Graduate Admissions FAQ

Refer to each program's application instructions for the deadlines. 

Prerequisites are listed in each program's application instructions.

The SOA admits only for the fall semesters. Most students admitted to the 3-year M Arch and the MLA I programs will begin in the summer.

Students looking to transfer to our graduate program would need to submit an application following the same admissions process as all other students applying for admission. However, it is important to know that you would need to complete all degree requirements if you were to enroll in one of our graduate programs. 

Graduate students can only officially transfer up to 6 credit hours. Our programs allow students to waive course requirements in the curriculum if they have already completed similar coursework previously as an undergraduate or graduate student. This only allows students to waive the course and not the credit hours. Any waived courses must be replaced by an appropriate elective. Due to this, students should be prepared to basically start over with a new degree when “transferring” to our institution. 

Yes, our M Arch degree program is open to students without any background in Architecture.

Yes, we offer deferral as an option, but must be approved by the advisor for the specific program.  Those who defer will need to reapply by the deadline and repay the fee, but the previous application materials will still be there. Applicants can also upload newer materials if they would like.  

We expect admission decisions to be available in late February or early March. When a decision is available, it will appear on MyStatus. 

The Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) carefully considers each individual application using a holistic review process. The holistic review process takes all application materials into consideration, so no particular datapoint can be identified as an explanation for an admission decision.

See our application instructions for the application process and required materials.

For design programs, the portfolio is most important. The statement of purpose and letters of recommendation are also important to our admissions committees.

Most programs have waived the GRE for Fall 2023. Refer to each program's application instructions for details.

The Graduate School requires a 3.0 grade point average for admission, calculated on upper-division undergraduate courses (junior- and senior- level courses) and any graduate courses. If your GPA for admission does not meet the 3.0 minimum requirement - or if you feel that your GPA is not a valid indicator of your ability - you may submit your application, then upload a statement for the admissions committee through the Document Upload System explaining your situation. If other factors negate a low GPA, it is possible to be admitted following a petition to the Graduate School. 

Please see the Office of Graduate Admissions [OGA]'s minimum acceptable scores information.

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.

You can check the status of your application 24/7 via MyStatus, our admissions portal. Continue to check your MyStatus to ensure there are not notifications from the Graduate School. If there is an issue with your transcript, it will only notify at the top of the page, not by email. Please make sure on tasks to look for the "details" as this will explain any issues with incomplete tasks.

Refer to each program's application instructions for detailed portfolio instructions.

It is an applicant's responsibility to ensure all required materials are submitted by the deadline. Admissions committees will not review late applications and we are unable to make an admission decision on an incomplete file.

In the event that your recommender cannot complete the letter by the deadline, you can select a new recommender via MyStatus.

We are unable to review information sent to our office. We, nor our faculty, are able to review portfolios to provide feedback in advance of the admissions process. If you wish to be considered for admission, you must submit a complete application through our official admissions process.

Please submit your materials as they are completed and check the status of those uploads via MyStatus. All application materials do not need to be finalized before submittal. Departmental documents will be separately uploaded via MyStatus, and not along with the application. 

There is no messaging to communicate the completion of an application. It is up to the individual applicant to monitor when all application materials are submitted.

Students applying to a dual degree program with MSCRP may submit a single Statement of Purpose addressing interest in both programs which can be uploaded twice to satisfy the application materials requirement on MyStatus.

You can check the status of your application 24/7 via MyStatus, our admissions portal. Continue to check your MyStatus to ensure there are not notifications from the Graduate School.

The review committee will look at the most recent upload. All portfolios must be turned in by deadline, no late portfolios are excepted. 

We are unable to assist with MyStatus technical support. The Office of Graduate Admissions should be able to assist.  

• Master of Architecture, First-Professional: 3 years or 2 years with advanced standing
• Master of Advanced Architectural Design: 1 ½ years
• Master of Arts in Architectural History: 2 years
• Master of Interior Design, First-Professional: 3 ½ years
• Master of Interior Design, Post-Professional: 2 years
• Master of Landscape Architecture, First-Professional: 3 years
• Master of Landscape Architecture, Post-Professional: 2 – 2 ½ years
• Master of Science in Architectural Studies (Interdisciplinary): 2 years
• Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning: 2 – 3 years
• Master of Science in Historic Preservation: 2 years
• Master of Science in Sustainable Design: 2 years
• Master of Science in Urban Design: 2 years

• Master of Architecture, first-professional: 38
• Master of Advanced Architectural Design: 2
• Master of Landscape Architecture, first-professional: 12
• Master of Landscape Architecture, post-professional: 1
• ​Master of Interior Design, first-professional: 9
• Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning / Dual Degrees: 34
• Master of Science in Sustainable Design / Dual Degree: 2
• Master of Science in Urban Design / Dual Degree: 11
• Master of Science in Historic Preservation: 3
• Ph.D. in Architecture: 3
• Ph.D. in Community and Regional Planning: 4

See the Office of Graduate Admissions' Admissions & Enrollment Statistics page. 

