Frequently Asked Questions
There are two main portals through which parents/guardians can gain access to student records, as follows:
1. my. (Portal to view student records, such as student financial information, financial aid, academic records, etc.)
FERPA: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) states that no personally identifiable information from a student's education record will be disclosed to any third party without written consent from the student. Students can grant records access to their parents by following instructions found here. Once a student grants access to a parent, the parent will receive instructions on how to access my. with their own credentials.
2. pay (Billing and payment portal)
Parents and other persons who are authorized by the student to make payments on their behalf can do so through the payment portal. Students can add an Authorized User directly, or an Authorized User can request access from the student by following instructions found here. Once a student approves, the Authorized User will receive instructions on how to access pay with their own credentials.
- In , select the Forgot Password? Link
- Enter in the email address that you used to request Authorized User access and select Reset Password
- You will receive the Password Reset Complete! Notification
- You will receive an email notification to reset your passwords. Follow the steps to reset your password
- Once you reset your password, you will be able to log into your Authorized User account
You can generate a Print Term Statement in pay:
- Once you are in pay, navigate to the Account Activity tab
- Select the term and account type to view
- Click Print Term Statement for the account activity of the selected term
- The term statement will open in a new window, choose either to print or save as a PDF
You can generate an activity report to view the account activity for the term(s) or calendar dates(s):
- Go to Account Activity tab in pay
- Select Generate Activity Report
- Choose the terms or calendar dates you want to view
- Click Generate Activity Report
- The report will display the most recent charges and payments at the bottom
- Choose either to print the report or save as a pdf
Should your term billing statement not meet your employer requirements, please email studentaccounts@smu.edu for assistance.
Yes. Each financial institution has separate rules and regulations that govern how funds may be used and how they are sent to universities. Please check with your financial intuition to see if a digital distribution option is available through your payment partner, Flywire.
If your 529 College Savings Plan does not offer digital distribution through Flywire, you will need to mail a check to the following address:
IMPORTANT: When mailing a check, use our P.O. Box address listed below. When mailing by courier/express delivery or utilizing tracking, please use the physical address, which is recommended when sending funds through your mail. Make sure to include the student's name and ID on the payment. Please allow up to ten (10) business days from the date that your provide sends payment for receipt and processing by .
United States Postal Service:
Student Financial Services
P.O. Box 750181
Dallas, TX 75275
Physical Address/Mailing with Tracking:
Student Financial Services
6185 Airline Road
Dallas, TX 75205
We accept online personal check and credit card payments, as well as wire transfers. Electronic check payments can be made from your personal bank checking or savings account without charge. We accept credit card payments using MasterCard, American Express, VISA, and Discover Card. Please note that there is a 2.85% non-refundable service charge for US based debit/credit cards and 3.95% non-refundable service fee for international, non-US cards added to the total payment as a separate transaction, assessed to all credit card payments imposed by our third-party service. Instructions for wire transfer payments can be found in our Payment Methods page.
We also accept paper checks, money orders and cashier's checks. The mailing address for payments can be found here.
Please note: You are subject to a late payment fee if you have not signed up for a payment plan by payment due date of each term. Payment plans are only available for spring, fall and summer terms. They are not available for May term, August term, winter term or Jan term.
Payments can be made online by electronic check or credit card:
- Students can log into then click on the link to pay under Financials.
- Parents and other Authorized Users log into to view bills and make payments.
There are no fees charged for making an e-check payment online. Credit card payments are assessed a non-fundable service fee of 2.85% for US based debit/credit cards and 3.95% for international, non-US cards on the amount being paid by our online payment vendor. Payments made online will post immediately in most cases.
Payments can be wired using:- Flywire - international only
Students will need to login into pay to initiate the wire transfer process.
In-person payments (money order, cashier's check, etc.) no cash payments:
Laura Lee Blanton Student Services Building
First floor- sign-in at the Mane Desk
Office hours are 9:00 a.m-4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10am- 4pm on Wednesday
- Try clearing the cache (browsing history) following the instructions located here.
- Try closing all windows and open your browser and try to login again. Sometimes having too many windows open could cause difficulty logging in to pay.
- If you have your computer set to another language, this will cause functionality problems. Please set your computer to English.
- Please make sure to turn off the pop-up blocker on your web browser.
Students will receive a secure message via Highpoint through the my. Student Dashboard, as well as a notification on the e-mail account to view the message.
