External Transfer Applicants

Students who have completed coursework at another university or college, or have completed their CAP requirements and want to transfer to UT Austin

Application Deadline: March 1 *

Apply for Admission

* For Fall 2026 applicants: consult with the Office of Admissions External Transfer webpage for updates regarding application deadlines.

Jump to the following sections on this page:

• Application Process
• Major-specific requirements
• Additional Information for External Transfer Applicants
• Steps to Apply

Application Process

Prospective students must apply for general admission to The University of Texas at Austin and also submit an Artist Statement, Portfolio, and Resume in order to be considered for admission as a Studio Art major.

When filling out the UT Austin application, enter your first-choice major as:

• B.A. Studio Art (510100)
• B.F.A. Studio Art (509953)

All students are encouraged to highlight their interests, creative involvements, and coursework related to Studio Art within their UT application materials and essays. Since all of these materials will be taken into consideration during review, be sure to put as much thought and time as possible into each of these requirements.

Highlight experiences such as:

• Experience working, volunteering, or educating in Fine Arts, Design, or Conservatory settings
• Awards or accolades related to Fine Arts, Writing, or Design
• Participation in Fine Arts, Art History, Design, or Yearbook courses or extracurricular activities

Major-specific Requirements

Updated for Fall 2026 Applicants

To apply to the B.A. or B.F.A. Studio Art program at UT Austin, you need to submit an Artist Statement, Portfolio, and Resume

2–3 business days after you submit your UT Austin application, you will receive an email that includes your UT EID (university digital identification), allowing you to access the MyStatus website, our application tracking system.

In MyStatus, you will be able to access the College of Fine Arts Supplemental Application, where you will submit the following:

• Artist Statement — Please describe the art you make and why you make it. Feel free to elaborate on what your experience with art has been thus far, what art instruction you may have received in school and outside of school, and future goals you have within art. The artist statement should be 1–3 paragraphs in length.

• Portfolio — 12-15 pieces of work, with 2 being from direct observation. Learn how to prepare your portfolio.

  When you upload your artworks, you will have space to include a title, dimensions, medium, and description of the work. Please upload each artwork separately, not as one document.

  Filetypes / Sizes

  • Photos and Slides — .bmp, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, .tiff   
    Must be less than 5GB
  • Document Files — .doc, .docx, .odg, .odp, .odt, .pdf, .ppt, .pptx, .rtf, .wpd   
    Must be less than 1GB
  • Video — .mp4 file or include a link to Vimeo or YouTube (be sure to set privacy settings to public)   
    Must be less than 5GB
  • Audio — .aac, .aif, .aiff, .iff, .fla, .m4a, .mpa, .mp3, .ra, .wav, .wma   
    Must be less than 5GB
  • Link — If your materials are located on YouTube, Vimeo or another online service, you may include the URL link (be sure to set privacy settings to public). Google Drive links will not be accepted.
• Resume

Additional Information for External Transfer Applicants

• The College of Fine Arts accepts applications for Fall semesters only.
• Priority consideration is given to applicants with a transfer GPA of at least a 3.00.
• Applicants must have completed at least 24 hours of transferable credit before June 1 in order to be considered for admission for the Fall.
• To learn how courses taken at other Texas colleges will transfer to UT Austin, consult the Office of Admissions' Automated Transfer Equivalency (ATE) system.
• Be sure to read through UT Austin’s Transfer Credit Resources for helpful guidance when preparing to transfer and avoiding common transfer issues.

Steps to Apply

* For Fall 2026 applicants: consult with the Office of Admissions External Transfer webpage for updates regarding application deadlines.

Internal UT Transfer & Simultaneous Major Applicants

Current UT Austin students interested in internally transferring (changing your major) or adding a simultaneous major in the Department of Art and Art History

Application Deadline: May 1 *

Apply for Admission

* For Fall 2026 applicants: consult with the Texas One Stop Internal Transfer webpage for updates regarding application deadlines.

