Turner Scholars Program

Program Benefits

Why are Turner Scholars Special?

After early move-in, Turner Scholars have the opportunity to attend the exclusive RISE Institute (Readiness, Interdependence, Success, and Excellence). The RISE Institute is a pre-semester program where invited participants begin connecting to one another, valuable campus resources, and key faculty, staff, and alumni.

Students in the Turner Scholars Program are assigned different mentors throughout their academic journey, which is an experience unique to our program. These mentors are older students who can provide support throughout personal and academic transition. The mentor assigned is of the same or a similar major, meaning they can provide first-hand knowledge on how to be successful in the courses in which you enroll.

Turner Scholars also receive specialized academic counseling, have access to reserved study spaces, participate in several workshops throughout the academic year on a myriad of topics, and are invited to exclusive events at SMU and in the Dallas community.

Upon continuous program engagement and completion of on-going requirements, Turner Scholars are given exclusive access to a multitude of opportunities such as undergraduate research, campus jobs, internships, engaged learning projects and study abroad experiences, just to name a few. One critical part of the program is retaining Turner Scholars to serve as mentors for the next class of scholars. A select few who have demonstrated exceptional leadership skills are selected to serve on a leadership board assisting with program innovation and development.