"Admission" is published as several files. Use the links above to see the table of contents for the whole chapter, or other files within the chapter.

Transfer Admission

All transfer applications will be reviewed and evaluated individually by the Office of Admissions. Admission decisions will be based on the strength of an applicant's academic background, including the degree of difficulty of courses selected, the record of achievement, and special or unique accomplishments both in and out of the classroom. Decisions will take into consideration the University's commitments to managing enrollment and, within applicable law, to admitting qualified students that reflect the diversity of the state. As a state-supported public institution, the University reserves a majority of its places for Texas residents. Consequently, the admission of nonresidents is more competitive. In those schools and colleges unable to accommodate all qualified applicants, preference will be given to applicants considered to have the best qualifications.

Application procedures. Prospective transfer students must submit (1) an application for admission; (2) an official transcript from each accredited college or junior college attended; (3) the application fee or fee waiver documentation; and (4) an official high school transcript. The high school transcript is not used to determine admissibility, but is necessary to verify completion of units in language and mathematics to satisfy University requirements. In addition, federal regulations require evidence of completion of a high school or GED program before registering at the University. Transfer applicants are strongly encouraged to submit the high school transcript with other admission credentials prior to the established deadline.

An applicant, whether a new or former student, who has attended another collegiate institution may not disregard any part of his or her academic record except as permitted under the fresh start option. Applicants who fail to report all college coursework are subject to disciplinary action, including expulsion, and possible loss of credit for subsequent work taken at the University.

Application materials must be received by the Office of Admissions by the deadline for transfer students given at the beginning of this chapter.

Credit evaluation. Evaluation by the Office of Admissions of course credit earned at other institutions does not constitute approval of the credit for use toward a degree; such approval is solely within the jurisdiction of a student's academic dean. Policies governing the evaluation of transfer credit include the following:

1. Transfer credit is generally awarded for academic course credit earned from regionally accredited institutions, or from institutions that are candidates for regional accreditation if the course credit was earned during the candidacy period. At the discretion of the director of admissions, in rare circumstances course credit earned at other institutions may also be accepted in transfer.

2. Occupational or vocational courses from junior and community colleges, developmental or remedial courses, and courses classified as below freshman level by the sending institution are not transferable and will not count toward a degree.

3. Junior and community college courses transfer as lower-division (freshman or sophomore) credit. Undergraduate courses from senior colleges transfer at the same level, lower- or upper-division, as they were taken. Graduate-level coursework is not transferable as undergraduate credit.

4. No limit is placed on the total amount of course credit accepted in transfer from either junior or senior institutions. However, use of transfer credit toward a degree may be limited by the student's academic dean.

5. Credit-by-examination earned at other institutions is treated as transfer credit only if the sending institution posts such credit on the student's transcript with regular catalog course numbers and with a grade of at least C, with the symbol CR, or with a similar designation representing credit earned without letter grade.

6. All academic courses except developmental courses, whether passed, failed, or repeated, including those in which a grade of D was earned, are used to compute the applicant's grade point average for admission purposes. Credit in which a grade of D was earned is not transferable and will not count toward a degree.

7. Grades earned at other institutions are not averaged with grades earned at the University of Texas at Austin to determine the student's internal University grade point average.

8. Transfer credit evaluations.
   1. University course numbers may be modified in transfer credit evaluations to reflect more or less credit value than is normally offered in a course at the University. For example, Mathematics 301, a three-semester-hour course, is rendered as Mathematics 401 when taken as a four-semester-hour course at another institution, thereby allowing the full amount of earned credit to transfer.

      Course numbers may also be modified to accommodate sequences not normally offered at the University. For example, Mathematics 301 may be rendered as Mathematics 601A and Mathematics 601B when comparable content is taken as two three-semester-hour courses at another institution, the "A" and "B" suffixes each denoting half of the complete course Mathematics 601.

   2. Course numbers not in the current Undergraduate Catalog may be used in awarding transfer credit. For example, Computer Sciences 301, English 307, English 308, English 308Q, English 310, English 310Q, English 317, English 317M, and Mathematics 304E are no longer taught at the University, yet are routinely assigned in transfer evaluations because their equivalents are still commonly taught at other institutions and because they may be used to satisfy degree requirements.

   3. Courses at other institutions often have no direct University equivalents, but may be accepted in transfer. If such a course is in a discipline offered at the University, credit without a specific course number is awarded in the appropriate academic department. General elective credit may be awarded when no equivalent department exists at the University; use of elective credit toward a degree may be restricted by the student's academic dean.

