SMU Hilltop Scholars

This is the official page for SMU's Hilltop Scholars Program. We are an honors community for first-year students.

Welcome to the Hilltop Scholars Program (HSP), one of SMU’s most distinctive communities. Students who have demonstrated high academic achievement and an interest in service and leadership on their applications to SMU may be invited to join the Hilltop Scholars Program. We select students who have much to offer the University and the community; therefore, consider it an honor to have been chosen f

05/11/2026

A little glimpse into what being in HSP really looks like at SMU 🤍

05/01/2026

So grateful we got to host Crafting Powerful Narratives with Mohsin Hamid and Afsheen Farhadi on March 26th, 2026.

Huge shoutout to SMU English & Narrative Now for partnering with the Hilltop Scholars Storytellers Collective, and to everyone who came out (and stayed for the book signing 👀).

04/27/2026

The HSP student workers, all in one frame!

This group has been such a big part of HSP, and now they’re all seniors, getting ready to graduate!! 🧑‍🎓

04/24/2026

Storytelling, but make it Pixar 🎬
On April 16, we had the chance to hear from Matthew Luhn, an animator, writer, and storyboard artist behind films like Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and Up.
Huge shoutout to our HSP student leadership committee for planning this amazing event and to SMU English and Narrative Now for helping make our vision come true💛

04/13/2026

Remy knows what’s up 👀
Don’t miss our event with Matthew Luhn! It’s gonna be such a good one. :)
Pull up, bring a friend, and come get inspired ✨

04/07/2026

MOVIE NIGHTTT 🎬💙
HSP Storytellers Collective is bringing Monsters University to campus 👀🍿
Come hang, relax, and take a break before the semester chaos hits.
📅 Wednesday, April 8
⏰ 6:30–8:00 PM
📍 Underwood Law Library, Walsh Room 125
AND… consider this your warm-up 👀
We’re building up to our special event with Pixar storyteller Matthew Luhn on the 16th 🎤✨

04/06/2026

April is National Stress Awareness Month 🤍
We know this time of the semester can feel like a lot, so here are a few simple ways to stay relaxed.
HSP is rooting for you all the way!!

03/30/2026

Y’ALL. Our scholars went to ITALY over spring break!!! 🇮🇹✨

The UHP class Medieval Pilgrimage got to explore Italy and bring what they learned to life. We even spotted some familiar Hilltop faces: Paul Rowe, Kaylee Levin, Anna Foweather, and Alex Valdez!!

Honestly… pretty iconic.

P.S. shoutout to Paul for the amazing pics!!