Opportunity SMU

Student recruitment and retention fund

An SMU education opens doors, sparks innovation and fuels success for future generations. Through the Opportunity SMU fund, SMU donors will expand scholarship, financial aid and student support programs that help the University attract, retain and graduate meritorious undergraduate students. Your gift can make the difference in:

  • Attracting top-tier undergraduate students to SMU who receive more attractive scholarship and financial aid offers from other highly selective schools.
  • Supporting these students throughout their academic journeys, bolstering our retention and graduation rates.
  • Expanding diversity in the undergraduate student body by geography, academic interest, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, gender and other dimensions as needed.

 

As part of SMU Ignited: Boldly Shaping Tomorrow, Opportunity SMU adds to many other ways our donors empower outstanding students, such as through restricted gifts to scholar programs in each school, fellowships and other support for graduate students, and scholarship and need-based aid to enhance the recruitment and retention of students from historically underrepresented groups.

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Opportunity SMU gifts of all sizes and types are helpful and welcome. SMU seeks a combination of endowment, current-use and planned gifts to strengthen our efforts to recruit and support the kinds of outstanding students whose lives will be transformed by an SMU education.

Through Opportunity SMU, donors strengthen a wide variety of scholarship and financial aid programs at SMU, including, but not limited to:

  • Scholarships for high-performing students from families with limited incomes who receive federal Pell Grants. With your help, we can cover the cost of tuition, fees, housing and dining.
  • The University’s comprehensive approach to improving retention and graduation rates, which benefits all undergraduate students.
  • A selective program that helps first-year students achieve early success at SMU by promoting academic achievement, leadership and personal excellence.

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Undergraduates from Texas families with exceptional financial need received new scholarships in 2023-2024 for SMU tuition, housing, dining and fees.

Ignite students’ futures

When you make a current-use gift to Opportunity SMU, your support will be used right away to support undergraduate student recruitment, retention and graduation initiatives. To make an endowment or planned gift to Opportunity SMU, contact the Office of Gift Planning at plannedgiving@smu.edu or 214-768-1911.

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Ignite students’ futures

When you make a current-use gift to Opportunity SMU, your support will be used right away to support undergraduate student recruitment, retention and graduation initiatives. To make an endowment or planned gift to Opportunity SMU, contact the Office of Gift Planning at plannedgiving@smu.edu or 214-768-1911.

give now