Jump to the following sections on this page:

• Application Process
• Major-specific Requirements
• Additional Information for Internal Transfer Applicants
• Steps to Apply

Application Process

Prospective students seeking to apply for Internal Transfer (change their major) or apply for a Simultaneous major, must use the UT Austin Internal Transfer Application System to complete the Internal Transfer Application and submit the following major-specific requirements, in order to be considered for admission as an Studio Art major.

When filling out the UT Austin application, enter your first-choice major as:

• B.A. Studio Art (510100)
• B.F.A. Studio Art (509953)

All students are encouraged to highlight their interests, creative involvements, and coursework related to Studio Art within their UT application materials and essays. Since all of these materials will be taken into consideration during review, be sure to put as much thought and time as possible into each of these requirements.

Highlight experiences such as:

• Experience working, volunteering, or educating in Fine Arts, Design, or Conservatory settings
• Awards or accolades related to Fine Arts, Writing, or Design
• Participation in Fine Arts, Art History, Design, or Yearbook courses or extracurricular activities

Important things to note:

• The College of Fine Arts accepts applications for Fall semesters only.
• Letters of recommendation are not required and will not be reviewed as part of any application.

Major-specific Requirements

• Artist Statement — Please describe the art you make and why you make it. Feel free to elaborate on what your experience with art has been thus far, what art instruction you may have received in school and outside of school, and future goals you have within art. The artist statement should be 1–3 paragraphs in length.

• Portfolio — 12-15 pieces of work, with 2 being from direct observation. Learn how to prepare your portfolio.

  When you upload your artworks, you will have space to include a title, dimensions, medium, and description of the work. Please upload each artwork separately, not as one document.

  Filetypes / Sizes

  • Photos and Slides — .bmp, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, .tiff   
    Must be less than 5GB
  • Document Files — .doc, .docx, .odg, .odp, .odt, .pdf, .ppt, .pptx, .rtf, .wpd   
    Must be less than 1GB
  • Video — .mp4 file or include a link to Vimeo or YouTube (be sure to set privacy settings to public)   
    Must be less than 5GB
  • Audio — .aac, .aif, .aiff, .iff, .fla, .m4a, .mpa, .mp3, .ra, .wav, .wma   
    Must be less than 5GB
  • Link — If your materials are located on YouTube, Vimeo or another online service, you may include the URL link (be sure to set privacy settings to public). Google Drive links will not be accepted.

  Once you have uploaded and provided descriptions for your portfolio, be sure to submit it in MyStatus or your application will be marked as incomplete.

Additional Information for Internal Transfer Applicants

Things to Know Before Applying

• Admission to all degree programs in the Department of Art and Art History is competitive and selective. When applying to this department, you are strongly advised to develop a back-up plan for pursuing other majors. Use resources such as the Vick Advising Excellence Center and Wayfinder to determine what majors might be right for you.
• The maximum number of times a student may apply to the Department of Art and Art History is two.
• If you’d like to see how the classes you’ve already completed would count towards the major of your interest, you can create an Interactive Degree Audit for that major. You can also review the Degree Plans for all degrees offered by this department. If you have questions about the degree plan or requirements, you may contact the Undergraduate Academic Advisor. Include your UT EID in all emails.
• Applicants are strongly encouraged to take First-Year Core courses at UT or transfer in coursework equivalents so you’ll be on track for a timely graduation. However, First-Year Core courses do not have to be completed prior to applying or being formally admitted to the department. See instructions for enrolling in major-restricted courses.
• Are you currently a major in the department? Current majors in the Department of Art and Art History who wish to change from one major to another within the department, or to add a simultaneous major within the department, should visit the Undergraduate Academic Advisor to learn about the application process and deadlines. Depending on what your current major is, your application process may differ from above.

Eligibility

Meeting minimum academic and GPA requirements, submitting all application materials by the deadline, and completing departmental First-Year Core courses (or equivalents) does not guarantee eligibility or acceptance to a specific major of the department.

