Admissions

Step 1:  Review the general guidelines outlined on this page carefully. Then, prepare your materials and complete the appropriate online Graduate School Application.

 

Complete a U.S. Graduate Application if you are a:

• U.S. citizen
• Permanent resident (green card holder)
• Former student of UT Austin

Complete an International Graduate Application if you are a:

• Non-U.S. citizen
• Non-permanent resident of the United States (not a green card holder)

Step 2:  Pay the application fee.

• U.S. Graduate: $65
• International Graduate: $90

 

Step 3:  Provide an official transcript from every senior college you have attended. Even if courses taken at one institution are recorded on another college's transcript, transcripts must be submitted from the institution at which the courses were taken. Failure to list all colleges on the application and provide those transcripts may lead to the cancellation of your application for admission or withdrawal of your offer of admission. Additional information about transcripts is available at https://gradschool.utexas.edu/admissions/apply

Step 4:   Ask the appropriate testing agency to send your official test scores to the university. UT-Austin’s institution code for the GRE and TOEFL is 6882. AADS does not require a minimum GRE score for admission to the department; however, the minimum TOEFL and IELTS scores considered acceptable for admission to the university by the Graduate School are:

• TOEFL: 79 on the Internet-based test (iBT)
• IELTS: An overall band of 6.5 on the Academic Examination

Step 5:  Provide the name, position, organization and email address for your three recommenders. After you submit your application, emails will be sent to your recommenders directing them to a website where they may upload their letters.

 

Step 6:  Upload your Statement of Academic Purpose and your Writing Sample.

 

Step 7:  Submit your application and track its status through “My Status.”

 

 

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited university
• A 3.0 or higher GPA in upper-division coursework
• Official GRE score(s) from an exam taken within the last 5 years*
• Official TOEFL or IELTS score(s), if applicable
•  

In addition to the Graduate School’s requirements, AADS also requires the following additional items:

• statement of academic purpose
• curriculum vitae or resume
• writing sample
• three letters of recommendation
   

All required documents, including letters of recommendation from UT faculty, must be submitted by the deadline. Complete the appropriate online Graduate School Application. Incomplete or late applications are not considered.

*As a temporary accommodation in response to COVID-19, the GRE requirement will be waived for all applicants for the Fall 2025 semester. Students may continue to submit official GRE scores for consideration, but they will not be required to do so. GRE scores when provided, will continue to serve as just one of the many factors considered in our review of a student’s application.

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Students are admitted once per year into the fall term. Applications are accepted between September 1st and December 1st. Late applications are not accepted.

Describe your intellectual interests, goals, research agenda, and reasons for pursuing a doctoral degree in African and African Diaspora Studies. It is important to clearly identify AADS faculty members with whom you would like to work and why.

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The required writing sample is a piece of analytical writing, no longer than 30 pages. The writing sample should demonstrate the applicant's analytical writing skills and an ability to construct rigorous and original arguments. If applicants do not have an academic background in black studies, they should use both the statement of purpose and writing sample to demonstrate knowledge of black studies scholarship. 

Students who are currently enrolled in other UT graduate programs are required to submit the same documents requested from external candidates. See the 7-step process, above.  All required documents, including letters of recommendation from UT faculty, must be submitted by the deadline. Complete the appropriate online Graduate School Application.

Completed applications that are received on or before the deadline will be reviewed by the AADS Graduate Admissions Committee. Upon a thorough review of an applicant's qualifications, the Graduate Advisor and AADS Admissions Committee will forward their recommendation for admission to the Office of Graduate Admissions, the Vice Provost and the Dean of Graduate Studies for final approval.

The AADS Graduate Admissions Committee may deny admission to students who have met the prescribed requirements when there are more qualified applicants that can adequately be instructed by the faculty or accommodated in the facilities.

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There is no separate application for funding. All applicants are automatically considered for funding during the admissions process. Most admitted students are awarded generous funding packages, and in many cases they are offered full funding (i.e. tuition assistance, health care insurance, and a living stipend).

Review information about the program HERE.

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