Admissions

We recommend you complete the application at least two weeks before the December 1 deadline in order to give your references time to submit their Letters of Recommendation.

Begin the application process by completing an application for graduate admission at GoApplyTexas.org and paying the application fee ($65 for U.S. and Permanent Resident applicants; $90 for International applicants).

UT EID
Within 48 hours of submitting your paid application, you will receive an email containing your UT EID (university electronic identification), which you will use throughout your association with the university. Once you’ve received your UT EID, you may access the university’s MyStatus website and upload all supporting materials (see instructions below).

In addition to all of the above, contact the partner program for their application instructions and deadlines. Application deadlines vary; however, December 1 is the application deadline for all LLILAS dual degree programs.

Please complete the dual degree application for admission to a dual degree program. Do not submit a separate application for each program. Refer to the following dual degree codes when completing your application:

• Latin American Studies/Business Administration (MA/MBA) – 659000
• Latin American Studies/Community and Regional Planning (MA/MSCRP) – 659801
• Latin American Studies/Communication Studies (MA/MA) – 624120
• Latin American Studies/Global Policy Studies (MA/MGPS) – 647320
• Latin American Studies/Information Studies (MA/MS) – 653100
• Latin American Studies/Journalism (MA/MA) – 624210
• Latin American Studies/Law (MA/JD) – 760560
• Latin American Studies/Public Affairs (MA/MPAff) – 660000
• Latin American Studies/Radio-Television-Film (MA/MA) – 624330
• Latin American Studies/Social Work (MA/MSSW) – 691500

Both the Latin American Studies Admissions Committee and the corresponding committee of the professional program must accept a student for admission to the dual degree program. If you are not admitted to one of the two dual degree programs to which you applied, the other program can still admit you. However, this will be a different program code, which may require transferring or resubmitting an application so the correct program code can be applied.

Note: The GRE is waived for the Fall 2025 cycle for Latin American Studies, but it may be required in other degree programs. For dual degree applicants, please check individual program requirements. This includes the LSAT for Law and the GMAT for the Graduate School of Business.

Transcript(s)
Applicants must submit an official transcript from all undergraduate and graduate institutions you’ve attended, with the exceptions of community or junior colleges that offer no coursework beyond the sophomore year. Review the Graduate School’s requirements and instructions for submitting transcripts.

GRE Score
The GRE score requirement is being waived for Fall 2025 admissions applicants.

English Language Test Score (international applicants only)
A TOEFL or IELTS language test score is required of all international applicants not otherwise exempt. Scores are to be submitted directly to the Graduate School. Learn more about UT’s English proficiency requirements and exemptions.

Letters of Recommendation
After you’ve submitted your ApplyTexas application and paid the fee, each of the three people you listed in the References section will be sent an email containing a secure link for submitting their Letter of Recommendation. All letters must be submitted electronically and must be received by the final application deadline.

Recommendation letters should come from from professors who are familiar with your work. If you have been out of school for some time and are no longer in contact with professors, professional references are acceptable, as long as the recommender is able to credibly address your ability to undertake graduate work.

After you have submitted your application, use the MyStatus site to upload the following materials:

A. Personal statement: Please state, in 3–4 double-spaced pages, your reasons for pursuing a graduate degree in Latin American Studies. This must be in English. Be sure to include:

   1. Your academic background and current interests in Latin American Studies;

   2. Your plan of study within the program, to the best of your current knowledge;

   3. Two to three professors who could serve as your potential supervisor(s) (see below for details);

   4. Any experience (work, travel, etc.) outside of academia that has helped prepare you for this course of study;

   5. Your plan and goals upon completion of the degree.

B. Identify a potential supervisor: Before submitting application materials, you are highly encouraged to reach out to LLILAS faculty to discuss your research interests. In your personal statement, please identify 2–3 core or associate faculty* who could serve as your potential supervisor. NOTE: We will contact those you indicate to discuss your application materials.

     *LLILAS Associate Faculty members are tenured and tenure-track faculty, lecturers, or other UT researchers who focus at least 25% of their teaching and research activities on Latin American and Caribbean issues. They are listed under the heading Associates here (click "Filter by Affiliation").

C. Curriculum Vitae (CV) or Résumé

D. Writing sample (both MA and PhD applicants): Please submit a writing sample of approximately 6,000–8,000 words. MA applicants: This could be a thesis chapter or a term paper, no more than 30 pages or 6,000–8,000 words. PhD applicants: We prefer a chapter of your master's thesis, but a term paper or article will also be accepted. The preference for writing samples to be in English, but they will also be accepted in Spanish or Portuguese.

All applications and required materials are submitted online. Please do not send hard copies of required application materials, including letters of recommendation, directly to LLILAS or UT’s Graduate Admissions office as this may delay completion of your application. Do not send any additional materials with your application. We are unable to return original copies of documents sent for admissions review.

Use MyStatus to monitor your application. It is the applicant’s responsibility to confirm that all materials have been received and the application is complete by the deadline. Late submissions will not be accepted (no exceptions). In MyStatus, you can:

• See which application materials have been submitted and which are still required
• Review the status of recommendation letters, resend recommendation requests, or add recommenders
• Upload transcripts as PDFs (if institutions can’t submit them electronically)
• See your admission status after a decision has been made

Please visit the Graduate School’s After the Decision page for further information about admission, admission with conditions, and denials. Admissions to graduate programs at UT Austin are overseen by an Admissions Committee within the program. These committees are composed of experienced faculty members who determine which individuals best meet program standards.

Unfortunately, when there are more qualified applicants than can adequately be accommodated, the Admissions Committee may deny admission to many applicants. Admissions recommendations to the Graduate Dean are final; there is no appeal process. We are not able to provide individual feedback to denied applicants.