Fall 2026 applications will open September 1st, 2025 and close December 1st, 2025.
How to Apply
To be considered for graduate admission to the University of Texas at Austin, candidates must meet both the minimum requirements set by the Graduate School, and the requirements of their respective Graduate Program.
Please read all instructions listed below and those published by the Office of Graduate Admissions before submitting an application. We also encourage you to review the Frequently Asked Questions page.
Application Materials
With the exception of official scores for English-language tests, all materials should be uploaded electronically through the online application system. Please note, ILS Graduate Programs do not require the GRE exam. GRE scores that are submitted will not be considered by the admissions committee.
- Please do not send paper materials or duplicate paper copies of these materials.
- Please do not send materials directly to our graduate program staff.
- All materials must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Admissions.
All candidates for admission must complete an online application, submit the required application materials, and pay the application fee by the deadline.
Applications are only accepted for the fall terms and only for admission to the doctoral program.
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Application Processing Fee.
A required application fee must be submitted with the online application: $65 for domestic applicants; $90 for international applicants who have not previously been enrolled at UT Austin.
Visit the Graduate School for instructions to pay the fee.
A fee waiver may be requested by those with documented financial hardship. Requests should be submitted directly to the Graduate School.
McNair Scholars may qualify for an application fee waiver. -
Letters of Recommendation.
All candidates for admission must submit three letters of recommendation with their application.
To do so, enter the names and email addresses of three authors in the "References" section of the online application. Before submitting your application, please verify that the email addresses are current and accurate.
You will also be asked whether you would like to waive the right to view your letters after they are submitted. Please indicate this by answering the associated question on the application form.
After you submit the online application, each reference will receive an automated email message containing instructions and a link to the website where they will submit their letter of recommendation. Your references will be informed if you have not waived your right to view their letter of recommendation.
You can monitor pending recommendations, resend a Request for Reference, add a new recommender, and revise your FERPA (right to view) status via MyStatus.
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Personal Statements of Purpose.
The Statement of Purpose is composed of two short essays that must be submitted separately from one another as part of the application.
The two prompts are:- Your Future Goals: Describe your reasons for pursuing graduate study as well as your academic and professional interests and goals. What do you hope to contribute to the University community and the field or profession?
- What Brought You Here: Tell us more about your science-specific research experiences, list up to 5 UT faculty members whose research you are interested in and why, and share any information that you believe your application would be incomplete without. (If you do list faculty of interest, please bold their names in the statement)
There is no wordcount minimum or maximum, though we recommend that you not go over a page for either essay.
While specific text formatting is not required, we recommend the essays be in Arial size 12 font with 1.5 line spacing.
Your statements of purpose should be uploaded directly to the online application.
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Current C.V./Resume.
Your current C.V. or resume should include:
- Your educational background
- relevant courses taken
- Name and location of prior institutions (ie. State or Country of institution)
- Cumulative GPA
- Related employment & academic research experience
- name and total time in each full or part-time research roll, time should be listed in years and months (ie. 1 year, 3 months)
- Publications
- please include papers; published, under review, or pre-published
Upload your C.V. to your My Status page as a Miscellaneous Admissions Document.
Detailed instructions for uploading materials to your My Status page are given by the Office of Graduate Admissions.
- Your educational background
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Official Transcripts.
Transcripts from all prior universities and colleges attended must be sent to the Graduate School. Detailed instructions for uploading materials to your My Status page are given on the Office of Graduate Admissions website.
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Official TOEFL or IELTS Scores.
International students whose native language is not English must submit an official score report for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
Only score reports sent directly to the University from the testing agency are considered official. Please arrange to have your official scores sent directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions by the testing agency.
- Submitting TOEFL Scores: The Institution code for the University of Texas at Austin for TOEFL score reports is 6882. No department code is necessary.
- Submitting IELTS Scores: Use the IELTS electronic score delivery service to send your scores to the “University of Texas at Austin” account.
Exemptions:
If you hold a bachelor's degree from a U.S. institution or from an institution in another English-only speaking country, or are from a qualifying country, you may be exempt from this requirement. Please visit the Graduate School International Admissions website for further information about exemptions.
For technical support and questions about the online application, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions directly.
Please do not wait until the last minute to apply. We recommend that students apply in advance of the deadline to ensure that all materials are received on time by the Office of Graduate Admissions.
Applications received after the deadline may be considered, at the discretion of the admissions committee. However, late applicants may not be invited to interview or participate in recruitment events.
After you Apply
Once completed, please monitor your application via the MyStatus portal. Applications are not reviewed by the admissions committee until after the deadline. Applicants are responsible for monitoring the progress of their application and ensuring that all required materials have been submitted and received by the Office of Graduate Admissions. Please do not send materials directly to the graduate program staff or department office.
Following committee review, qualified applicants may be invited to conduct an admissions interview and/or visit the UT campus during program recruitment events. Recruitment events are typically held in February and provide opportunities to meet faculty and current graduate students, experience the university campus and explore Austin.
Admissions decisions will be posted in the MyStatus portal, with additional notifications sent via email.
Final admissions decisions for all candidates are typically released by mid-February.