How to Apply to Graduate School at SMU

Students applying to any program in the Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Lyle School of Engineering, Meadows School of the Arts, and Simmons School of Education and Human Development must submit an online application and a $75 application fee.

• Formal communications regarding your application will be received via email. Please ensure the account you use is up to date and checked regularly. 
• Post-submission, you can log in at any time to check the status of your application and review your document checklist—keep track of your checklist to ensure test scores, letters of recommendation, and other important documents are submitted on time.
• Decision letters will be available on your application status page—if admitted, use the provided link to accept your admission offer to secure your spot in the program. 

Start Your Application

Applicants must submit transcripts from each higher education institution attended, regardless of whether a degree was earned. Dedman College, Lyle School of Engineering, and Meadows School of the Arts accept unofficial transcripts for admissions review.

For Simmons School of Education, official transcripts are required from institutions with at least 9 credits. All admitted applicants must provide official transcripts before registering for courses at SMU.

Both electronic and hard copy transcripts may be submitted; however:

• Electronic transcripts must be sent securely (e.g., via Scrip-Safe or NSC) by the transferable institution.
• Official transcripts sent by applicants are not accepted. Institutions can send electronic transcripts to gradappmaterials@smu.edu.
• Hard copy transcripts must be sealed and sent by the applicant’s institution to the address below.

All hard copy transcripts should be sent to:

SMU Graduate Application Processing
P.O. Box 518
Dallas, TX 75275-0518

Start Your Application

• Dedman Requirements
• Lyle Requirements
• Meadows Requirements
• Simmons Requirements

In all schools and colleges, departments reserve the right to request exam scores if they need more information to assess an applicant’s English language proficiency skills, even if the applicant is eligible for a waiver.  

Meadows School of the Arts and Simmons School of Education and Human Development require transcript evaluations for international applicants. All foreign transcripts must be accompanied by a professional evaluation, an official transcript (including an English translation if it is not in English), and course descriptions or syllabi.

It is the student's responsibility to procure this evaluation and to assume financial responsibility for it. Because of the importance of this information, SMU only accepts evaluations from the following agencies of proven reliability:

World Education Services, Inc.
PO Box 745, Old Chelsea Station
New York, NY 10113-0745
Telephone: 212-966-6311
TOLL FREE: 1-800-937-3895
Email: info@wes.org

International Academic Credential Evaluators, Inc.
PO Box 2585
Denton, TX 76202-2585
Telephone: 940-383-7498
https://www.iacei.net/ 

Josef Silny & Associates, Inc.
7101 SW 102 Avenue
Miami, FL 33173
Telephone: 305-273-1616
Fax: 305-273-1338
Email: info@jsilny.com

International Education Evaluations
7900 Matthews-Mint Hill Rd. Suite 300
Charlotte, NC  28227
Phone: 704-772-0109
Myiee.org

The Evaluation Company (formerly SpanTran)
2400 Augusta Drive, Suite 451
Houston, TX 77057
Phone: 713-266-8805
Email: docs@evalcompany.com
or status@evalcompany.com
SMU Custom Graduate Evaluation Application

The above services' evaluations should include an explanation that the institution is recognized by the Ministry of Education in the home country and is generally considered to offer at least the equivalent of U.S. higher education credit. In addition, it should include an explanation of the credits, the grading system, and course levels, as well as a course-by-course evaluation.

The expertise and reliability of professional evaluation reports are recognized worldwide and are likely to be accepted by other academic institutions, employers, and state licensing boards. However, the report is not binding on SMU and will be considered a recommendation for SMU's independent decision on whether credit is to be granted. Information and applications from the agencies are available online.

All applicants must have adequate subject preparation in the chosen major field. This includes having at least 12 semester hours of advanced study in the chosen field and a 3.0 overall grade-point average. All programs also require a resume and 3 letters of recommendation from professors or employers who can speak to an applicant’s work ethic, experience in the field, and/or academic success.

Students applying to certain Dedman programs may need to include additional information with their application:

• Psychology: The Statement of Purpose should include the names of 1-2 faculty members with whom the student would like to work.
• Religious Studies: Applicants need to identify a field of interest: Old Testament, Religion and Culture, Systematic Theology, Religious Ethics, New Testament, or Christian Tradition. Applicants must also provide a writing sample of 10-20 pages of scholarly writing.
• English: The English PhD requires a writing sample consisting of 15 or more pages on a literary topic.
  
• History: The PhD program requires an essay, chapter, or some other substantial piece of historical writing.
• International applicants who score below a 23 on the speaking component of the TOEFL must complete a video essay as part of their application.

All Lyle School of Engineering master’s or doctoral applicants must have adequate subject preparation in their chosen major field. This includes having an undergraduate or graduate degree in engineering or a closely related technical field, a GPA of 3.0 or higher on all undergraduate or graduate coursework.

Applicants are required to submit the following documents:

• Statement of purpose
• Resume
• Transcripts
• Application fee
• Letters of recommendation (3)
  • Optional for M.S. and M.A. programs
  • Required for doctoral-level students
• GRE scores
  • Required for all doctoral-level applicants, including D.E. and Ph.D.
  • Mechanical Engineering doctoral program applicants who hold an M.S. degree do not need to submit GRE scores 

Design and Innovation program applicants can view the MADI-specific requirements here.  

International Students

Students who are requesting a student visa from the Lyle School of Engineering are considered international students and must submit TOEFL or IELTS scores to be considered for admission.

Conditional admission may be offered to international students who do not meet the English language requirement. Please note that, in order to receive conditional admission, a student must meet or exceed the academic admissions requirements and must submit either TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, or Duolingo score results. Required scores can be found on the Lyle Application page.

Students who do not submit English Language Proficiency exam scores will not be considered for conditional admission. Students who are offered conditional admission must complete the Intensive English Program before enrolling in Lyle graduate courses.

Graduate admissions procedures for the Meadows School of the Arts vary by program. Click the button below to learn more about the requirements for your area of interest.

The Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development offers Doctoral and Master's degrees, graduate-level certifications, undergraduate programs, enrichment courses, along with research institutes and community service centers.

Admission information, application forms, and curricula for these programs can be found on their respective websites. For more information about available programs and admission requirements, please click the button below.

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