Admissions

Meagan Mulligan
Graduate Admissions Coordinator
BAT 2.120B
512-471-5121
gov-gac@gov.utexas.edu

Application Instructions and Information

The Department of Government is switching from the paper format to an electronic format for admissions. Please see instructions below for more information.

Each year approximately 300 students apply for admission to the Graduate Program in the Department of Government. The entering class numbers about twenty. The admission process is thus very selective and only highly qualified applicants whose records indicate considerable academic potential are admitted to the program. Some of the students we accept already have extensive training in political science, either at the undergraduate or graduate level. Others have majored in related disciplines such as economics, history, law, philosophy, international business, or sociology. Students are admitted to our graduate program once each year for enrollment beginning in the fall semester only.

Applications are reviewed and ranked by a faculty committee. In making its decisions, the committee considers five primary factors:

• academic transcripts (undergraduate and graduate),
• Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores,
• letters of recommendation,
• statement of purpose,
• and writing sample.

The Department is seeking students with exceptional academic ability whose letters of recommendation, academic profile, and writing sample indicate a capacity for sustained sophisticated and original scholarly activity. It wants to encourage a stimulating learning environment and a vigorous exchange of ideas by admitting a student body that is intellectually and socially diverse.

GRE/TOEFL

All applicants, both domestic and international, are required to take the GRE general test. The Office of Admissions will not process files that do not include the GRE scores. For more Information about the GRE, go to the GRE website. The Department of Government does not waive the GRE.

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required of any student whose native language is not English. If you hold a bachelor’s degree from an institution where English is an official language, you will automatically receive a TOEFL waiver.

If you hold a master’s degree from an institution where English is an official language you will not receive a TOEFL waiver and you may not petition the graduate adviser for a waiver.

This new rule will be enforced even if you were granted a TOEFL waiver for previous applications.

From the Graduate School website on TOEFL scores (http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/admissions/test_scores.html):

If you hold a bachelor's degree from a U.S. institution or from an institution in another English-only speaking country, you will receive a waiver of the TOEFL or IELTS. We will not waive the requirement for the TOEFL or IELTS if you earned only a master's degree from a U.S institution or from an institution in another English-only speaking country.

TOEFL scores submitted by ETS can be no older than 2 years old.

Deadline

Students applying for admission to our program for Fall 2010 must do so by December 1, 2009. Admission and financial aid decisions are announced in late February/early March, and each admitted student has until April 15 to accept. All application materials, including GRE and TOEFL scores, must be submitted by the December 1st deadline.

Departmental Financial Aid

All Department of Government financial aid (in the form of teaching assistantships or departmental fellowships) is merit based rather than need based and is awarded on the basis of the applicant's final ranking in the admissions process. No separate financial aid application is required for departmental aid for new applicants. See the department financial aid web page for more information.

Application for Admission

NOTE: Read these directions carefully. Follow the directions (we suggest you print them out). Check our Frequently Asked Questions page for additional information. Incomplete applications may not be reviewed. If you have any questions or concerns about our directions, contact the Department of Government Graduate Admissions Coordinator, Meagan Mulligan, by e-mail. 

The Application for Admission to Graduate Study consists of two parts:

Part One: materials to be sent to the Graduate and International Admissions Center (GIAC). Please note that the application procedure is slightly different for U.S. and international applicants.

AND

Part Two: materials to be sent directly to the Department of Government

NOTE: the department is switching from the paper format to an electronic format. All departmental application materials should be sent via e-mail as an attachment to the following e-mail address: gov-gac@austin.utexas.edu  If this is not possible, please notify the department and an alternate arrangement can be made.

Part One: Application to The University of Texas at Austin

• Submit an electronic application from the GIAC website. Online applications are available one year in advance of the semester you are applying. For example, if you are applying for Fall 2010, the online application will be available starting September 1st, 2009.
  
