Incoming Freshman
Application Deadline: December 1
You should apply to The University of Texas at Austin as a Freshman if you:
- Have or will soon graduate from high school or receive a GED, and
- Have not enrolled in another college or university after graduating from high school or receiving a GED
Bealonghorn.utexas.edu is the university's admissions website. There you will find information portals for first-time freshmen who are U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents and International Undergraduates. The website covers all aspects of university admissions: Applying to the university, Financial Aid, Housing, Tuition, and TOEFL language requirements for International Undergraduates.
Things to Know
The annual Freshman Application Deadline for all applicants is December 1. All application materials, including your portfolio (if required for your intended program) are due by December 1.
The Department of Art and Art History enrolls new students into programs for Fall semesters only.
To be considered for admission to the Department of Art and Art History, you must select one of the following programs as your first-choice major:
- BA Art History (570700) No Portfolio Required
- BFA Design (509904) Portfolio Required
- BA Studio Art (570800) Portfolio Required
- BFA Studio Art (509953) Portfolio Required
- BFA Visual Art Studies (509956) Portfolio Required
Application Materials
You must submit the following materials by December 1:
- ApplyTexas online application
- Application fee
- Department of Art and Art History essay requirement: Essay Topic D (submit in place of Essay Topic A)
- Office of Admissions essay requirement: Essay Topic B
- Essay Topic C (Optional – In addition to the two required essays, some applicants choose to submit a response to Essay C, which is optional and cannot be submitted in place of a required essay.)
- Official high school transcripts and dual-credit college transcripts
- Official Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate test scores (if applicable)
- Official test scores for ACT, SAT, and SAT Subject Tests (if applicable)
- Portfolio – Freshmen applicants applying to the BFA Design, BA or BFA Studio Art, and the BFA Visual Art Studies admission codes must submit an art portfolio as part of the freshmen application review process. The art portfolio must be received by Slideroom by the December 1 application deadline. Please do not send any art portfolio materials to the Office of Admissions or the Department of Art and Art History. Please review our Instructions for Online Undergraduate Portfolio Submission.
How Will I Be Evaluated?
Admission to the university is based upon the Office of Admissions’ holistic review of your academic achievements, such as coursework, test scores, class rank; and personal achievements through your essays, resume, and recommendations. When evaluating candidates for admissions to our department, we consider your performance in art-related Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, high school, and dual-credit college coursework (if any). We consider your unique experiences and perspectives communicated in Art Essay D. If you are applying to BFA Design, BA or BFA Studio Art, and the BFA Visual Art Studies, we also evaluate your art portfolio and, if you are applying to the BFA Design program or BFA Visual Art Studies, evaluate your additional essays in Slideroom.
Top Percent Law
The Automatic Admission Law, also known as the "Top Percent Law" (officially Texas Senate Bill 175), applies only to first-time college Texas-resident freshman applying to The University of Texas at Austin, and guarantees that graduates from a Texas public high school who rank in a certain top percent of their senior class and satisfy other rules established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, will be automatically admitted to The University. The law does not guarantee automatic admission to first-choice restricted majors. All majors in the Department of Art and Art History are restricted majors. Thus, even if you are in the top percent of your graduating high school class and have been granted automatic admission to The University, you will still need to be accepted for admission by this department.
Note: Not being in the top percent does not preclude admission to our department; we strongly encourage you to apply regardless of your high school rank. For more information on modifications to the former "Top 10% Percent Law" (officially Texas House Bill 588), please see Modifications to Texas' Automatic Admission Law.