   4. In some academic departments transfer credit is not assigned specific University course numbers, for example in upper-division journalism and in all electrical engineering courses. Undesignated credit is assigned and the student's academic dean determines the specific credit to be allowed for degree purposes on a substitution basis.

   5. Transferred credit in music performance may not be counted toward a degree in music until the student has satisfactorily completed additional music performance coursework at the University.

9. If the University refuses to accept lower-division credit earned at another Texas public institution of higher education, the student and the sending institution will be given written notice that transfer credit was refused. If nontransfer of credit is disputed, the University will attempt to resolve the matter with the student and the sending institution according to applicable rules and guidelines of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. If the dispute is not resolved to the student's or the sending institution's satisfaction within forty-five days of the initial notification, the University will notify the Coordinating Board of the refusal of the transfer credit and the reasons for refusal. The Coordinating Board will resolve the dispute and notify the parties of its findings.

Catalog eligibility for Texas junior college transfers. A student transferring from an accredited public junior college in Texas has the same choice of catalog, designating degree requirements, that would have been possible if the student's dates of attendance at the University had been the same as the dates of attendance at the junior college. However, the student's choice of major may affect whether or not transferable coursework may be counted toward a degree.

Transient Admission (summer only)

A transient student may not register in the Graduate School but may take graduate courses if qualified. If regular admission to the University is subsequently granted, appropriate credits earned as a transient student may be used to meet undergraduate degree requirements, but may not be used to fulfill the requirements for a graduate degree.

Students who attend the University as transient students and then are admitted on a regular basis are immediately subject to the University's academic regulations. In particular, such students will be placed on scholastic probation upon enrollment if their grade point average for work undertaken as a transient student at the University is below 2.00.

International Admission

International student applicants must submit (1) an application for admission, (2) official transcripts of previous academic work, (3) standardized test scores when required, (4) the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), (5) evidence of sufficient financial support while studying in this country, and (6) the application processing fee, which is not refundable.

Readmission of Former Students

Former students who wish to enter the School of Law, the Graduate School, or the Graduate School of Business for the first time must meet the qualifications and apply by the deadlines given in the appropriate sections of this chapter. Additional information about graduate and law programs may be found in their respective catalogs.

A student who leaves the University on scholastic probation will be on scholastic probation when readmitted even if he or she has attended another institution in the interim.

Fresh Start

Enrollment as a Nondegree Student

A nondegree student, with the approval of the instructor and the graduate adviser, may take any graduate course if the prerequisites for the course have been met. An individual will not receive credit toward a graduate degree for courses taken while enrolled as an undergraduate nondegree student.

Application for the nondegree option is made by completing an admission application form and submitting it with an official transcript showing the awarding of at least a bachelor's degree. Materials must be submitted by the deadline for undergraduate admission.

High School Parallel Enrollment Program

Students who have completed the sophomore year and have a grade point average of at least 3.50, or the equivalent, may be considered for admission in either the fall or spring semester. SAT or ACT scores also may be considered in determining admission to the program. A student who fails any part of the official TASP Test is not eligible for admission. Application deadlines are the same as those for regular admission. Concurrent attendance at an accredited high school with the intent to graduate from that school is required. Participants in the HSPEP will pay regular tuition and fees and will have a regular University record.

To remain in the program a student must maintain a grade of at least C in all courses. Students are not subject to the normal scholastic probation and dismissal rules while in the program, but credits and grades earned will be counted in any future determination of hours undertaken, passed, or failed and in the computation of the student's University grade point average.

A participant in the HSPEP who wishes to enter the University following high school graduation must apply for admission in the usual way and meet the required deadlines. For additional information, contact the coordinator of the High School Parallel Enrollment Program at the Freshman Admissions Center, (512) 475-7440.

Graduate Admission

Requirements. General requirements for admission to the Graduate School are: (1) a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in the United States or proof of equivalent training in a foreign institution; (2) a satisfactory grade point average in upper-division (junior and senior) coursework and in any graduate work already completed; (3) a satisfactory score on the Graduate Record Examinations General Test (the Graduate School of Business requires a satisfactory score on the Graduate Management Admissions Test except for doctoral students who may submit either GRE or GMAT scores); (4) adequate subject preparation for the proposed major; and (5) recommended for acceptance by the Graduate Studies Committee for the proposed major area. When there are more qualified applicants than can be adequately instructed by the faculty or accommodated in the facilities, the Graduate Studies Committee for the proposed area may deny admission to students who have met the prescribed requirements. All admissions must be approved by the graduate dean.