Authorized Users receives notifications at their provided e-mail address.
Yes, anticipated aid will be listed on the Account Summary tab. If your anticipated aid is not listed, make sure the offered aid has been accepted in my.. Additional, check your To-Do items (which is listed as Quick Link on the right-hand side) in pay to make sure there is no outstanding items. If your anticipated aid is still unavailable, contact Service Financial Services. If you find you have a remaining balance beyond your offered aid and need additional financial options, please refer to the Additional Payment Options webpage or contact Student Financial Services for options.
IMPORTANT: Sign up for direct deposit so you can receive your refund quickly and securely! Mailed refund checks, if lost, are subject to a minimum two-week waiting period before we will issue a replacement check.
Refunds are processed throughout the year. No action is needed from students or parents to initiate a refund.
If student loan funds are received by before the first day of class and the student is eligible for a refund, the Office of the Bursar will begin processing refunds when refunds are posted to the Student Account. Per federal regulations:
- Refunds may not be issued any earlier than 10 days before the first day of class, if refunds have disbursed to the account.
- Refunds are to be processed within 14 days of the first day of class, if funds disbursed prior to or on the first day of class for student's academic career.
- For loan refunds disbursed after the first day of class, allow up to 14 days from the date the funds disbursed to the Student Account for the refund to be processed.
Refunds for students with Parent Plus Loan or Grad PLUS loans will be made payable to the payment plan payer, parent borrower, or student borrower. Parent Plus loan refunds may be made payable to the student, if the parent borrower submits a PLUS loan release form to the Bursar's Office.
Refunds can be processed via credit card, direct deposit (student's bank account), or mailed. When mailed, refunds are sent to the home address in .
Refunds for students with a Payment Plan, Parent PLUS loan, or Grad Plus loan will be made payable to the payment plan payer, parent borrower, or student borrower. Parent Plus loan refunds may be made payable to the student, if the parent borrower submits a PLUS loan release form to the Bursar's office.
Refunds from personal payments (e-checks or mailed check payments) are processed two weeks or 14 days, from the date the payment was applied. The refund will either be direct deposited or a paper check mailed.
Overpayments creating a credit on the account from a student loan will be refunded to the student only.
Financial holds must be paid to be cleared.
Some holds are placed by departments outside Enrollment Services and will need to be resolved through those departments. Financial holds can be cleared immediately by paying the past due balance online at my.. Payments made in-person will be cleared the following day.
The 1098-T is an informational form, used to assist students and their parents to determine if they are eligible for education-related tax credits and deductions. is unable to provide tax advice or instruction. Should you have questions about the 1098-T and if you qualify for any benefits, please consult a tax professional.
To receive the 1098-T online students must opt into receiving the form electronically, for which an e-mail notice will be sent informing them the form is available. If the student doesn’t opt to receive the form electronically it will be mailed to their listed home address. Please make sure addresses in my. are up-to-date.
The form includes all amounts posted to the Student Account during the tax year (January 1- December 31), such as tuition, fees, scholarships, grants and third-party billing credits.
Important note, charges for Jan term and Spring term are typically reported in the prior tax year. Jan and Spring term class enrollment opens in the fall, meaning those charges will appear in the fall of that tax year, and not the following spring tax year. Only charges posted between January 1 through December 31 are included as part of that year’s tax form.
Please note, the 1098-T form will not include your personal payments. You will need to reference your personal financial records to review your personal payments to .
For information regarding this form or for another copy of this form, please go to ECSI is our current servicer for the tax form as of 2014.
Portions of the student fee is distributed to the Student Association for its programs. The remainder of the fee is used to help fund other University expenses including, but not limited to, the following:
Student Center operations
Student Center maintenance fund
Student tickets to intercollegiate athletics events
Lighting on campus
Emergency call boxes
The Mustang Express Shuttle
Dedman Recreational Center maintenance
Library maintenance
Campus Security
Custodial services
Grounds maintenance
Deferred maintenance
The Distance Learning fee is assessed to students not attending classes on the main campus but are enrolled in a remote distance learning program. Distance learning does not result in the same on-campus experience, however, there are costs associated with distance learning funded. The distance learning fee is used to fund expenses including, but not limited to:
• design and project management of distance learning courses;
• video/Media production studio equipment;
• hardware/software used to support the delivery of distance learning classes;
• online facilities infrastructure costs;
• and other costs associated with the use of remote facilities.