<p>I recently received my financial aid award notice from SMU for the 2009-2010 school year. And after doing some research I discovered that the tuition and fees for the upcoming school year had quite an increase from last year's (that's inflation for you):</p>
<p>--Direct SMU charges --
Fall Spring Tuition (12-18 hrs/sem) -- $15,600/$15,600 [up from $14,715]
Fees (required) -- $1,980/$1,980 [up from $1,870]
Average SMU Room cost -- $4,007/$4,006 (dbl. occup.)
SMU Board (20 meal plan) -- $2,215/$2,215
Total -- $23,802/$23,801 </p>
<p>Estimated additional costs to consider:
1. Books and supplies - approx. $800 per year
2. Post Office Box rental - approx. $80 per year
3. SMU yearbook - approx. $ 60 (optional)
4. SMU parking permit - $250/year (optional)
5. Local and trip home transportation approx. $1,000
6. Pony Express card - pre-paid debit card for use in bookstore, clinic, and student center (optional)</p>
<p>Does anyone know SMU's policy regarding outside scholarships? Do they just add onto your overall package as long as they do not exceed the total cost of attendance or are they just subtracted from your SMU Need-Based Grant?</p>
<p>I don’t know whether this is because I’m an international…but I personally asked the assistant director and this is how she broke it down for me:</p>
<p>35,160: tuition and fees
10,000~12,000: housing and meal
1300: health insurance</p>
<p>ps yearbook, parking permit stuff probably goes under tuition and fees?</p>
<p>so ya i thought this was rather expensive…huge inflation compared to previous years</p>
<p>tominkozhimala, I think you have to double that tuition figure – count it once for fall and once for spring. I think tays’s post figure is more accuarate, about $45,000 a year.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, that’s why I put $15,600/$15,600 instead of $31,200. Anyhow, I looked at my total, and it came close to $47,000 a year. And this isn’t including books, transportation and such. College is the best investment I’ll ever make, right?</p>
<p>I recieved my financial aid package from SMU</p>
<p>overall I’m getting 34,995 dollars per year. That includes 7,000 in Federal Loans. What do I do? I still got a couple outside scholarships that I am still awaiting word on, but I really really want to attend SMU and my parents can’t pay anything themselves. Everything has got to be loans, grants, or scholarships</p>
<p>tominkozhimala, your EDUCATION may be the best investment you’ll ever make. Nowadays, that includes post-graduate education for many people. An undergraduate college degree does not hold the prestige and status that it once did when applying for jobs. You may want to save some money for graduate studies.</p>
<p>meavs40, there are still a few opportunities for you be able to attend SMU. If worse comes to worse, you can always take out a private loan from a bank or SMU. This should be, however, a last resort since you want minimal debt upon graduation especially if you want to go to grad school and are forced to take out a loan. Pay close attention to interest rates and the titles “subsidized” and “unsubsidized.” For subsidized loans, the government pays the interest until you graduate. For un-subsidized loans, the interest accumulates while you are in school. </p>
<p>Well, the thing is that at first SMU proposed to me my first financial aid package. This came without my engineering scholarships (apparently the department had not sent it?) I was offered SMU need-based aid as well as another partnership grant.</p>
<p>Now, when they finally put in my engineering scholarships i recieved my second financial aid package (revised). They took away my need-based and partnership grant aid, as well as lowered my work-study amount by 1000.</p>
<p>Is there any way to appeal to the financial aid offices, or maybe my financial aid advisor?
Honestly, its ridiculous the kind of money they think I can pay and the kind of money I’m recieving at other colleges is alot higher.</p>
<p>I had the same problem with them. After adding my Engineering Fellows Scholarship ($7500/yr) a week later, my SMU Need Based Grant was reduced by $7500, so there was no change in my award package. I would go ahead and try to plea with them, but don’t get your hopes up. I have a feeling that SMU is a stingy school–especially in this economy. </p>
<p>I’m wondering…The money I have to pay after loans, grants, and scholarships at SMU is roughly 1,700 they gave me the option of doing the federal work program for 3700…how does that work?</p>
<p>The government pays $1850/semester for you to work on campus. Most of the money you would receive in wages would go to your tuition directly. You also get some pocket money, too. If you don’t get a job, you must pay off the $3700 yourself.</p>