Graduate Record Examinations

Graduate Management Admissions Test

Conditional admission. A departmental graduate adviser may, under certain conditions, consider evidence of admissibility in addition to the usual criteria. In such cases the adviser may recommend admission with special conditions regarding the number of semester hours to be taken and specific grade point average to be maintained. If these conditions are not met, the student may be barred from subsequent registration in the Graduate School. A student who chooses to work toward an advanced degree in an area in which undergraduate training is insufficient may be admitted with the understanding that coursework and other study must be undertaken to make up the deficiencies noted by the graduate adviser and that the makeup work will be in addition to the regular degree requirements.

Admission as a nondegree student. An individual who wishes to take graduate-level coursework without becoming a candidate for an advanced degree may apply for admission to a graduate program as a nondegree student. The applicant must submit an application and transcripts of all college coursework to the Graduate and International Admissions Center; Graduate Record Examinations scores are not required. Admission must be recommended by the graduate adviser for the program and approved by the graduate dean. Enrollment as a nondegree student is limited to one year. A degree-seeking student may petition to have up to six semester hours of credit in graduate-level courses, earned while enrolled as a nondegree student, applied to a graduate degree.

Recommended application dates for graduate study. The Graduate and International Admissions Center processes all files for summer admission that are complete by May 1 and all files for fall admission that are complete by August 1. However, each graduate program sets its own application deadline. February 1 is often the deadline for the summer session and the fall semester, but some programs set earlier dates. Consult the Graduate Admission Bulletin for a list of individual graduate program deadlines. Graduate programs also have various admission deadlines for the spring semester, but none is later than October 1. October 1 is also the Graduate School's deadline for submission of application materials for the spring semester. It is the responsibility of the applicant to meet the deadline for the program of interest to him or her.

An applicant seeking financial aid must submit all materials by February 1 for summer or fall admission or by October 1 for spring admission. Financial aid decisions are made soon after these dates, and applicants whose materials have not been received may not be given full consideration.

International students should apply as early as possible. The international student's record of work (including the score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language taken within the past year) will be evaluated by the Office of Graduate and International Admissions before being forwarded to members of the Graduate Studies Committee of the academic area involved and the dean of the Graduate School.

Application processing fee. Applicants to the Graduate School must submit a nonrefundable fee of $60 along with their credentials. The fee for applicants to the Master of Business Administration and Master in Professional Accounting programs in the Graduate School of Business is $75. Applicants who present credentials from any country other than the United States when applying for admission must submit a fee of $85 or, if applying to the MBA or MPA programs, a fee of $100. Where more than one fee is applicable, only the higher one must be paid.

Law School Admission

(1) earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution or have no more than six semester hours remaining for completion of the degree, (2) earned a grade point average of at least 2.20 on all undergraduate coursework, and (3) attained an acceptable score on the Law School Admission Test. An applicant who meets the minimum requirements is not assured of admission because the number of qualified applicants each year normally exceeds the number of new students the school can accommodate.

Application processing fee. A nonrefundable application processing fee of $65 is required of each applicant and must be submitted with the requisite credentials. Applicants presenting academic credentials from any country other than the United States must pay a nonrefundable fee of $85.

Application deadlines. New students are accepted only for full-time study in the fall semester; admission for the spring semester or the summer session is not available to new students.

Early decision admission. Complete credentials must be postmarked by November 1 to be considered for early decision admission. Applicants who satisfy the requirements for early decision will be notified of their admission status by January 15.

Regular admission. Complete credentials must be postmarked by February 1 to be considered for regular admission for the fall semester.

Application procedure. Applicants must take, at their own expense, the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) administered by Law Services. The test is given four times a year, usually in June, September or October, December, and February at designated colleges and universities throughout the United States and at several foreign test centers. Applicants who apply for early decision admission by the November 1 deadline must take the LSAT no later than September or October. Applicants who apply by February 1 must take the LSAT no later than December. Registration materials may be obtained from Law Services.

Law School Admission Test

In addition to submitting an application for admission to the Law School Admissions Office, an applicant is required to register with the Law School Data Assembly Service. The data assembly service receives applicants' transcripts, computes their grade point averages, and transmits the information to the School of Law. To register, write to Law Services, Box 2000, 661 Penn Street, Newtown, Pennsylvania 18940-0998, or call (215) 968-1001.

Tuition Deposit

For additional information about admission as a new student, a transfer student, or a visiting student refer to The Law School Catalog

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28 August 1996. Registrar's Web Team
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