Graduate FAQ

The Fall application cycle will open for the in-person program each year on October 15. 

Please note: the CS Department only accepts Fall applications for our on-campus programs. We do not accept spring or summer applications.

• Your application be submitted no later than December 15 (23:59 CST).
• For full consideration, supplemental materials (other than Letters of recommendation) should be received by December 15 (23:59 CST).
• Letters of recommendation should be received by December 20 (17:00 CST) for full consideration.

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 before the December 15 deadline to the on-campus UTCS graduate program.

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. 

Uploaded transcripts can take an additional 2 to 3 business days to be reviewed post-submission.

Our application deadline is firm. If your complete application file is not submitted before December 15, then your application cannot be considered by our committee.

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 before the December 15 deadline to the on-campus UTCS graduate program.

Please note that application forms can take up to 72 hours to load to the University of Texas at Austin system after submission of the application form. 

Students who do not begin the program application form early enough to allow their application time for it to load in the UT Austin system may not be able to complete the application process, which will result in their application not being considered for admission.
 

No, the CS Department only accepts Fall applications for our on-campus graduate programs.

The UTCS graduate office is unable to offer meetings, information sessions/tours, or profile review to prospective students. Please note that we are unable to provide individual feedback to applicants. 

Please see the Visit Us page for information on tours available, including self-guided and virtual tours. 

If you'd like to tour campus but can’t make it to the Visitor Center—or if you’d like a sneak peak—take advantage of one of these offerings:

Self-Guided Tour (PDF)
40 Acres Self-Guided Tour (Foursquare)
Virtual Tour

Note that The Graduate School requires all applicants to have earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or a comparable degree from a foreign academic institution. The information below is in regards to the area of study your degree is in only – not the overall requirement to hold a bachelor’s degree or the foreign equivalent.

While not required, a previous CS bachelor’s degree is strongly recommended since admission is very competitive. Successful applicants usually have an undergraduate degree in CS or a closely related area such as Electrical and Computer Engineering. Use of computers at work or some experience programming are not considered to be equivalent to a CS degree and courses.

For students who do not possess a bachelor's degree in CS, the following UTCS undergraduate courses, or equivalent, are required as background for our graduate degrees. They are not prerequisites for admission, however, and can be satisfied after admission to the program, either through enrolling in the course or taking an exam to demonstrate your knowledge:

Discrete Math for Computer Science (CS 311)
Introduction to Programming (CS 312)
Data Structures (CS 314)
Algorithms and Complexity (CS 331)
Computer Organization and Architecture (CS 429)
Principles of Computer Systems (CS 439)

Please see the undergraduate course descriptions for more information about the material covered in these courses. Syllabi for most courses are posted online by the professor and can be found with a quick web search. We do not advise prospective students on specific coursework to take outside of UT-Austin. For prospective students who are seeking to enhance their application by completing background courses prior to applying, we recommend enrolling in a similar course at your local university. Online coursework is generally not considered sufficient to clear the background requirements for our on-campus program but can be used to gain CS experience that would be considered when our committee reviews your application. You may include online courses you’ve taken on your CV.

We are unable to provide individual feedback or monitor individual applications.

To be eligible for admission consideration, applicants must meet the Graduate School's minimum requirements.

Bachelor's Degree

The Graduate School requires applicants to have earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or a comparable degree from a foreign academic institution.

Upper-division GPA of 3.0 or higher

A grade-point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or a comparable GPA in upper-division work—junior- and senior-level courses—and in any graduate work already completed is required.

Applicants admitted to the Department of Computer Science graduate program usually have shown their skills in CS by achieving a better than average GPA in their CS courses.

Official Test Scores (GRE, TOEFL/IELTS)

• GRE General Test scores (optional for Fall 2025)*
  • There is no minimum GRE test score, however applicants admitted to the Computer Science graduate program usually have high quantitative GRE scores and a math background that includes study through some discrete math.
• TOEFL or IELTS score for international applicants**
  • The minimum scores considered acceptable for admission by the Graduate School are:
    • TOEFL: 79 on the Internet-based test (iBT)
    • IELTS: An overall band of 6.5 on the Academic Examination

*The GRE requirement will be temporarily waived for all applicants for the Fall 2025 semester. Students may continue to submit official GRE scores for consideration, but they will not be required to do so. GRE scores when provided, will continue to serve as just one of the many factors considered in our review of a student’s application. Please take into consideration that providing GRE scores can bolster your application if there are aspects of your application that you feel may be not as competitive as others. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us and we can better assist you.

