Eligibility & Benefits
Eligibility
Any degree-seeking undergraduate at UT-Austin is eligible to apply to the BDPs. Although we encourage you to apply early in your UT career to get the most out of the program, students may apply at any point in their time at UT, from first semester to senior year. The BDPs are open to undergraduate students from every college and school at UT-Austin.
BDP applications are reviewed each fall and spring semester. Although there is no minimum GPA requirement, faculty reviewers look for strong students with genuine intellectual interest in the BDP topic.
Benefits of the BDPs
Why should you apply for the BDPs? Here are a few benefits of the program:
- The BDP can help you become a more flexible, versatile thinker, preparing you for a professional world that values innovation and collaboration.
- You will earn a concentration that complements and enhances your major, and that will demonstrate an additional area of specialization on resumés and graduate school applications.
- You will gain access to research and internship experiences that will set you apart from your peers and give you unique opportunities related to your interests.
- You will have the opportunity to apply for scholarships to help fund research and internship experiences.
- You will have access to excellent, individualized advising with academic advisors who are familiar with faculty and courses across campus that relate to your interests.
- You will have the opportunity to develop valuable relationships with faculty across campus who are experts in your BDP area.
- You will become part of a community of students and faculty who share your interests, and you’ll have the opportunity to participate in social and intellectual events with that community.
To learn more about why the BDP might be right for you, find out what current and past BDP students are saying about the program or check out our student profiles.
"The support of the BDP advisors has been the greatest benefit of the program for me as an undergraduate. The whole experience has gotten me excited about applying to graduate schools because I feel that I am prepared to do research on a graduate level, thanks to the experiences I've had through the BDPs."
- Michelle McCloskey, International Studies