  If you are currently enrolled in another graduate program at UT or applied to our program for Fall 2009, before you apply, please contact the Graduate Admissions Coordinator by e-mail.
• Submit a report of GRE scores and official report of TOEFL scores (if applicable). Reports are to be mailed directly from The Educational Testing Service (ETS) agency. 
  • ETS code for the University of Texas at Austin is 6882
    ETS GRE code is 1902
    ETS TOEFL code is 92
• Submit transcripts from all senior universities attended.
• Submit fee payment (U.S.- $50.00; non-U.S. - $75.00). Fees are subject to change so please refer to the GIAC website for current fee information.
• Submit Statement of Purpose. You may submit this one of two ways - as part of your online electronic application (in the essay/statement section) OR you may submit it as an email attachment to the department.
• Submit three Letters of Recommendation. Letters of recommendation may be submitted online through the GIAC website OR they may be submitted directly to the department as an email attachment. If the letter writers submit their letters thru the GIAC website, please follow these instructions:
  
  On page 6 of the electronic application, enter the names, e-mail addresses and titles of the recommenders. Please make sure that the e-mail addresses you provide are correct and checked often by the owner.
  
  Submit your application along with the application fee. Within 24 hours, an automatic email will be generated and sent to the recommenders.  The email will contain instructions and a secure link to the letter of recommendation website. Note that the secure link has an expiration date of 45 days from the day the e-mail was sent.

Part Two: Application to the Department of Government Graduate Program

Send the following to: gov-gac@austin.utexas.edu or use the following departmental mailing address:

Government Graduate Admissions
Batts Hall, Suite 2.116
1 University Station A1800
Austin, TX 78712-0119

• Department of Government Supplemental Information Form (PDF) ¦ Department of Government Supplemental Information Form (DOC)
  (DO NOT SEND the Supplemental Information Form available on the GIAC page.) This form is necessary in order to easily identify your degree program choice and fields of interest.
• Curriculum Vitae (resume)
• A writing sample. Submit a sample that shows your analytical writing skills (e.g., senior or master's degree thesis, term paper). Writing sample maximum page amount is 35 pages, not including bibliography or index. More than one writing sample may be provided as long as the combined page amount does not exceed 35 pages.
• Submit Statement of Purpose. You may submit this one of two ways - as part of your online electronic application (in the essay/statement section) OR you may submit it as an email attachment to the department. The Statement of Purpose has a maximum of 3 pages typed.
• Submit three Letters of Recommendation. Letters of recommendation may be submitted online through the GIAC website OR they may be submitted directly to the department as an email attachment or mailed into the department using the departmental mailing address provided above.
• Submit official transcripts from all senior universities attended.
• If you have a copy of your official GRE score sheet, please send a photocopy.

Helpful Hints for the Applicant

Still have questions? Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Follow the instructions you just read. If you do not follow the instructions, your departmental application may be declared void.

Do not send your departmental application materials to the GIAC. They receive thousands of applications (especially near the deadlines) and it can sometimes take more than two months before they forward materials to the department. Sending your departmental materials to an incorrect address could result in you missing the deadline.

If you are unsure of where documents need to be sent, just mail them all to the department. Documents for the Graduate and International Admissions Center (GIAC) will be forwarded by the Graduate Admissions Coordinator.

The online status check is controlled by the Graduate and International Admissions Center (GIAC) part of the Graduate School. Only certain items will update automatically:

o    GRE/TOEFL scores
o    official transcripts
o    online application

Other items may or may not update dependent upon the method used to submit the documents:

o    letters of recommendation, if submitted via the online application
o    personal statement, if submitted via the online application
o    list of classes taken/awards received

Materials submitted directly to the department will not be updated via the online status check, unless the documents are transcripts. Instead an e-mail receipt acknowledging the acceptance of the materials will be sent to the e-mail address provided by the online application. The e-mail will also contain the status of materials sent to the Graduate School’s Graduate and International Admissions Center.

Provide a correct e-mail address that will be active until the end of April on your application and on your Department of Government Supplemental Information Form. If you change email addresses, contact the department and GIAC. Most of our communication is done through e-mail.

Give your recommenders plenty of lead time when requesting letters of recommendation.

There is only one person handling the departmental graduate admissions. Every effort will be made to respond to each and every e-mail and telephone call in a timely fashion. Please be patient!

When in doubt, e-mail the Department of Government Graduate Admissions Coordinator for clarification.