Graduate Admissions

Admission to the Department of Anthropology Graduate Program is highly competitive and your application shoud be prepared with care.  A seriously constructed Statement of Purpose, an interest in areas which our faculty have teaching and research expertise, and an application that is complete and filled out carefully with all necessary information are of great importance.  

On or around September 1, the Department of Anthropology will accept graduate admission applications for the following fall semester; we do not have spring-semester admission.

The application deadline is December 1.   Students must have all materials submitted by Dec. 1; incomplete or late applications will not be considered. 

Fall 2025 Admissions Update: Because of testing complications that some are experiencing due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the GRE is optional for Fall 2025 applicants to the Anthropology graduate program.

The Office of Graduate Admissions (OGA) processes all applications for graduate admission into the University of Texas at Austin. Please carefully review OGA instructions for how to apply for graduate admission to UT-Austin before proceeding. International applicants should also review OGA's information page for International applicants.

Applicants will need to use the online application to apply to the program and to upload materials. The online application is the first step in the application process; all other materials can be uploaded once the application has been submitted to and accepted by OGA.  Please note that it may take up to 72 hours after OGA has received your application for the system to allow you to upload materials. Please plan accordingly.

The following application materials must be submitted by December 1st:

• Application of Admission 
• [Optional for Fall 2025 admissions] Official report of GRE scores;  Reports are to be submitted directly to OGA from The Educational Testing Service (ETS) agency.  The ETS code for UT-Austin is 6882. 
• Official report of TOEFL or IELTS scores (international students only);  Reports are to be submitted directly to OGA by the testing agency.  Note:  the Certification of Financial Responsibility (CFR) does not need to be submitted until an offer of admission has been given by the department.
• Application fee payment ($65 for U.S. applicants; $90 for international applicants). If you need a waiver for the application fee, please see the OGA website's instructions. Unfortunatley, international students are not eligible for fee waivers. 

The following application materials must be uploaded in PDF format to the applicant's file by December 1st: 

• Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Three letters of recommendation: These must be submitted online. An automatic e-mail will be generated and sent to your recommenders within 24 hours of your application submission. The e-mail will contain instructions and a secure link to their letter of recommendation online.
• Statement of Purpose:  The statement of purpose addresses the following:
• Areas of interest: Discuss your academic and professional interests and goals. Describe the research areas and problems that you hope to focus on in your graduate work. Identify at least two UT-Austin Department of Anthropology faculty members whose work might contribute to your own research goals and discuss how and why. (No more than 1000 words)
• Background and motivation: Describe your reasons for pursuing graduate study. Discuss how and why you came to be interested in the research areas you describe in the first part of this statement, as well as any information that you believe your application would be incomplete without and that sheds more light on your unique potential to succeed in the Anthropology program and contribute to the University community and the field or profession. (No more than 500 words)
• Transcripts:  Upload an official trancript from every senior college you have attended. Transcripts are not required from junior colleges and community colleges.  Do not mail transcripts. For more information, please see the OGA's instructions on uploading transcripts.
• A writing sample. For students who have attained an MA; a copy of the MA thesis or report if available is requested. For students who are unable to provide a copy of their thesis, a writing sample related to proposed area of study is required.  

To upload materials to the applicant's file, edit lists of recommenders, or check on the status of an application, visit the following link: Application Status Check