Fees and Financial Disclosures

SMU is committed to transparency about the costs associated with online and distance education.

The University does not assess additional charges for identity verification. The identity credential used by the University includes an assigned eight-digit identification number (SMUID) combined with each student's unique password. The cost of setting up and administering the SMUID/Password system is recovered through general tuition and fees. The University does not assess additional charges for students enrolled in distance education courses to use the SMUID/Password system. 

SMU Policy 8.1, Acceptable Use Policy, Section 6(h)


 

No additional charges for identity verification

All identity verification tools — including SMUID credentials, Multi-factor Authentication (MFA), Canvas LMS authentication, and Respondus Monitor — are institutionally licensed and provided at no cost to students.

Distance Learning Fee Disclosure

Certain graduate online programs are assessed a distance learning fee to support the infrastructure and delivery of online coursework. This fee is separate from, and unrelated to, identity verification. Full tuition and fee schedules for all programs are published below:

School / Program Distance Learning Fee Identity Verification Fee
Cox School — Online MBA & MBA Direct $100 per credit hour (beginning Fall 2025) None
Dedman College — MS in Data Science $100 per credit hour (beginning Fall 2025) None
All other SMU online programs See program fee schedule None

View complete tuition and fee schedules, please see SMU Enrollment Services