Graduate Admission | Graduate School | The University of Texas at Austin

Application for admission to the Graduate School is a multi-step process. After you apply, keep up with it all by monitoring MyStatus.

Each graduate program sets its own application deadline. The application process may take several weeks to complete; you should apply well in advance of the deadline to ensure adequate time to submit all required items.

Complete the Online Application

Applicants to graduate programs at The University of Texas at Austin should complete the appropriate application for admission. Please note that applications can take up to 72 hours to load to the University of Texas at Austin system after submission of the application form.

Complete a U.S. Graduate Application if you are a:

• U.S. citizen
• Permanent resident
• Former student of UT Austin

Complete an International Graduate Application if you are a:

• Non-U.S. citizen
• Non-permanent resident of the United States

• Business: Those who wish to pursue the Texas McCombs MBA, Masters in Professional Accounting, Masters in Finance, Masters in Business Analytics, Masters in Technology Commercialization, Masters in Health Care Transformation, Masters in Information Technology and Management, or a Masters in Marketing should visit the program site for application instructions.
• Engineering: Applicants to the Cockrell School of Engineering should visit the program site for information about applying.
• Social Work: Applicants to Social Work should visit the program site for application information.
• Executive Master in Public Leadership: Applicants to the Executive Master in Public Leadership program should visit the program site for application information.
• Other Programs: Applicants to all other graduate programs (except the School of Law) should start the application process by submitting the ApplyTexas application.

Pay your non-refundable application fee by credit card (Visa and MasterCard accepted) when you complete the application.

Application Fees:

• MBA (and dual programs with MBA): $200
• MPA: $125
• All other programs:
  • U.S. Graduate: $65
  • International Graduate: $90

If you decide not to pay the application fee when you submit your application, you may pay it later via What I Owe (MasterCard, Discover and electronic checks accepted). Visa is not accepted after you submit your application.

If you can’t afford the application fee and are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident pursuing your first graduate degree, you may be eligible for a fee waiver (not available for the MBA or MPA programs). Fee waivers are not available for international citizens.

If you intend to seek a waiver, do not pay the application fee when prompted. Instead, submit your application and indicate you will pay later.

Demonstrate your need for an application fee waiver by providing a copy of:

• A fee waiver granted by GRE or GMAT; or
• If you are currently enrolled at an institution, your financial aid awards for the previous two semesters showing the source(s) of your funding; or
• If you are not currently enrolled, your tax returns for the last two years.

Wait until you receive the email with a link to your MyStatus page, redact your Social Security number from any documentation you plan to send, then email it to Shannon Neuse. Make sure you include your UT EID in the email; without this information, your request cannot be processed. Please note that it will take 24 to 48 hours from when you submit the application before you receive the status check email – do not send your request prior to receiving that email.

You will be unable to upload any documents to MyStatus until your fee is waived or paid.

After satisfying the application fee, provide an official transcript from every senior college you have attended. Even if courses taken at one institution are recorded on another college’s transcript, transcripts must be submitted from the institution at which the courses were taken. Failure to list all colleges on the application and provide those transcripts will be considered an intentional omission and may lead to the cancellation of your application for admission or withdrawal of your offer of admission.

Official transcripts bear the facsimile signature of the registrar and the seal of the issuing institution. Transcripts from U.S. colleges or universities must have been produced within the last calendar year, and should include the award of degree printed on the transcript unless coursework is still in progress. Transcripts written in a language other than English must be accompanied by a translation. We do not accept outside evaluations of foreign transcripts. Each transcript (mark sheet) should contain a complete record of studies at the institution from which it is issued (i.e., the subjects taken and grades [marks] earned in each subject).

If your college or university uses the SPEEDE service you can have your transcript(s) sent electronically. Check with the registrar of your institution to find out if transcripts can be sent via the SPEEDE server, as well as instructions for placing an order.

