Admissions
Application Deadline: Wednesday, December 10, 2025
The admission process is highly competitive; only exceptionally qualified applicants whose records indicate considerable academic potentional are admitted to the program. Applications are reviewed and ranked by a faculty committee. In making its decisions, the committee considers the following factors:
- Academic record (undergraduate and graduate)
- Test scores (GRE, TOEFL/IELTS)
- Resume/CV
- Letters of recommendation
- Statement of Purpose
- Writing Sample
For more detailed information about required materials, please visit the Application Checklist page.
Students applying for admission for Fall 2026 must submit all application materials by December 10, 2025. Admissions decisions will be sent out late January or early February.
Department Contact:
Please email gov-PhDadmissions@austin.utexas.edu for department-specific questions. We aim to respond within 48 hours.
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The Graduate School Contact:
For general questions regarding the application process, please use one of the addresses below depending on your residency (do not send the same email to multiple email addresses):
International Applicants: intladm@austin.utexas.edu
US Applicants: gradus@austin.utexas.edu
Counselors available by phone from 8:30 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. CST
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- Before You Apply
Admission to the Department of Government is monitored and determined at the departmental level, but it is processed centrally by the Office of Graduate Admissions. If at any point you have questions about the admissions process, please first visit the admissions website. Contact information for the Office of Graduate Admissions can be found on the Contact Admissions page.
The admissions process is entirely electronic.
Applicants may be eligible for an application fee waiver:
US citizens/permanent residents must first apply for a waiver based on demonstration of financial need: http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/admissions/fee_waiver.html
For non-US citizens/permanent residents and US citizens/permanent residents who did not qualify for the university waiver but have financial need, we offer department waivers on a case-by-case basis. Before submitting your application (which includes paying the application fee), please submit a statement detailing why a waiver is necessary, your CV, and any other supporting documents. Submit the materials by November 15 to the UT Box folder: https://utexas.app.box.com/f/226958802dff49249368cb4fc212a55c.
Please submit all the material as one single document labeled in the following format: Last Name(s), Given Name(s) (e.g., McConaughey, Matthew David). We will notify you by November 22 whether your application fee has been waived and give you additional directions (including how to submit your application). Note that we cannot retroactively waive fees that have already been paid.
For other general information about applying to The University of Texas at Austin, read about becoming a Longhorn.
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