**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.

General requirements for admission to the Graduate School include a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or a comparable degree from a foreign academic institution. The Office of Graduate Admissions (OGA) will determine eligibility for admission in consultation with prospective graduate programs.

 If you have questions about your degree, please write intladm@austin.utexas.edu for further assistance.

Yes - Current and former graduate students at The University of Texas at Austin who wish to change majors to the CS Department may apply during the regular admissions cycle. There is not a separate transfer process. 

Please note: 

• You should complete the CS Graduate Application-- all deadlines apply. 
• Instructions for requesting a change of major are available here. 
• You will be automatically billed via MyStatus for your UT Austin transcript. Do not request an official paper transcript from the Office of the Registrar directly

We do not have a separate transfer process. Applicants at a program that is not affiliated with UT Austin who hope to transfer to the on-campus UTCS graduate program must apply into the program during the regular admissions period and follow the same deadlines and requirements as all other prospective students. 

Please see the Apply page for instructions.

Applicants may only apply to one degree.

No. The master's admissions committee will not admit a student with a degree that is closely related to our MSCS. You may apply for the PhD program instead.

The main criteria used to evaluate applicants for graduate study in CS are grades, test scores, computer science background, letters of reference, and a statement of purpose. We encourage applicants to provide a resume and publications (if any). Applications are evaluated holistically, and admissions decisions are made based on the pool of applicants for a given year.

No one factor will affect admission, but a strong applicant to our program might have:

GRE-Q 166 or more and GRE-V 160 or more;

GPA 3.5 or more from a good university;

Mostly A's in Math and upper CS courses such as Operating Systems, Compilers, Networks, Algorithms, AI, Architecture;

Internship at a prestigious lab, interesting research projects, paper(s);

Strong letters, especially from research supervisor or professors.

While not required, a previous CS bachelor’s degree is strongly recommended since admission is very competitive. Successful applicants usually have an undergraduate degree in CS or a closely related area such as Electrical and Computer Engineering. Applicants admitted to the Texas Computer Science graduate program usually have shown their skills in CS by achieving a better than average GPA in their CS courses. For the application, you will be asked to provide transcripts. Any additional experience may be included in your statement of purpose or CV. Use of computers at work or some experience programming are not considered to be equivalent to a CS degree and courses.

A grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or comparable grade point average in upper-division work (junior- and senior-level courses) and in any graduate work already completed is required. Applicants admitted to the UT Computer Science graduate program usually have shown their skills in CS by achieving a better than average GPA in their CS courses.

If your GPA does not meet the minimum requirement—or if you feel that your GPA is not a valid indicator of your ability— you may explain your concerns in your statement of purpose.

As a temporary accommodation, the GRE requirement will be waived for all applicants for the Fall 2025 semester. Students may continue to submit official GRE scores for consideration, but they will not be required to do so. 

GRE scores, when provided, will continue to serve as just one of the many factors considered in our review of a student’s application. Please take into consideration that providing GRE scores can bolster your application if there are aspects of your application that you feel may be not as competitive as others. 

There is no minimum GRE test score, however applicants admitted to the CS graduate program usually have high quantitative GRE scores and a math background that includes study through some discrete math. If you submit scores and feel that they are not valid indicators of your ability, you may explain your concerns in your statement of purpose.

The minimum scores considered acceptable for admission by the Graduate School are:

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

Please see https://gradschool.utexas.edu/admissions/how-to-apply/international-stud... for additional information.** 

You must request that the testing agency send an official score report to UT-Austin. 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.

When your scores have been received, they will be reflected on your MyStatus page and will be available for viewing by the admissions committee. Official score reports may arrive to UT-Austin after the Dec. 15 deadline, however please note that late scores may delay the final review of your application. If you have questions about the receipt of your official TOEFL/IELTS scores, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions (OGA) at giatest@austin.utexas.edu.

**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.

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.

If you have further questions regarding the TOEFL/IELTS requirement or waivers, please email giatest@austin.utexas.edu.

