Frequently Asked Questions

No, UT Austin does not provide interviews for general admission.

No, UT Austin does not utilize demonstrated interest in the holistic review process. Anything that you would like to be considered should be submitted with your application.

Letters of recommendation are optional. You’ll be considered for admission whether you submit letters of recommendation or not. Note that some freshman honors programs do require a letter of recommendation to complete the honors application.

Letters of recommendation can help us to learn things about you that aren’t available from other application items. If you do submit them, they will be considered when we review your application. But they are optional, and you will be considered for admission whether you submit letters of recommendation or not.

You may submit up to two letters of recommendation with your admission application. They should come from someone who knows you well but is not a family member or relative. We encourage you to provide letters from sources outside of your high school. In your letters or recommendation, we’re looking for information that expands upon or isn’t available in other items you submit, such as your admission application, resume or essays— such things as:

• Your academic success and potential.
• Your leadership contributions to your school, family or community.
• Your persistence in response to challenging situations.
• Your interaction with students and peers from different cultural backgrounds.
• Your preparation for your selected first-choice major, both in school and out.

We do not have a preferred or recommended resume format or length. We encourage you to choose a format that most easily allows you to share more about your involvement. The length or format of your resume do not have any impact on the review of your application.

Your resume should include all of your involvement and achievements, not just those that did not fit within the resume section of your online application. You should include any work experience (paid or volunteer), extracurricular activities, accomplishments and awards. You may also choose to include family responsibilities.

Use the appropriate application checklist on our website. Once you submit your application, you’ll also be able to log in to MyStatus to view the appropriate deadlines for all application materials.

If you apply using the Common App, most documents can be submitted along with your application. If you apply using ApplyTexas, most documents can be submitted in MyStatus. Note that we cannot accept documents via email.

No, we do not require students to live on campus. However, we highly recommend it!

You are eligible to apply for on campus housing as soon as your admission application is complete. You can access the housing application in MyStatus.

Check out the resources on our scholarship page! You can also contact the Office of Admissions or Texas One Stop for assistance.

You can apply for freshman admission if you are:

• A high school senior.
• A student who has completed high school and has not yet enrolled at another college or university after graduation.

• To meet the Early Action application deadline, you need to submit your online application by October 15 and any remaining application materials need to be received by October 22.
• The regular deadline is December 1. All remaining materials must be received by December 10.

All students apply to UT Austin for our regular deadline. To meet the Early Action deadline, your application must be submitted by October 15. All remaining documents need to be submitted by October 22. You must select Early Action on the application to be considered for Early Action.

Early Action applicants will receive their admission decision or a notification of deferral by January 15, 2026. Applicants who receive a notification of deferral and regular deadline applicants will receive a decision by February 15, 2026. Applicants must select Early Action on the application to be considered for Early Action.

The Early Action deadline does not provide an advantage in the review process nor is it binding.

• If you complete your application by the Early Action deadline (October 15), you will receive an admission notification by January 15, 2025. This notification may be a final admission decision or a decision deferral to February 15, 2025.
• If you complete your application by the regular deadline (December 1), you will be notified of a decision no later than February 15, 2025.

Some decisions are made and delivered earlier than the published decision dates.

We encourage freshman and transfer applicants applying for summer or fall admission to apply using the Common App. If you are applying for spring admission, apply using this application.

No, only one application should be completed.

No, please complete the application that works best for you! Your choice will not impact your admission decision.

We encourage you to choose a first-choice major that is aligned with your interests and strengths, not just what you hope to do as a career. We will consider you for this major during our holistic review.

Remember that your major won’t necessarily determine your career later on, so we recommend reviewing the entire list of options on MyMajors before you decide.

MyMajors

You may be considered for your second-choice major if you qualify for automatic admission and are not admitted to your first-choice major.

There is no separate scholarship application.

To be considered for scholarships, you should apply for admission and complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for US citizens and permanent residents or the Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA) for non-US citizens who are Texas residents. All freshman applicants who do so are considered for aid through the Texas Advance Commitment.

Our Office of Financial Aid also administers some scholarships for applicants with unique qualifications. More information about consideration for these scholarships through our scholarship interest form will be available to applicants in MyStatus in mid-August.

Official ACT or SAT scores are required to be submitted from the testing agency to complete your application.

Students may submit ACT scores with or without the Science section, and both will be treated equally in our admission process.

You need to have your official scores sent from the testing agency. Your scores need to be on file by the appropriate deadline to be considered.

• If applying by the Early Action deadline, your official scores from the testing agency need to be received by October 22.
• If applying by the regular deadline, your scores need to be received by December 10.

