Graduate Application Guide

Deadlines

Each applicant for admission is responsible for ensuring that all required official application materials (completed application, nonrefundable application fee, test results, required transcripts, credential evaluations, etc.) are on file by the application deadlines.

These deadlines vary by program, so please review the program webpage before applying. Submit your application and all admission requirements well in advance to ensure consideration, as admission is contingent upon the completion of your application file. Many programs are highly competitive and selective. Enrollment Operations will not review incomplete applications and cannot guarantee that applicants who do not complete by the posted deadline will be considered for admission.

Available Terms of Admission

Not all graduate programs offer admission for every term. If a specific term is not listed, admission is not available for that term. We recommend applying for the next available term.

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission to a graduate program, an applicant must submit a graduate application along with a nonrefundable application fee, copies of transcripts from each institution attended, and the program specific admission requirements. Admission requirements vary by graduate program and can include test scores, letters of recommendation, essay, resume, etc. International  applicants or applicants who completed college level coursework outside of the U.S are required to provide a course-by-course credit evaluation from a NACES approved agency and English Language Proficiency Scores.

Be sure to check the program webpage for admission requirements before applying.

Many programs are highly competitive and meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee acceptance into a graduate program.

Admission Requirements – Transcripts & Foreign Credit Evaluations

Transcripts

Applicants must upload copies of unofficial transcripts from every University/college attended while applying. Failure to upload every transcript could delay the processing of your application.

Before uploading your unofficial transcripts to the application portal, please take note of the following:

• All domestic and international students must list every domestic and foreign college and university previously attended on the application for graduate admission. Although courses taken at a previous institution are recorded on another institution’s transcript, transcripts must be submitted for each individual institution.
• Transcripts should include the degree and date awarded. If you have not yet completed your degree, please upload the most recent transcript with your final coursework in progress.
• Please note that degree audits are not accepted. Failure to upload an unofficial transcript may delay the review of your application.
• Upon admission, you will be required to submit official transcripts for each institution attended.

Foreign Credit Evaluations

International  applicants or applicants who completed college level coursework outside of the U.S are required to provide a course-by-course credit evaluation from a NACES approved agency by the program deadline. Applications will otherwise be considered incomplete if not received. Any exceptions to deadlines are at the discretion of the program. Graduate Admissions cannot grant deadline extensions.

For convenience, Applicants can order an ECE evaluation directly from the application platform. However there are various different acceptable vendors in varying price ranges and timelines. FCSA, WES, and Spantran are all common evaluation agencies received. Otherwise, any NACES approved agency is accepted by UTSA.

Admission Classifications

There are two main classifications for admission:

• Graduate degree-seeking: students admitted into a graduate degree program (Masters or Doctoral degree). Admission as a graduate degree-seeking student may be unconditional, conditional, or conditional on academic probation.
• Special graduate: (non-degree-seeking) students admitted to UTSA for the purpose of enrolling in graduate and/or undergraduate courses without entering a degree program. Graduate certificate-seeking students fall under this category.

Applying to Multiple Programs

Applicants interested in multiple programs must submit both a separate application and fee, along with program-specific requirements. Admission into one program does not guarantee admission into others.

Keep Running With Us

The Keep Running with Us (KRWU) program is a streamlined, invite-only admissions process to retain talented University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) undergraduate students and recent undergraduate alums in pursuit of their graduate education. Students are nominated based on academic performance or faculty nomination. Please note applicants are still required to submit an application and the nomination is only valid for the programs listed on the nominated email.  Applicants cannot apply for programs in which they were not nominated.

For more information, please visit https://future.utsa.edu/graduate/krwu/

Application Statuses

Be sure to check your application status in the Liaison graduate application often. More detailed instructions can be found online at https://future.utsa.edu/check-status/.

Decision Process

Upon completing your application, you will initially be reviewed by Graduate Admission staff to confirm all necessary requirements are received.

Once confirmed complete, your application will be sent to college review to be holistically evaluated by the program of interest. You will be sent an email notification when your application is forwarded for college review.

Your program of interest will thoroughly review your application and provide an admission decision. This decision will be sent to you via email once available. The email received is your official admission letter. We recommend keeping a copy for your records.

Decision Timeline
The time it takes for the college to review your application varies by program. Visit the program webpage for more detailed information on when your program makes admission decisions.

Fixed Decision – Some programs do not begin the review process until after the application deadline or another fixed date. Applicants will receive their decision after this date, regardless of how early they applied.

Rolling Decision – Some programs review applications as they are completed and received. In this case, decisions will be released as they are reviewed, usually within a few weeks.

Official Transcripts & Test Scores

The copies of transcripts and test scores uploaded into the application portal at the time of applying are considered unofficial. Once admitted into a program, students must provide official transcripts and test scores to UTSA. To be considered official, transcripts and test scores must be provided directly to UTSA from the Institution or testing agency.

Click here for more details on how to Submit Transcripts or Submit Test Scores.

Enrollment & Registration

Once admitted, students are encouraged to contact their Graduate Advisor of Record (GAR) for information on course selection and program progression. For GAR contact information, please refer to your program webpage of interest.

Students who do not register for courses by census date of their first admitted semester must reapply for admission unless they have deferred their admission start date.

Deferring Admission

Students granted admission to a master’s or doctoral program at UTSA who do not register for courses by census date of their first admitted semester must reapply for admission unless they have deferred their admission start date. Students who request and are granted a deferral can defer admission up to one year (three semesters) beyond the original term of admission.

For example, if you were admitted for Fall 2024, you could defer your admission to the following Spring 2025, Summer 2025, or Fall 2025. After that, you will be required to reapply and meet current admission requirements.

Please keep in mind that deferring your admission does not guarantee that any scholarship or program specific funding awards will also be maintained.

Changing Programs

Students admitted to one graduate program who wish to switch to another program must reapply and fulfill all program-specific admission requirements. Admission into one program does not guarantee admission into another.

Stop Outs

Master’s Level

UTSA master’s students who have attended a semester but have not been in attendance for one full year (three continuous semesters – including summer) are required to reapply by the application deadline.

International students who have not been in attendance for one semester, excluding the summer semester, must reapply for admission.

Doctoral Level

UTSA doctoral students must be enrolled every semester unless specified otherwise by the Graduate Program Committee. Doctoral students who have not been in attendance for one semester and do not have an approved leave of absence must reapply by the application deadline.

International students who have not been in attendance for one semester, excluding the summer semester, must reapply for admission.

Military Service

Students who withdraw from the University to perform military service (not including Texas National Guard Training exercises) will not have to requalify for admission and will be reactivated upon a request made within one year of being released from active military service.

Reapplying following a dismissal

(Petition for Reinstatement)
Eligibility for readmission of any former student depends on the student’s academic status at the conclusion of the last UTSA semester of enrollment and performance on any subsequent college or university work attempted.

A student who has been dismissed academically may petition for reinstatement after one semester (Fall, Spring, or Summer) has elapsed from the date of dismissal. If you have been out for more than three consecutive semesters (Fall, Spring, and Summer) you will need to reapply to the program for which you are seeking reinstatement into. If you wish to apply to another program rather than the one you were originally dismissed from, you will also have to apply into the new program. We ask that you submit your graduate program application and petition for reinstatement concurrently to avoid missing application deadlines. When reapplying, a new application, application fee, and all program specific requirements must be submitted.