Liberal Arts Services

How to Apply

Thank you for your interest in Women's and Gender Studies! Please read our letter to potential applicants.

All materials must be postmarked by December 15th.

Applications must be sent to two offices:

1. Please submit the following materials to The University's Graduate and International Admissions Center (GIAC):

Texas Common Application
GRE results*
TOEFL (if applicable)*
Official transcripts
Three letters of recommendation (electronic submission via the Texas Common Application)

*Scores must be sent from ETS to the GIAC office electronically. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) code for the University of Texas at Austin is 6882.

2. Please submit the following materials to the Center for Women's and Gender Studies Graduate Program:

Application Check List (PDF, 89K)
Graduate Program Application Coversheet (PDF, 52K)
Statement of Purpose
Resume
Scholarly Writing Sample (15-25 pages)
Transcripts

3. If you are applying for a Dual Degree, you must also submit required materials to the other program's graduate office. Please note that their deadlines might be different, and due to the larger size of their programs their processing time might be longer. Obtain more information with the links provided below.

A few tips from a friend:

"When you apply to any graduate program take advantage of the Statement of Purpose. Use the statement of purpose to tell the Admissions Committee as much as possible about you. Be clear of your goals and what the graduate program can provide to meet those goals. If applicable, reference faculty that you would like to work with and explain how their research matches your research interests. Avoid too much "story telling" (i.e. "I knew I was interested in _______ at the age of 3, etc."), but rather explain how personal experience(s) have shaped your academic & career goals. Check your spelling and grammar. Avoid writing cliches like, "I've been a feminist ever since I was born" or "Webster's Dictionary defines _____ as..."

Study for the GRE. Most students who qualify for fellowships have scores of 600 or more in each of the Verbal and Quantitative sections.

Obtain good letters of recommendation. Try to get a majority of references from academic sources. A letter of rec from a former employer doesn't really help assess your academic skills. When you submit the contact information of your references as part of the Texas Common Application - an automated email requesting a letter of recommendation will be sent to them. The automated email will contain instructions on how to submit their letter of recommendation online. It is a good idea to let your references know to check their junk mail filters for this automated message.

Submit a good writing sample. A paper you wrote in a former class would work. Do not cite wikipedia as a reference. If possible, your research should come from primary sources. Our admissions committee is made up of mostly professors from Liberal Arts, so a photo essay or a breezy paper on pop-culture might not make a big impression. Try to show off your analytical writing and critical thinking skills as much as possible."

Helpful Step-by-Step Application Instructions complied by the Graduate School
GIAC Address (for postal service):
Graduate and International Admissions Center
The University of Texas at Austin
P.O. Box 7608
Austin, TX 78713-7608

GIAC Street Address (for overnight letter or courier delivery):
Graduate and International Admissions Center
The University of Texas at Austin
2608 Whitis Ave.
Austin, TX 78712-1534
Telephone:
(512) 475-7391

CWGS Street Address (for postal service, overnight letter, or courier delivery): The Center for Women's and Gender Studies
The University of Texas at Austin
405 W. 25th St., Suite 401
Austin, TX 78705