Graduate Admissions

picture of the giac front door
Once all your materials are complete in both the Graduate and International Admissions Center (pictured) and our department, your application will be forwarded to the faculty for review. The Graduate and International Admissions Center is located off Whitis Avenue between W. Dean Keeton St. and 27th St. in the Communication Area.

Graduate studies in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin cover a wide spectrum of technical areas, from Architectural Engineering to a dual Civil Engineering-Public Affairs program. The primary purpose of this page is to give you departmental graduate application deadlines and procedure information (for more on graduate admissions in general, see the Office of Graduate Studies admissions page). Note that the application procedure includes sending material to the Graduate and International Admissions Center (GIAC) and to the department.

You may also find helpful the links at left or be interested in other information from CAEE, such as Costs and Financial Aid, a letter from our department chair, our Technical Areas, and Research. Other University links relative to prospective graduate students are found at Graduate Student Central.

Preferred Application Deadlines

  • Spring: September 1
  • Summer: January 15
  • Fall: January 15

Department Application Procedure

Applicants must submit all of the following materials to the appropriate agency by the appropriate deadline. Incomplete applications will NOT be reviewed.
  1. Online application
    All applicants to the graduate program are required to apply directly to the University of Texas at Austin via the online application system.
  2. Application fee
    The fee is $50 for U.S. and Permanent Residents and $75 for International students.
  3. Official GRE score sent by ETS
    ETS codes are: UT - 6882; Architectural - 1101; Civil - 1102; Environmental - 1103.
  4. Official TOEFL score sent by ETS
    Required for international students unless they have an undergraduate degree from an English speaking country. The ETS code for TOEFL is 65. The IELTS exam is an acceptable alternative to the TOEFL. The official IELTS score report should be sent directly to GIAC.
  5. Official transcripts
    Original transcripts should be sent directly to GIAC. A photocopy of your transcripts should be sent to the department.
  6. Three letters of recommendation, preferably from academic sources.
    When you complete the "References" portion of the online application for admission, you will give the names and email addresses of those you have asked to recommend you. Be sure that the email addresses are current and accurate. You will be asked to inform us if you are going to waive the right to view your letters after they are submitted. Please indicate this waiver by answering the associated question on the application for admission. After you submit the application online, GIAC will send an e-mail message to the addresses you provided and ask your recommenders to visit a web site where they can complete a questionnaire. Your recommenders will be informed if you have not waived your right to view their letters of recommendation. To monitor and maintain your requests for reference, please go to the status check website. There you can monitor the status of your pending recommendations, resend a Request for Reference email to your recommenders, add a new recommender, and revise your FERPA (right to view) status from retained to waived. If you have additional questions about online recommendation letters, email gradref@austin.utexas.edu. Online submission of recommendations is preferred, but we will accept paper recommendations if necessary.
  7. Statement of Purpose
    May be submitted online with your application (preferred method) or sent separately to the department. If you do not wish to be considered for financial aid or have your own funding or fellowship, please indicate so in your Statement of Purpose.
  8. Class ranking if available.

All materials sent to the department should be addressed to:

     Graduate Coordinator
     University of Texas
     Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
     1 University Station C1700
     Austin, TX 78712-0273  USA

Once all your materials are complete in both GIAC and the department, your application will be forwarded to the faculty for review. Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis.

If you have any questions, or want to inquire whether your file is complete, please email the Graduate Coordinator.

  • Frequently Asked Questions (pdf)