Application instructions are posted on our Apply page.

The Office of Graduate Admissions has provided general application instructions here.

The following items are required for application to the CS Graduate Program. 

• Your completed application 
• Statement of Purpose
• Three (3) letters of reference
• TOEFL or IELTS score for international applicants**
• Optional: GRE General Test scores (optional for Fall 2025)*, CV and up to three publications

*As a temporary accommodation in response to COVID-19, the GRE requirement will be waived for all applicants for the Fall 2025 semester. Students may continue to submit official GRE scores for consideration, but they will not be required to do so. GRE scores when provided, will continue to serve as just one of the many factors considered in our review of a student’s application. Please take into consideration that providing GRE scores can bolster your application if there are aspects of your application that you feel may be not as competitive as others. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us and we can better assist you. Please allow up to 72 hours after submitting your application for the GRE to be removed from the “To-Do” items on your MyStatus page.

**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.

Please find full instructions, acceptable submission methods, and directions for Ordering Transcripts as a Former UT Student are outlined by OGA here.

No, a foreign credential evaluation is not required. If a transcript is written in a language other than English, a complete and official English translation must be uploaded together with the original transcript.

The statement of purpose should be approximately 2 pages describing the applicant's reasons for pursuing graduate study as well as their academic and professional interests and goals. This may include events/experiences that prepared you for CS graduate study and how your interests complement the department's faculty and research. While there are no fixed formatting requirements, students should use their best judgement when making editorial decisions such as the font, font size, etc., of their statement of purpose.

Who should I pick as my recommenders? Can I have professional references?

Three letters of reference are required, but you may provide up to 5 references. Professional references are accepted. Your letter-writers should be able to speak to your CS abilities and should emphasize research experience and academic achievements, particularly in computer science.

How do I check the status of my letters? My letter writers haven’t received requests yet.

Can my recommenders submit letters through Interfolio?

Yes, we are now able to accept letters via Interfolio. 

For GRE and TOEFL scores, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) institution code for UT-Austin is 6882. It is not necessary to use a department code.

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.

The Office of Graduate Admissions typically keeps applicants' official test scores on file for a year. After you submit your application, if the scores are still on file you will see them posted to your MyStatus page https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/adm/mystatus/. 

If you have further questions about your official GRE/TOEFL scores, please contact OGA: https://gradschool.utexas.edu/admissions/contact.

Full-time (9-hour) Tuition Rate 2021-22

In-State: $4,608 per semester Out-of-State: $9,081 per semester

For additional Cost of Attendance information, please visit https://gradschool.utexas.edu/admissions/where-to-begin/cost-of-attendance

Successful applicants to the PhD program for fall semesters will be considered for doctoral fellowships during the application process. In addition to the doctoral fellowships, teaching assistantships and graduate research assistantships may be offered to PhD students for up to five academic years. Most PhD students obtain a graduate research assistantship by the second or third year of the program, working under a research supervisor. Please see the financial information page for more information about funding available for students in the PhD program.

We do not offer financial assistance with admission to the master's program. Teaching and research positions are sometimes available; however, students who apply to the master's program should be prepared to finance their study here. A summer internship between years is often available through one of the companies who are Friends of Computer Science (FoCS). These internships help our master's students fund their study and provide valuable professional experience.

GRE scores must be valid at the time an applicant applies, however expired TOEFL scores are typically accepted at the discretion of the Office of Graduate Admissions (OGA); after submitting your application, you may email your expired TOEFL score report to giatest@austin.utexas.edu for their review. Please include your EID in your message.

Information regarding application fee waivers provided by the University may be found at here. Since the University has a limited amount of money to support the funding of fee waivers, fee waivers are not available for international citizens.

We cannot defer application fees for either U.S. or International applicants. If you have further questions regarding the application fee waiver, please reach out to Shannon Neuse, whose information may be found through the previous link.

If you are considering applying to the PhD program, we encourage you to visit our research page. There you will be able to get an overview of the range of projects that you might want to join if you come to UT. When applying to our PhD program, you will have an opportunity to indicate on the application form your areas of interest and which professors you are interested in working with. Applicants are not required to contact faculty outside of the application; many professors are not be able to respond to prospective student inquiries and some professors ask that prospective students do not contact them directly. I recommend that you start by checking out their homepages, which you can access on the UTCS Faculty page.

