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Essays & Short Answers

Students should respond to the following essay and/or short answer prompts to apply to UT. They allow students to share their stories, interests and additional information that may not be reflected in the application.

Freshman

Essays

Prompt

Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt or one of your own design.

Please keep your essay between 500-650 words (typically two to three paragraphs).

The Common App personal essay will complete the UT Austin essay requirement.

Submitting Your Essay

You can submit your essays:

  • In conjunction with your application.
  • Using the Document Upload System in MyStatus.

*Students do not need to submit other Common App essays. We’ll only review what is required.

Short Answers

Submit the required short answers to prompts in your admission application. Answers are limited to no more than 40 lines, or about 250–300 words per prompt, typically the length of one paragraph.

Prompts

  1. Why are you interested in the major you indicated as your first-choice major?
  2. Think of all the activities — both in and outside of school — that you have been involved with during high school. Which one are you most proud of and why? (Guidance for students: This can include an extracurricular activity, a club/organization, volunteer activity, work or a family responsibility.)

Submitting Your Short Answers

You can submit your short answers with either your Common App or ApplyTexas application. Short answer responses must be completed in order to submit your application.

Transfer

Essays

All transfer applicants must submit one essay responding to Topic A. Topic A should address your interest and preparation for the major you’ve chosen as your first choice.  Please keep your essay between 500-650 words (typically two to three paragraphs and about 3000 characters with spaces).
Applicants to the School of Architecture are required to upload Topic D in addition to Topic A.
Applicants to the School of Nursing should address the goal of becoming a nurse and/or a career in nursing.

Essay Topics

Topic A (Required)

The statement of purpose will provide an opportunity to explain any extenuating circumstances that you feel could add value to your application. You may also want to explain unique aspects of your academic background or valued experiences you may have had that relate to your academic discipline. The statement of purpose is not meant to be a listing of accomplishments in high school/college or a record of your participation in school-related activities. Rather, this is your opportunity to address the admission committee directly and to let us know more about you as an individual, in a manner that your transcripts and the other application information cannot convey.

Topic D (School of Architecture majors only)

Personal interaction with objects, images and spaces can be so powerful as to change the way one thinks about particular issues or topics. For your intended area of study, describe an experience where instruction in that area or your personal interaction with an object, image or space effected this type of change in your thinking. What did you do to act upon your new thinking and what have you done to prepare yourself for further study in this area?

Submitting Your Essay(s)

You can submit your essays:

  • In conjunction with your application.
  • Using the Document Upload System in MyStatus.