Prospective Students

The School of Undergraduate Studies oversees the education shared by all UT Austin undergraduates, and is also the home for undergraduates who are not sure what their major will be. For a full list of what we do, check out our offices, or read on below. Prospective students are encouraged to learn more about UGS during their campus visit.

• Apply to Undergraduate Studies

UGS Students

The Center for Strategic Advising will be your home base if you are admitted to the School of Undergraduate Studies. We can help you explore: our advisors specialize in spending one-on-one time with you, helping you to develop a customized path through the university, combining majors, minors, certificate programs, and internship experiences to further your academic interests and career goals.

All UT Austin Undergraduates

Student enrolled in any of UT’s colleges or schools may take advantage of university-wide programs designed to provide a small-college experience at a major research university.

In First-year Interest Groups (FIGs), small groups of students form strong communities, develop critical academic skills, and connect with professors through shared classes.

The Freshman Reading Round-Up is a two-hour event that introduces small groups of incoming students to books selected and discussed with UT’s top faculty.

Signature Courses kick off UT students’ academic experience with top faculty teaching interdisciplinary classes covering topics of contemporary interest.

Core Curriculum, Signature Courses & Flags

The UT core curriculum puts your major coursework into a broader intellectual context, incorporating the perspectives of a wide variety of disciplines. The core requirements are shared by every UT Austin undergraduate. Talk to your advisor for more information.

Your introduction to university studies is the Signature Course, taken in your first semester on campus. Signature Courses are taught by faculty from every college and school and cover a vast array of topics from interdisciplinary perspectives.

The University Lecture Series creates a campus-wide conversation by giving you the opportunity to hear world-renowned faculty discuss current topics. You explore those topics in more depth in Signature Courses, First-Year Interest Groups, honors program events, and residence hall activities.

Flagged courses, which can be found in every department, ensure that all UT students acquire important skills in writing, independent inquiry, and quantitative reasoning, while being exposed to content relating to cultural diversity, global cultures, and ethics and leadership.

Digging Deeper

Whether you’re interested in rare books and biology, genetics and sociology, or environmentalism, advisors in the Bridging Disciplines Programs (BDP) and the Office of Undergraduate Research will help you find more in-depth experiences in your areas of interest.