson, Kaufman, Navarro, and Tarrant County community colleges. The scholarship is highly competitive, and fewer than 10% of eligible students receive this award. These 10 scholarships are awarded to fall-term entrants only. It is renewable for up to five terms if continuous full-time enrollment and a 3.00 SMU GPA are maintained.
Requirements
Eligible applicants must complete at least 50 transferable credit hours with a minimum 3.70 transferable GPA by the end of the spring semester prior to enrolling at SMU in the fall. Two to three academic letters of recommendation, a personal résumé and an essay must also be submitted.
Selection Process
All qualified, admitted transfer students to SMU who submit the required documents are considered for the scholarship. Of those, 25 candidates are selected for individual interviews with a University committee. Award recipients are chosen based on their college activities, demonstrated leadership, community service, academic preparedness, submitted materials and interview.
Timeline
- April 1 - Admission application deadline (including all supporting documents)
- May 15 (or as soon as it becomes available) - Final transcript (or grade report) from spring semester must be submitted
- First or second week of June - 25 candidates are notified by telephone of their finalist status and interview dates and times are confirmed
- Mid-June - Interviews conducted; within days of the interviews, all candidates are notified by telephone of the committee’s decisions
Phi Theta Kappa Scholarships
The Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Scholarship is awarded to active members of the honor society transferring to SMU from a 2-year college. The award is $1,000 per term. Up to 20 PTK awards are granted to fall transfers and up to 10 awards are granted to spring-term transfers. This scholarship is used as supplemental aid to either the Honor Transfer Scholarship or the Transfer Merit Scholarship. It is renewable for up to five terms if continuous full-time enrollment and a 3.00 SMU GPA are maintained.
Requirements
Students must be an active member of PTK at their current 2-year college and have completed at least 50 transferable credit hours with a minimum 3.50 cumulative transferable GPA. Applicants must also provide two academic recommendations and the PTK Honor Scholarship application form signed by their current PTK advisors. Click here for the application form.
Selection Process
Scholarships are awarded based on the candidate’s PTK membership activities, other college activities, demonstrated leadership, community service, and submitted materials including letters of recommendation and an extracurricular/personal résumé. All qualified students who have submitted the required documents and are admitted to the University will be considered for the scholarship.
Timeline
- April 1 - Admission application deadline for fall entry (November 1 for spring entry)
Frequently Asked Questions About Transfer Scholarships
How does SMU calculate my transferable grade point average (GPA)?
SMU calculates a collective GPA for all colleges you have attended, not just your last school attended. SMU includes the attempted hours and grade points of those courses that are comparable to SMU courses similar in content and level.
How are grades in repeated courses calculated?
Effective fall 2018, all grades for transferable courses are used to calculate the transfer GPA. Exceptions are made for repeated courses where the grades in the first attempts were D+ or lower. In these cases, only grades in the last attempts of the repeated courses prior to matriculation at SMU are used to calculate the transfer GPA, even if lower. Courses must be repeated at the same institution in which the original grade was earned or carry the same course number based on a statewide course numbering system. For repeated courses where the grade in the first attempt was a C- or higher, both grades will be used but credit will be awarded for only one successful attempt. A grade of W (Withdrawn) is not used to calculate the transferable GPA. A grade of I (Incomplete) or a missing grade is calculated as F. A grade of IP (In Progress) for a current term is not calculated. This grade replacement policy for eligible transfer courses will be used in all transfer and all-college GPA calculations and other academic determinations at SMU.
Suppose I don’t have 50 hours or the required GPA by the application deadline?
That’s okay. Go ahead and apply by the deadline. Your application will ask you to list courses that are in progress, which tells us whether you will likely be a candidate for a scholarship. We cannot officially award a scholarship until we receive your final grades, so it is important to submit your final transcript (or at the very least a grade report) as soon as your term ends. If applying for a full-tuition scholarship, you must meet the GPA and hour requirements by the end of the spring semester, and you cannot be considered until we receive your spring grades.
Can I attend summer school at my current college before matriculating to SMU?
Summer classes may be transferred before you begin at SMU, but keep in mind that SMU requires transcripts for all courses before a student is allowed to be advised and enrolled. Summer I session grades usually are available by early to mid-July, and, if received in time, can be processed for SMU fall enrollment, which begins in July. However, if grades are sent to SMU later, enrollment may be delayed. Summer II session grades usually are not available until late August, after the fall semester has begun. For that reason, attending summer II session classes at your current school is strongly discouraged.
Can grades earned during a May term or summer school at my current college be used in consideration of a full-tuition scholarship?
No. Because the selection process for the full-tuition scholarship is very time-sensitive, we require that the spring semester be the last term considered for this scholarship.
What about other transfer scholarships? Can I take May term or summer classes?
Grades earned from courses taken through May term and Summer I session classes may be used to meet other transfer scholarship requirements.
The requirements state that in order to keep my scholarship at SMU, I must maintain a 3.000 GPA. I have maintained well above that so far at my current college. Should I be concerned?
Transferring in general can be a challenge due to changes in learning environments. Another important factor is that SMU’s grading scale includes plus and minus grades. If you are not accustomed to this distinction, it can catch you off guard. For example, you might think you have a solid B (3.0 GPA) in a class when in fact you have a B- (2.7 GPA). Most scholarship students adjust very well to the new learning environment and the grading scale after a semester. It is important to be aware of the different grading system.
Do letters of recommendation require a specific format?
No. We do ask that the letters of recommendation come from academic sources. Some students submit two to three letters of recommendation from professors and an additional letter from someone who might know them well in another capacity, such as work, civic or volunteer activities, religious community, etc. When submitting the recommendations, be sure your full legal name and date of birth are on the letters. It might be best to ask the people writing your letters how they prefer to submit the letters to the transfer office. Some professors might prefer to mail it themselves, while others will not mind giving it to you in a sealed envelope.
I understand that all transfer scholarships are good for up to five terms of continuous enrollment. Can I use my scholarship for a summer session at SMU?
Generally, no, because it would not be cost effective. The scholarships are intended to be used for regular terms (fall and spring). Occasionally, a student could graduate early by attending a summer session. In this case, the student would need to have his or her adviser provide the financial aid office with a letter supporting summer enrollment.
What do scholarships cover?
Scholarships are toward tuition only. Students are responsible for their fees, room and board, and books (other types of financial aid may be applied toward these expenses).
For the full-tuition scholarship, how are the 25 interviewees selected?
An admission committee reads all of the applications of the students who have applied by the deadline, been admitted and met the requirements. Normally this is a pool of 100-150 candidates. It is important that the candidates be as academically prepared to transfer into their chosen major as possible. The essay and the extracurricular and personal résumé are critical factors in the selection process as well. It is understood that all candidates excel academically; therefore, we need to know what else you do with your time. This is not a time to be modest! List everything you do on your extracurricular and personal résumé.
What can I expect in the interview?
Each student will meet with three SMU academic representatives (usually one from the college of their chosen major) for approximately 20 minutes. This is an opportunity for the SMU committee to get to know the candidates.