Executive MBA Financial Aid Guide

At the Cox School, we understand that financing your degree is a part of your decision-making process. Below is detailed information on financing your Executive MBA. You can also grab this as a downloadable PDF here.

What types of financial resources are available?

A Merit Scholarship from the Cox School of Business can range from $5,000 – $15,000. These are offered - one per student - directly through the Admissions process; student financial services does not have access to additional scholarship funding. All applicants are reviewed for scholarship at the time of admission. For detailed questions on scholarships, please contact the admissions team.

Veteran’s Benefits (GI Bill) and Yellow Ribbon for all students are administered through SMU Registrar’s office. Please review the procedures and contact information online: https://www.smu.edu/EnrollmentServices/Veterans

Outside Scholarships students can search several resources for scholarships and apply directly with donors. These scholarships are not vetted by SMU:

Federal Loan Funding may be available to students who are eligible for and choose to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at StudentAid.gov each academic year. By submitting the FAFSA, students may be eligible to borrow through two loan programs to assist with educational expenses:

Private Student Loan Funding may be available for students who are not eligible for or may not wish to utilize federal loan funding. Applications are credit-based, and SMU does not recommend any specific lender. For more information, you may review our State and Private Loans webpage: State and Private Loans

Student Financial Services for The Executive MBA

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan

  • Maximum of $20,500 per academic year
  • Fixed Interest Rate: 7.94% (subject to change July 1 of each year)
  • Origination Fee: 1.057%

Federal Direct Grad PLUS Loan - only available until July 1, 2026 (requires credit approval; application available online at StudentAid.gov)

  • Maximum – can be used to cover all remaining tuition costs as well as some personal expenses
  • Fixed Interest Rate: 8.94% (subject to change July 1 of each year)
  • Origination Fee: 4.228%

How does the funding process work?

  • For Federal Student Loans, submit a 2026–2027 FAFSA online at StudentAid.gov using your 2024 tax information. Beginning with the 2025–2026 FAFSA, the FUTURE Act Direct Data Exchange will import your tax information directly from the IRS if you are eligible.
  • For a Private or Alternative Loan, submit your application directly to the lender. Please use the 2026–2027 award year and 8/2026 – 5/2027 as the loan period to cover the full academic year.
  • Loans are certified by the University, and funding is sent directly to the University at the beginning of each term (no sooner than 10 days before the start of class).
  • Funds will be applied to existing charges first. Any amount that remains after institutional charges have been paid will be processed as a refund to you by Student Accounts. This may take 10–14 business days.
  • For funds to disburse, students must be enrolled at least half-time (4.5 hours) in credit-bearing courses per term.

How much does the program cost?

The Executive MBA program at SMU is charged a flat tuition rate each semester. Click here to see what all is included in tuition. The following layout shows anticipated charges for the program based on current tuition rates. This information is to be used for estimation and does not represent a contract, agreement, or invoice.

Institutions must make publicly available on their website a list of all aspects related to Cost of Attendance, so if you would like more information about how housing, food, transportation, and other fees might impact your overall budget, you may visit: Cost Estimator.

Term Tuition  Media Fee  Executive MBA Program Fee  Total for Semester 
Fall 2026  $26,480  $10.00  $2,350 $28,840
Spring 2027 $26,480  $10.00   $2,350 $28,840
Summer 2027 $26,480    $2,350 $28,830
Fall 2027 $26,480  $10.00   $2,350 $28,840
Spring 2028 $26,480  $10.00   $2,350 $28,840
Program Total $132,400  $40  $11,750 $144,190

*Non-Refundable Deposit (applied to tuition for 1st semester) $2,000

EMBA students will have out-of-pocket costs for travel to their Global Study and some books/materials.

What steps should I take?

  • Review what resources you have available – personal savings, SMU payment plan, merit scholarships, employer reimbursement, outside scholarships, etc.
  • Know your borrowing history, and the status of any prior federal student loan funding. Federal student loan history is available by logging in with your FSA ID at StudentAid.gov.
    • Prior federal loans must be in good standing before new loans can be certified.
    • Beginning July 1, 2026, the aggregate limit for graduate-level loans is changing. Graduate students beginning anew program will be able to take out an overall total of $100,000 in Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans, including loans borrowed for any previous graduate-level degree(s). If you have previously borrowed towards another graduate degree, it is possible you may have already or will reach this cap during your EMBA program. 
  • Calculate your financing needs for the first academic year, and seek alternative funding if needed.
Anticipated Cost (Charges + Books/Personal expenses) less your Available Resources (Scholarships, corporate assistance, etc.) equals your Financing Need.

SMU can assist in distributing the funds across the current academic year as needed, but cannot certify funding for a future academic year (i.e. funding for Fall 2026).

How do I make a payment?

Student Accounts offers monthly payment plans and a variety of methods to pay online or in-person. Tuition charges are due at the start of each semester – these due dates are included on your invoice and published online. Please contact the Mane Desk for assistance with: 

For any additional questions not answered in the above, contact information is below.

SMU Financial Aid Services Contact Information

Email: GradFinAid@smu.edu

SMU Mane Desk and Student Accounts Contact Information

Email: Enrol_serv@smu.edu

Phone: (214) 768-5555