Graduate Admissions
The Graduate and International Admissions Center is located in Walter Webb Hall at 405 W. 25th 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.
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 School Prospective Students.
Preferred Application Deadlines
- Spring: September 1 (October 1 final deadline)
- Summer: December 15
- Fall: December 15
Department Application Procedure
Applicants must submit all of the following materials by the appropriate deadline. Incomplete applications will NOT be reviewed. NOTE: Once you submit your documents online they cannot be deleted or edited. Therefore, please be sure your documents are correct before you upload them.
- Online application
All applicants to the graduate program must apply using the Cockrell graduate application. Please follow the instructions on the Cockrell School of Engineering webpage. DO NOT use the ApplyTexas application.
If you have problems with the application, such as inability to upload documents, you may be using a browser that is incompatible with the UT website. If that occurs, please check the web guidelines information site. - Application fee
The fee is $65 for U.S. and Permanent Residents and $90 for International students. - Official GRE score sent by ETS
The ETS code for UT Austin is 6882. For more information about the GRE go to Take the GRE. - Official TOEFL score sent by ETS
Required for international students unless they have an undergraduate degree from an English speaking country. Getting an MS from a U.S. university does not qualify for a TOEFL waiver. The ETS code for TOEFL is 6882. The IELTS exam is an acceptable alternative to the TOEFL. The official IELTS score report should be sent directly to GIAC. - Official transcripts
You must upload one copy of the official academic transcript from every senior college you have attended. Transcripts are not required from junior colleges and community colleges. See instructions for uploading the pdf of your transcript(s). - Three letters of recommendation, preferably from academic sources.
When you complete the "References" portion of the online application for admission, you will list 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 and upload their letter of recommendation. 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 strongly preferred, but we will accept paper recommendations if absolutely necessary. - Statement of Purpose
Submit online with your application. 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. - Resume
Suggested, but not required. You may upload your resume onto the Cockrell graduate application. - Class ranking if available.
The department would also like to know your class rank (eg. 3rd out of 40 Civil Engineering seniors), if available. If your university does not rank its students, please let us know that or ask one of your recommenders to estimate your ranking.
All application materials should be submitted online unless prior approval to submit paper documents has been given by the graduate coordinator. Please do not send CDs, copies of research papers, portfolios, or theses- they will not be reviewed by the faculty.
It is the applicant's sole responsibility to ensure that all documents have been received by the stated deadline. Once all your materials are complete in both GIAC and the department, your application will be reviewed by the faculty in your area of specialization. The faculty try their best to make all admissions and financial aid decisions by March 31 for fall and summer applicants, though it may be as late as mid-late April in some cases. Per the Council of Graduate Schools resolution, April 15 is the deadline for accepting or declining aid offers for the fall semester. Decisions for spring admission are usually made by the end of October or early November.
If you have any questions, please EMAIL the Graduate Coordinator. Email is preferred over phone calls.