The Admissions Committee gives preference to applicants who have at least a 3.0 GPA by the end of the semester in which the student applies.

Simultaneous Major Eligibility

UT Austin students are eligible to apply for a Simultaneous Major in the Department of Art and Art History if they meet all of the following criteria:

• They are currently enrolled as an undergraduate student at UT Austin, and it is Spring semester (applications are not accepted during Fall semester).
• They have completed at least 30 credit hours in residence at UT Austin. These 30 hours cannot include AP, IB, credit-by-exam, dual or transfer credits. The student may apply to the department for a simultaneous major while in progress to meet the 30-hour requirement, but they must complete these hours prior to the fall semester for which they are apply for admission.
• They have not already applied twice to Internally Transfer or add a Simultaneous Major in this department.

Internal Transfer Eligibility

UT Austin students are eligible to apply to Internally Transfer from another UT Austin college to the Department of Art and Art History if they meet all of the following criteria:

• They are currently enrolled as an undergraduate student at UT Austin, and it is Spring semester (applications are not accepted during Fall semester).

• They will have no more than 60 hours of coursework completed in residence at UT Austin by the Fall semester for which they are applying for admission. (See the note below about UT Austin’s 60-hour Rule.)

• They have not already completed four Fall or Spring semesters in residence, regardless of the amount of credit they have earned.

• They have not already applied twice to Internally Transfer or add a Simultaneous Major in this department.

• They have an overall 3.0 GPA at UT Austin.

Internal Transfer Credit Hour Limits

From the university’s General Information Catalog:

Students may not transfer to another college or school after they have completed sixty (60) semester hours of coursework in residence. A student who wishes to seek an exception to this rule should petition the dean’s office of the college into which he or she would like to transfer. Approval of the petition will take into account the student’s ability to graduate within four years of entering the University.

Students may not transfer to another college or school after they have completed four fall or spring semesters in residence, regardless of the amount of credit they have earned. A student who wishes to seek an exception to this rule should petition the dean’s office of the college into which the student would like to transfer. Approval of the petition will take into account the student’s ability to graduate within four years of entering the University.

If the student has completed more than 60 hours or have completed more than four Fall or Spring semesters in residence and would still like to apply for an Internal Transfer to the Department of Art and Art History, proceed with submitting application materials as instructed above. If the student’s application receives a strong review, but do not meet the universities’ Internal Transfer Rules, they will be required to submit an appeal to the department’s Undergraduate Admissions Coordinator and their admission into the major will be dependent on its approval. If the UT Austin Student is required to submit an appeal, they will receive notification by the department’s Undergraduate Admissions Coordinator detailed instructions. Do not submit an appeal unless notified to do so.

Exceptions to the university’s policies on Internal Transfer are made in rare circumstances when the student can provide evidence that they are on track for a timely graduation. Students can only attempt to be admitted via this appeal process one time.

Steps to Apply

Returning Applicants

Students previously enrolled at UT Austin who want to be readmitted after a period of interruption

Application Deadlines

July 1 — For Fall Enrollment

December 1 — For Spring Enrollment

May 1 — For Summer Enrollment

Returning Students who wish to continue in their previous major

If you were previously an undergraduate student at The University of Texas at Austin and are ready to return after an interruption of at least one fall or spring semester, complete the university’s application for Returning Students. All returning students are readmitted into their previous major.

If you wish to participate in the advising and registration period that occurs in the semester preceding the one in which you plan to return, it’s required that you complete the readmission process well in advance of the deadlines and advising periods (for example, April for Summer and Fall enrollment, and October for Spring enrollment). You may consult the academic calendar for advising and registration dates.

Returning Students who wish to change their previous major

All returning students are readmitted into their previous major. If you wish to apply for readmission to the university and change to a new major, first complete the university’s application for Returning Students and then follow the process current students use to apply for an internal transfer (see the Internal UT Transfer tab above).