For more information regarding our programs, application process, and eligibility criteria, please visit our Prospective Students page and FAQ.

Our admissions committee will give more weight to publications that appear in internationally recognized conferences and academic journals. If you are unsure of whether to include your publication in your application, I recommend reaching out to your academic advisor for guidance.

Our admissions committee will give more weight to a paper that has been published. If you do upload the paper, please be sure to make it clear that the paper is under review (to not cause confusion when the admissions committee reviews your materials).

You may enter internship information in the employment history section. We also encourage you to include this information on the CV you provide along with your application. 

The UTCS graduate office is unable to make edits or updates on behalf of applicants. If you need to correct information on a submitted application, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions. 

Applicants who have submitted applications to the wrong program must to submit a new application for the correct program. If you have a concern about errors on your application, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions.
 

Please use MyStatus to check the status of your application: https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/adm/mystatus/. 

If you have questions about the information your MyStatus page, please contact OGA: https://gradschool.utexas.edu/admissions/contact.

Some documents, such as essays and resumes, can be updated via your MyStatus. To submit updated transcripts, you need to contact the Office of Graduate Admissions. Late information may not be included in our initial review but will be available to our review committee during their deliberations.

Our program does not admit non-degree seeking students, so you would not be able to register for course credit; however in rare cases, some instructors will allow auditing of their courses. Please see this page for information on how to do that. You would need to contact the instructor directly to obtain their consent.

After you submit your online application, you’ll receive an email (within 2-3 days) that will provide you with your UT EID. Creating a second UT EID may delay the processing of your application, so you should wait to complete the additional application processes that require a UT EID.

For assistance finding your eid, resetting your password, etc., please use the EID self service page here.

Our Master's degree takes approximately two years to complete or may be completed in one and a half years if you decide to take an additional course in one of the semesters you are here. More information on our program options can be found at: https://www.cs.utexas.edu/graduate-program/masters-program

Financial Information:

Tuition and Cost of Attendance information is available on our Prospective Student page.

We do not offer financial assistance with admission to the Master's program. Teaching and research positions are sometimes available; however, students who accept our offer should be prepared to finance their study here. A summer internship between years is often available through one of the companies who participate in our Friends of Computer Science (FoCS) program. You can view the current list on the FoCS partners page.

These internships often help our Master's students fund their study and provide valuable professional experience.

We are unable to provide individual feedback for applicants. 

Prospective students who believe they may be eligible may review the appropriate degree requirements page that include guidelines on our course transfer and waiver policies. For the doctoral program, please see: https://www.cs.utexas.edu/graduate/phd-program/degree-requirements and the MSCS program, please see: https://www.cs.utexas.edu/graduate-program/masters-program/coursework-option.

Course transfer/waivers petitions are only processed for admitted students during a GSC (Graduate Studies Committee) meeting. The graduate office will send around a call for petitions early in the Fall semester with instructions prior to the Fall GSC meeting. Transfers and waivers are only processed after petitions are reviewed by the UTCS GSC and are solely determined at the discretion of the UTCS GSC.

Since all petitions are subject to approval by the UTCS GSC, prospective students should carefully review the degree requirements pages to determine if they are eligible to petition for a course waiver or transfer credit. Prospective students seeking to be proactive may note that all current and previous coursework must be submitted via their official application for admission and verified by OGA. Additionally, prospective students may begin collecting relevant materials such as course syllabi, explanations of course numbering systems, etc., so that those materials are easily available. Admitted students should wait until the call for petitions is sent out in their first Fall semester to begin the process.

We do not evaluate applications on a rolling basis. An application is evaluated on its own merits and in comparison to all the applications for a given year. We are unable to provide individual feedback or monitor individual applications. 

Review typically begins in late December, with decisions made by early spring. We expect to let students who are admitted to the PhD program know that they have been admitted by February. Admitted Master's students will be notified by the end of March, though we hope to inform them sooner if we can. 

All admission decisions are emailed.

The best contact for your question depends on where you are experiencing an issue.

• For assistance with transcripts, test scores, or the information as it appears on your MyStatus page, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions.
• If you have additional questions related specifically to the UTCS on-campus graduate programs, please email UTCS On-Campus Graduate Admissions.