Undergraduate Visiting Student Services

Undergraduate Visiting Student Services assists students who wish to enroll in SMU courses for credit, but do not intend to pursue an SMU degree.

We work with:

  • Domestic and international students who are visiting from another four-year university and are in good standing with their home universities.
  • Domestic high school graduates who want to earn course credits before seeking a degree at another university or college.
    Note: Applicants who have been denied undergraduate admission as a degree seeking student or who have an application pending are not eligible for admission as a visiting student.
  • College graduates who wish to take prerequisite courses for graduate and professional schools.
  • Non-SMU students who wish to participate in SMU programs such as SMU-in-Taos, SMU Abroad and SMU Intersessions.
  • Students who have transferred to the Dallas area and, with permission from their home universities, wish to finish their degrees by taking SMU courses and transferring back credit.
  • Members of the Dallas community who wish to take SMU courses for personal enrichment.
  • University employees, their spouses, and/or their dependents who wish to take courses using tuition benefits.

NOTES:

  • Students admitted under the University's First-Year Spring Entry program are not eligible to attend SMU as a visiting student. For more information about SMU's Spring Entry Program, visit the First-Year Spring Entry Program website. 
  • If you intend to take graduate level courses as a visiting student, please contact the graduate school directly.

Visiting students are admitted through the Division of Enrollment Services and are eligible to register on a space-available basis. Admission as a visiting student does not qualify a student for admission to a degree program at SMU.

Application Instructions

  1. Complete the online application.
  2. Submit the $75 non-refundable application fee.
  3. Request an official transcript from each school you have attended.
    • Email to: visitingstudent@smu.edu, or
    • Mail to:

      Undergraduate Visiting Student Services
      Southern Methodist University
      P.O. Box 750181
      Dallas, TX 75205-0181

      Note: All international transcripts must be translated and professionally evaluated. For a list of accepted foreign evaluation services, click here.

  4. Request to have the SMU Good Standing Form completed by each institution you have attended.
  5. Applications are not reviewed until all required materials are received.

NOTE: Applications take up to one week to process and must be received at least five business days before the first day of the semester in order to be considered for admission.

Once accepted as a visiting student, you must:

  • Submit proof of meningitis immunization and completed SMU Health Center form.
  • Read and agree to the Rights and Responsibilities Agreement.
  • Meet all prerequisites for courses in which you expect to enroll.
  • Register yourself on your given enrollment appointment date. Please see FAQ for steps on enrollment.
  • Pay all tuition and fees by the payment deadline.
  • Maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.000 or better in order to continue your studies at SMU. Failure to maintain the appropriate GPA standard may result in removal from the program.

If you are already enrolled as a visiting student at SMU and wish to continue your studies, you may register yourself for the upcoming semester when open enrollment period begins.

  • Open enrollment for JanTerm and Spring semester begins November 19. 

If you need assistance, please contact Undergraduate Visiting Student Services at visitingstudent@smu.edu or 214-768-2472.

To view the schedule of classes, visit my.SMU and click on “Class Search” to see all the classes for a particular course subject and the individual course number for each class. To view the course description, click on the section number for the class. The course description will be at the bottom of the panel. A 701 section number designates an evening class.

Summer course information is available at June+July in Dallas.

MayTerm and JanTerm course information is available at SMU Intersessions.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and fee charges can be found on the Bursar’s Cost of Attendance webpage and payment due dates can be found here.

Payment Plan

SMU offers payment plan options for fall, spring and summer terms. Please refer to the Bursar’s website for detailed payment plan information.

NOTE: Visiting students are not eligible for financial aid or veterans’ benefits


With instructor approval, available classroom space, payment of an audit fee* and approval of the University Registrar, a person may audit a credit course. The audit fee is less than the course tuition, but an auditor has certain restrictions:

  • Participation is restricted, including classroom recitation
  • Handouts, tests, and other materials may not be available
  • Homework, papers, tests, and other assignments may not be collected or graded
  • Laboratory privileges are not included
  • Progress grades and a final grade will not be provided
  • An academic record and certification of participation will not be provided
  • Audit fees are non-refundable

To audit a course, complete an Audit Enrollment Request Form.

Audit Fee

$310 per credit hour.

*An enrolled undergraduate student taking 12 or more hours may audit one, three-hour course at no additional charge!

Note: Bacterial-Meningitis Immunization

Texas State Law effective January 1, 2012: Any entering student at a Texas college or university who is under the age of 22 years must be immunized before attending classes and must have received the vaccine within the preceding 5 years and at least 10 days prior to the first day of classes or provide exemption information. Enrollment holds will be placed for students who do not comply.

Please refer to and download the required forms by going to the Health Center website. On the top of the page click on Forms. Select "Health History Form" from the drop down. Completed forms are submitted directly to the Health Center. Contact information is found at the top of the form or on the Health Center website.