You may request a fee waiver by indicating your eligibility on your application. A separate fee waiver document or request is not required, but you may be required to submit documentation in support of the request. If you have already submitted your application for admission and did not request a fee waiver, you can submit the Request for Fee Waiver form in MyStatus using the Document Upload System. Note that fee waivers are not available for international applicants who will not graduate from a Texas high school. 

We conduct an individualized holistic review of each applicant, and this takes some time to complete. We recognize that students would like to receive a decision on their application as soon as possible, and we appreciate your patience. Please know that our timeline is designed to ensure careful consideration of each applicant.

MyStatus will always have the most up to date information for you.

You are considered a transfer student if:

• You have already started your post-secondary studies at another college or university after graduating from high school or earning a GED.
• You have or will have earned 24 semester hours of required transferable coursework at another college or university. The option to use coursework in progress is not available for spring semester applicants.
• You have graduated from another institution and want to take additional undergraduate coursework.

There is not an Early Action deadline for transfer admission.

• For summer/fall enrollment, you will receive an admission notification by mid/late-June.
• For spring enrollment, you will receive a decision by mid December.

Some decisions are made and delivered earlier than the published decision dates.

• If you are applying for transfer admission to summer or fall, you have two options when it comes to submitting your application: ApplyTexas or the Common App.
• If you are applying for spring admission, you should submit this application.

No, only one application should be completed.

No, please complete the application that works best for you! Your choice will not impact your admission decision.

Prerequisites and requirements vary by college, school and major. Review the additional application requirements for transfer admission on our Colleges and Degrees page.

Colleges and Degrees 

No. SAT and/or ACT scores are not required nor reviewed in the transfer admissions process.

You may request a fee waiver by indicating your eligibility on your application. A separate fee waiver document or request is not required, but you may be required to submit documentation in support of your request. If you have already submitted your application for admission and did not request a fee waiver, you can submit the Request for Fee Waiver form within MyStatus using the Document Upload System. Note that international students are not eligible for fee waivers.

MyStatus will always have the most up to date information for you.

For international students, UT accepts the Common App and ApplyTexas applications.

The application fee is $90 for international students.

There are no fee waivers for international students.

Payments made via Flywire can take around 10 days to process through our system, which means it can take time for MyStatus to update. If you have proof of successful payment, you do not need to pay again. Please monitor MyStatus for updates on when your application fee checklist item is complete.

If you are an international applicant and are not able to pay your fee online using a credit card, you may mail your payment in the form of a cashier’s check, bank money order or bank draft in U.S. dollars to:

The University of Texas at Austin
Office of Admissions
PO Box 300609
Austin, TX 78703

Make checks payable to The University of Texas at Austin, and write your six-digit Application ID number, UT EID or UT Assigned Student ID number on your check or money order. Do not send cash or personal checks.

You must submit Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam scores unless you graduated from a high school in the United States or in a country where English is the only official language after completing at least three years of study. You are also exempt from submitting TOEFL or IELTS exam results if you are from the following qualifying countries:

• American Samoa
• Australia
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belize
• Canada (except Quebec)
• Dominica
• Ghana
• Grenada
• Grand Cayman
• Guyana
• India
• Ireland
• Jamaica
• Kenya
• Liberia
• New Zealand
• Nigeria
• Singapore
• Trinidad/Tobago
• Turks and Caicos Islands
• United Kingdom
• U.S. Pacific Trust

The requirement will not be waived for the completion of English Compositions courses.

The TOEFL iBT is preferred over the IELTS. We cannot accept institutional TOEFL (ITP) scores or IELTS General Training scores.

Minimum scores acceptable for admission are:

• TOEFL: 79 (internet-based test)
• IELTS: An overall band of 6.5 on the Academic Examination

UT Austin’s TOEFL code is 6882. There is no institutional code for the IELTS examination. 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.

If you are an international applicant, you must submit documentation showing that you have completed an accredited secondary school series equivalent to that of a U.S. high school. Submit an official record or transcript (mark sheet) that shows all your secondary school work and grades (or marks) starting with ninth grade and continuing through the end of 12th grade. You should also include copies of your official final examinations taken at the end of the secondary school program, including external exams such as the General Certificate of Education “O” and “A” Level Examinations, school leaving certificates and matriculation exams.

If the documents you are submitting are written in a language other than English, you must also submit complete and official English translations together with the original-language records.

You can view how to submit your transcripts on our Transcript Info page. Please note, transcripts are not accepted via email.