If your college or university uses Parchment, you can have your transcript(s) sent electronically. Please see the Parchment ordering guide for more information. Please note that due to the sending institution’s system limitations, we cannot currently accept transcripts through Parchment from University of Kansas, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), National Louis University, Dartmouth College, Southern Utah University, and Northwestern University. If you obtain a Parchment transcript directly and upload it to your application, please be aware it cannot be used to clear you for registration upon admission. As such, you should have the transcript sent directly to UT Austin.

Otherwise, upload a PDF using the Document Upload System. You can upload an official PDF transcript issued by the institution or a scan of the official paper transcript issued to you by the registrar. Uploads will be considered unofficial if admitted, but can be used to process your application for admission. You should redact your Social Security number from the transcript before you upload, but other alterations are not permitted. Complete guidelines for uploading transcripts are available in Instructions for Uploading Transcripts, a downloadable guide. 

Uploads require verification, a process which can take 2 to 3 business days. You should upload your transcripts well in advance of the deadline to allow adequate time for processing. Failure to do so could result in your application being considered late. Do not upload unofficial transcripts or other documents that do not meet requirements, even as temporary placeholders. Doing so will delay processing of your application and could lead to cancellation for being late.

We cannot accept electronic transcripts sent by registrars or third-party entities in any other format (e.g. by email or by links to secure websites). Please do not mail official transcripts or paper copies of your transcripts before you are offered admission. Sending paper copies of documents will significantly delay the processing of your application.

Some programs may also request that you upload copies of your transcripts when submitting the application form. These are not provided to GIAC with your application form and therefore cannot be used to fulfill the MyStatus transcript requirements.

Those applying to the master’s program in professional accounting or nursing must also submit transcripts from junior and/or community colleges. 

Applicants who have previously attended the university will be automatically billed $20 for transcripts, payable via What I Owe. Do not order transcripts directly from the university registrar, as doing so will slow processing.

Ask the appropriate testing agency to send your official test scores for the GRE or GMAT—check with the program of application to see which is required. All portions of the test are to be taken on your designated testing date, otherwise, the score will be considered incomplete and cannot be used as part of your application.

International students applying to UT Austin must submit either an official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score report demonstrating an adequate knowledge of English. The Institutional TOEFL (ITP) and the IELTS General Training are not accepted. Consult the website of your program of interest to determine which test is preferred.

International applicants who are from a qualifying country are exempt from this requirement. Additionally, applicants are exempt from the requirement if they possess a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. institution or a qualifying country. The requirement is not waived for applicants who have earned a master’s—but not a bachelor’s—degree from a similar institution.

The university generally receives scores four to six weeks after a test is taken if the university is designated as a score recipient at the time of testing. If you are sending scores from a prior test, the scores must still be reportable and valid at the time you submit your application (within the last five years for the GRE or GMAT and two years for the TOEFL or IELTS).

The Educational Testing Service institution code for the GRE and TOEFL is 6882. The institutional code for the GMAT is 396-44-45. It is not necessary to use a department code, but if you must select one, choose one that is similar to your proposed major.

To fulfill the requirement with scores from the IELTS, please use the IELTS electronic score delivery service to send your scores to the “University of Texas at Austin” account.

All programs have additional requirements that you must complete before they will consider your application for admission. Check the website of the program you are applying to for instructions on submitting additional supporting documents. Most programs will allow you to upload additional required materials via MyStatus.

Letters of recommendation for almost all programs are submitted electronically. (Computer Science, The Butler School of Music, and most master’s programs in Business use an alternate submission method for letters of recommendation. Check the program’s website for complete information.)

You will be given the opportunity to list the name, position, organization and email address for three recommenders when you complete the application. After you submit your application, emails will be sent to your recommenders directing them to a website where they may upload their letters.

MyStatus offers a self-service feature you can use to resend the request email to your recommenders, if necessary. Use it to supply an alternate email address if your recommender’s spam filter blocks the original request or has removed the link. You can also add a new recommender or revise your right-to-view status from “retained” to “waived.”

If your recommender is unable to submit an electronic letter of recommendation, consult the program to which you are applying for instructions.