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DFA INTERNATIONAL SMALL CAP VALUE PORTFOLIO
DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio
Investment Objective
The investment objective of the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio is to achieve long-term capital appreciation.
Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio
This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):
Shareholder Fees
DFA INTERNATIONAL SMALL CAP VALUE PORTFOLIO
INSTITUTIONAL CLASS
USD ($)
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) none
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
DFA INTERNATIONAL SMALL CAP VALUE PORTFOLIO
INSTITUTIONAL CLASS
Management Fee 0.65%
Other Expenses 0.03%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.68%
EXAMPLE
This Example is meant to help you compare the cost of investing in the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
DFA INTERNATIONAL SMALL CAP VALUE PORTFOLIO | INSTITUTIONAL CLASS | USD ($) 69 218 379 847
Expense Example, No Redemption
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
DFA INTERNATIONAL SMALL CAP VALUE PORTFOLIO | INSTITUTIONAL CLASS | USD ($) 69 218 379 847
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Portfolio shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate was 21% of the average value of its investment portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio, using a market capitalization weighted approach, purchases securities of small, non-U.S. companies in countries with developed markets that Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (the “Advisor”) determines to be value stocks at the time of purchase. A company’s market capitalization is the number of its shares outstanding times its price per share. In general, the higher the relative market capitalization of a small company within an eligible country, the greater its representation in the Portfolio. The Advisor may adjust the representation in the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio of an eligible company, or exclude a company, after considering such factors as free float, momentum, trading strategies, liquidity, value, profitability, and other factors that the Advisor determines to be appropriate, given market conditions. Securities are considered value stocks primarily because a company’s shares have a low price in relation to their book value. In assessing value, the Advisor may consider additional factors such as price to cash flow or price to earnings ratios. In assessing profitability, the Advisor may consider different ratios, such as that of earnings or profits from operations relative to book value or assets. The criteria the Advisor uses for assessing value or profitability are subject to change from time to time.

The DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio intends to purchase securities of small value companies associated with developed market countries that the Advisor has designated as approved markets. As a non-fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio will invest at least 80% of its net assets in securities of small companies in the particular markets in which it invests. The Advisor determines the maximum market capitalization of a small company with respect to each country in which the Portfolio invests. In the countries or regions authorized for investment, the Advisor first ranks eligible companies listed on selected exchanges based on the companies’ market capitalizations. The Advisor then determines the universe of eligible securities by defining the maximum market capitalization of a small company that may be purchased by the Portfolio with respect to each country or region. Based on market capitalization data as of December 31, 2017, for the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio, the highest maximum market capitalization of a small company in any country in which the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio invests would be $6,984 million. This threshold will vary by country or region. For example, based on market capitalization data as of December 31, 2017, the Advisor would consider a small company in Switzerland to have a market capitalization below $5,845 million, a small company in Norway to have a market capitalization below $1,593 million, and a small company in Japan to have a market capitalization below $2,399 million. This threshold will change due to market conditions.

The DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio may gain exposure to companies associated with approved markets by purchasing equity securities in the form of depositary receipts, which may be listed or traded outside the issuer’s domicile country. The DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio also may purchase or sell futures contracts and options on futures contracts for foreign and U.S. equity securities and indices, to adjust market exposure based on actual or expected cash inflows to or outflows from the Portfolio. The Portfolio does not intend to sell futures contracts to establish short positions in individual securities or to use derivatives for purposes of speculation or leveraging investment returns.

The DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio may lend its portfolio securities to generate additional income.
Principal Risks
Because the value of your investment in the Portfolio will fluctuate, there is the risk that you will lose money. An investment in the Portfolio is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The following is a description of principal risks of investing in the Portfolio.

Equity Market Risk: Even a long-term investment approach cannot guarantee a profit. Economic, market, political, and issuer-specific conditions and events will cause the value of equity securities, and the Portfolio that owns them, to rise or fall. Stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising prices and periods of falling prices.

Small Company Risk: Securities of small companies are often less liquid than those of large companies and this could make it difficult to sell a small company security at a desired time or price. As a result, small company stocks may fluctuate relatively more in price. In general, smaller capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than larger companies to adverse business or economic developments and they may have more limited resources.

Foreign Securities and Currencies Risk: Foreign securities prices may decline or fluctuate because of: (a) economic or political actions of foreign governments, and/or (b) less regulated or liquid securities markets. Investors holding these securities may also be exposed to foreign currency risk (the possibility that foreign currency will fluctuate in value against the U.S. dollar or that a foreign government will convert, or be forced to convert, its currency to another currency, changing its value against the U.S. dollar). The DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio does not hedge foreign currency risk.

Value Investment Risk: Value stocks may perform differently from the market as a whole and following a value-oriented investment strategy may cause the Portfolio to at times underperform equity funds that use other investment strategies.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are instruments, such as futures and foreign currency forward contracts, whose value is derived from that of other assets, rates or indices. The use of derivatives for non-hedging purposes may be considered to carry more risk than other types of investments. When the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio uses derivatives, the Portfolio will be directly exposed to the risks of those derivatives. Derivative instruments are subject to a number of risks including counterparty, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, and the risk of improper valuation. Changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Portfolio could lose more than the principal amount invested.

Securities Lending Risk: Securities lending involves the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio could also lose money if it does not recover the securities and/or the value of the collateral falls, including the value of investments made with cash collateral. Securities lending also may have certain adverse tax consequences.

Cyber Security Risk: The DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio’s and its service providers’ use of internet, technology and information systems may expose the Portfolio to potential risks linked to cyber security breaches of those technological or information systems. Cyber security breaches, amongst other things, could allow an unauthorized party to gain access to proprietary information, customer data, or fund assets, or cause the Portfolio and/or its service providers to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality.
Performance
The bar chart and table immediately following illustrate the variability of the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio’s returns and are meant to provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows the changes in the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio’s performance from year to year. The table illustrates how annualized one year, five year and ten year returns, both before and after taxes, compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. The DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future results. Updated performance information for the Portfolio can be obtained by visiting http://us.dimensional.com.

The after-tax returns presented in the table for the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown in the table. In addition, the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold shares of the Portfolio through tax-advantaged arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio Institutional Class Shares—Total Returns
Bar Chart
January 2008-December 2017

Highest Quarter    Lowest Quarter
31.78% (4/09–6/09)
   -21.72% (7/11–9/11)
Annualized Returns (%)
Periods ending December 31, 2017
Average Annual Total Returns - DFA INTERNATIONAL SMALL CAP VALUE PORTFOLIO
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
INSTITUTIONAL CLASS 27.98% 12.57% 5.77%
INSTITUTIONAL CLASS | Return After Taxes on Distributions 26.11% 11.29% 4.87%
INSTITUTIONAL CLASS | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Portfolio Shares 17.03% 9.76% 4.43%
MSCI World ex USA Small Cap Index (net dividends) (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes on sales) 31.04% 11.37% 5.16%