Graduate Admissions

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in an appropriate science discipline from an accredited United States Institution or proof of equivalent training at an institution outside the United States 
• Cumulative grade point average (GPA) of not less than 3.0 in upper-division work (junior- and senior-level courses and in any graduate work already completed.

All application materials listed below must be received no later than December 1, for admission in Fall Semester. Applications completed after this date will be considered for an alternate list.

About the Program

• Each of our graduate students is fully supported as a graduate research assistant, teaching assistant, or on a fellowship, with a stipend sufficient to cover living expenses and university tuition and fees.
• Admission to our program is based on academic credentials AND willingness of a faculty member to supervise a prospective student. Many highly qualified applicants are denied admission because specific faculty members are not taking on new students in a given year.
• We strongly encourage prospective students to make direct contact with individual faculty members whose research matches their own to investigate opportunities in that laboratory.
• We admit students once per year. The deadline for admission is December 1 and decisions are made before April 1.
• New students generally begin in September (Fall semester), but in consultation with their supervisor may choose to enroll for the preceding summer semester to take advantage of Marine Science classes taught in Port Aransas and to become familiar with the Institute.
• Students generally spend the first two semesters in Austin, taking courses to complete their background in related fields of study. Marine science core courses are available at this time.
• Students spend the majority of their graduate program at the Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas (200 miles south of Austin). UTMSI is a major marine research facility and graduate students will have intensive exposure to research.
• Subsidized housing is available to graduate students in Port Aransas at attractive rates on a first-come first-served basis. Students must find their own housing in Austin.
• The Graduate School of the University of Texas at Austin is among the very best in the world.

Required Admission Materials 

The formal Application for Admission to the University must be completed online. This must be received in Austin no later than the deadline date for the semester in which you seek admission.

• Short answer (max 250 words each):
  1. How have your personal and academic experiences contributed to your enthusiasm for research and prepared you for graduate studies in marine science?
  2. Describe a long-term goal that you’ve achieved or worked to achieve, research or non-research-related.
  3. Please address any information that you believe your application would be incomplete without and that sheds more light on your unique potential to succeed in marine science and contribute to the University community and the field or profession.
• Essay (3-5 paragraphs).
  Tell us about your primary research interest and describe a question you would like to answer with your research. Include an explanation of your choice of faculty advisors (up to 3).
• Three Letters of Reference. are required for each applicant. Complete the "Reference" section of the ApplyTexas application. Enter each recommender's name, valid e-mail address, and title. Give your recommenders plenty of lead time when requesting letters of recommendation. You must submit the online application before your recommenders can get the e-mail directing them to the online submission of letters of recommendation.
• Transcripts. You must provide one copy of the academic transcript from every senior college you have attended. You may upload a copy of your transcript(s) after you have submitted your application for admission and paid the application fee. After you have submitted your application, you will recieve an email that contains a link to the Status Check web site where you will be able to upload your transcript(s).  The uploaded transcript(s) is considered to be unofficial but will be used to process your application for admission.  Please do not mail official tanscripts or paper copies of your transcripts before you are offered admission.  Sending paper copies of documents you have uploaded will significantly delay the processing of your application.
• Curriculum Vitae.

• Our department no longer requires the GRE. However, International students applying to UT Austin must submit either an official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score report demonstrating an adequate knowledge of English. The Institutional TOEFL (ITP) and the IELTS General Training are not accepted. Consult the website of your program of interest to determine which test is preferred.

  International applicants who are from a qualifying country are exempt from this requirement. Additionally, applicants are exempt from the requirement if they possess a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. institution or a qualifying country. The requirement is not waived for applicants who have earned a master’s—but not a bachelor’s—degree from a similar institution.

Please be aware it is not uncommon for the transcripts of your previous college coursework to arrive four to eight weeks after you order them from your former school.

Requests for references and other admissions materials can be monitored on the Application Status Check website. This site also allows you to resend a Request for Reference e-mail to your recommenders, add a new recommender, and revise your FERPA (right to view) status from retained to waived. If you have any questions, please email Jamey Pelfrey. It is not necessary to supply a second set of references to support an application for financial aid.

Because the application process is both expensive and time-consuming, it is to your advantage to get an early start and follow through.