The accredited professional degree programs offered by the School of Architecture are the Bachelor of Architecture (BArch), the Bachelor of Science in Interior Design (BSID), the first-professional Master of Architecture (M Arch), the first-professional Master of Interior Design (MID I), and the first-professional Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA I). Please note that professional degrees from foreign countries must be individually evaluated by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) to pursue licensure in the United States.

Specific to our graduate programs, we'll offer virtual and in-person information sessions throughout the fall where we’ll go over application information and prospective students can hear from faculty and current students. Please RSVP on our Visit Us page. The School of Architecture's Events page also provides information on activities scheduled in and around the school.

Rather than print brochures, our website is updated with current information.

The School of Architecture has six degree programs that are STEM accredited (MAAD, M Arch I, MSUD, MSSD, MSLA, and MLA I). 

The curriculum is designed for students to complete as full-time students, but we have had some students work towards the degree with part-time status. However, part-time enrollment would extend the length of time to degree completion. If you're planning to work while taking classes, you'll want to keep in mind that design studios (which require more hours than a typical class would each week) will be the most difficult part of your schedule to work around. As a residential institution, the majority of our course offerings are face-to-face and only a limited number of courses are offered as remote or hybrid.  

Our programs is designed for full-time enrollment. Due to this, students are expected to be enrolled as full-time students. The vast majority of our classes occur on campus during regular business hours. This poses many challenges to maintaining a full-time job along with being enrolled as a full-time student. Students who start a program are expected to finish within 6 years. Due to the structure of the curriculum and when courses are offered, this can be difficult to achieve if enrolled as a part time student in one of our design programs. 

Texas One Stop publishes tuition rate information.

Visit Texas One Stop to calculate tuition and cost of attendance.

All students are automatically considered for funding during the admission process. Admission and funding offers are determined by the Graduate Studies Committee during the holistic file/application review. For more information about funding and resources, please explore the Student Funding pages.

Scholarship opportunities are described on our Student Funding pages.

U.S. Citizens and permanent residents may apply for federal financial aid through Texas One Stop by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Yes, although it is our policy that first-semester graduate students do not hold assistantship positions. Teaching and graduate research assistantships are available to all of our continuing students. These positions are appointed at the recommendation of the hiring faculty or staff member. 

TA positions are filled through an application process each year. Approximately 50% of applicants are recommended to an appointment. Most interested students will directly contact the faculty member or resource for which they would like to apply.

Please see the Texas Admissions residency information for details about determining, establishing, and reviewing Texas residency.

Please contact International Student and Scholar Services.

The School of Architecture distributes over $100,000 in scholarships each year from a variety of endowments and discretionary funds. The UTSOA Scholarship Committees award between 50 to 100 scholarships each year with amounts ranging from $1,000 to $5,000.

The SOA Graduate Office is not responsible for processing application payments or fee waiver requests. This is handled by the Graduate School. Per the Graduate School’s policy, fee waivers are not available for international applicants. Fee waivers are only available for eligible U.S. citizens or permanent residents pursuing their first graduate degree. The Graduate School remains firm with their policies, but you may contact them directly via email if you have further questions. 

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. Here is a list of qualifying countries. 

International students applying to The University of Texas at 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. We do not accept Duolingo scores. 

Scores must be sent to the university by the testing agency (self-reported scores are not accepted). The Educational Testing Service (ETS) institution code for UT Austin 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.

We will accept and review the highest valid score report on file with the university as long as any newly submitted scores are submitted by the supplemental application materials deadline. To check the status of your submitted test scores use MyStatus 24/7.

You can check the status of your application 24/7 via MyStatus, our admissions portal. Continue to check your MyStatus to ensure there are not notifications from the Graduate School.

You can find more information about specific funding for international students here.

No, there is not a separate application for international students.