Application Instructions and Information

All questions from prospective students should be directed to the Graduate Admissions Coordinator. 

Admission to the Anthropology Graduate Program at UT-Austin is highly competitive and your application should be prepared with care.  A seriously constructed Statement of Purpose, an interest in areas in which our faculty have teaching and research expertise, and an application that is complete and filled out carefully with all necessary information are of great importance. Although the department places no specific restrictions on GRE scores or GPA, the Office of Graduate Studies may choose to deny an applicant with extremely low scores or GPA.

The Anthropology Department admits new students only in the fall; we do not have spring admission.

THE DEADLINE TO APPLY IS DECEMBER 1st.   All materials MUST be submitted by this date in order for your application to be considered. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.  

The Graduate and International Admissions Center (GIAC) processes all applications for U.S. and International graduate admission into the University of Texas at Austin.  U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents should review GIAC's information page for U.S. applicants.  International applicants should review GIAC's information page for International applicants.

Applicants will need to use the online application (Texas Common Application) to apply to the program and to upload materials.  The online application is the first step in the application process- all other materials can be uploaded once the application has been submitted to and accepted by GIAC.  Please note that it may take up to 24 hours after GIAC has received your paid application for the system to allow you to upload materials. Please plan accordingly.

The following application materials must be submitted by December 1st:

• Texas Common Application  for Admission to Graduate Study (U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents only) or Texas Common Application for Students from Other Countries (international applicants) is found on the ApplyTexas web site. 
• Official report of GRE scores;  the report is submitted to GIAC by the testing agency
• Official report of TOEFL or IELTS scores (international students only);  the report is submitted to GIAC by the testing agency.  Note:  the Certification of Financial Responsibility (CFR) does not need to be submitted until an offer of admission has been given by the department.
• Application fee payment (U.S.- $65.00; non-U.S. - $90.00).  If you need a waiver for the application fee (U.S. applicants only), please see the GIAC website's instructions.

• Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Three letters of recommendation. These must be submitted online. An automatic e-mail will be generated and sent to your recommenders within 24 hours of your application submission. The e-mail will contain instructions and a secure link to their letter of recommendation online.
• A Statement of Purpose detailing your research interests and goals. Your Statement should demonstrate your ability to clearly articulate a research proposal and to situate that research within the discipline. Faculty will be looking for students with well-developed research interests which are compatible with their own.
• A copy of an official transcript from each university attended. Please note that beginning with the 2012 academic year, applicants will only upload copies of official transcripts. Upon admission to the university, a student will need to submit official transcripts before registering. For more information, please see the GIAC's instructions on uploading transcripts.
• A writing sample: for students applying to the Ph.D. program, a copy of the MA thesis or report if available is required. For students applying to the M.A. program or for those applying to the Ph.D. program who are unable to provide a copy of their thesis, a writing sample related to proposed area of study is required.  

Selecting a Major

When filling out the Texas Common Application, you will be asked to identify your major from a drop-down menu.

Applicants who are applying to Archaeology, Linguistic, Physical, or Social Anthropology should select Anthropology (major code 606200).  For more information please visit our website.

Applicants who are applying to Cultural Forms should select Anthropology/Cultural Forms (major code 606202). If you are interested in Classical Archaeology, please apply to the Department of Classics (major code 623200).

Selecting an Area of Interest or Specialty within your Major

Within the Texas Common Application you will be asked to identify an area of interest or specialty within your major. Please choose from the items on the drop-down menu (Archaeology, Archaeology/African Diaspora, Archaeology/Borderlands, Linguistic, Physical, Social, Social/African Diaspora or Social/Borderlands).

Degree you will seek

For the application, this question refers to the next degree you expect to earn. Therefore, if you have a B.A. and will need to earn an M.A. before continuing on to the Ph.D., please select “M.A.”. Please select the Ph.D. option only if you will have already earned an M.A. by the time you begin studies at UT.

Please contact the Graduate Admissions Coordinator with any questions regarding the admissions process.