How to Apply to Psychology at The University of Texas at Austin: Admission by First-Choice Major, and Requirements and Timeline for Chinese, Canadian High School and Transfer Students

At The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), psychology is taught by the Department of Psychology in the College of Liberal Arts and offered as a BA or a BS in Psychology. UT Austin admits by major: you choose a first-choice major on your application, and the competitiveness of that major is part of the review. Here is what you need to know for summer/fall 2027 entry, based on UT Austin’s official information, for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver), and transfer students.

1. Admission by major: your first choice matters most

• First choice: UT Austin considers you for your first-choice major in holistic review, and lists “competitiveness of the major you applied to” among review factors. It recommends choosing a major that fits your interests and strengths, not just a career goal.
• Second choice: UT Austin states that you may be considered for your second-choice major if you qualify for automatic admission and are not admitted to your first choice. Automatic admission applies to top-5% graduates of Texas high schools, so for international applicants the first choice is effectively decisive.
• Direct application to psychology: the College of Liberal Arts admits freshmen and transfers for summer, fall and spring, and its majors list shows no extra restrictions or materials for Psychology (BA or BS).
• Honors: the college runs Liberal Arts Honors; honors decisions come out on 1 March, separately from university admission.

2. What the BA and BS cover

• Total: 120 hours for either degree.
• Core courses: Introduction to Psychology (PSY 301), Introduction to Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences (PSY 317L) and Psychological Methods and Statistics (PSY 420M), each with at least a C; a C in PSY 317L and PSY 420M is needed to register for upper-division psychology, and each may be taken at most twice.
• Breadth: courses in clinical/social/developmental/evolutionary psychology, in cognition/language/neuroscience/perception, and in a third upper-division area; the major requires 28 hours of psychology.
• BS vs BA: UT Austin describes the BS as a more extensive scientific alternative to the BA, with more natural science and less language arts, aimed at students preparing for research-oriented graduate study or interested in mathematics- or physiology-based psychology.

3. Students at high schools in China

• Application: apply on the Common App with at least one essay and the required short answers; the international application fee is US$90, with no fee waivers.
• SAT/ACT required: send at least one official SAT or ACT score from the testing agency (SAT code 6882, ACT code 4240). The SAT Essay, ACT Writing and ACT Science are not required; official CLT scores also count.
• Transcripts: records for the equivalent of US grades 9–12, plus official transcripts for any college credit earned in high school. UT Austin does not say whether Gaokao results are accepted.
• Optional: a resume, up to two letters of recommendation (UT encourages writers from outside your high school) and an optional short answer about special circumstances.
• English: China is not on the exemption list, so submit TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo (see section 5).

4. Students at Canadian high schools

• English exemption: UT Austin’s list of qualifying countries includes Canada (except Quebec), and applicants who graduate from a high school in a qualifying country after at least three years of study are also exempt. Students in BC and Vancouver generally fall into this group; follow UT Austin and MyStatus for your case.
• Materials: as for other international applicants, SAT or ACT is required. Students who do not attend a Texas high school may be asked to list their courses on the Academic Coursework Entry Form; MyStatus will prompt you.
• High school prerequisites: complete or be on track to complete UT’s required high school coursework to be competitive; see its High School Prerequisites page.

5. English requirements for international applicants

• TOEFL iBT 79 (120 scale) or 4 (6-point scale);
• IELTS Academic 6.5 overall;
• Duolingo 115;
• TOEFL ITP, TOEFL Essentials and IELTS General Training are not accepted.

6. Timeline for fall 2027

• Applications open 1 August;
• Early Action deadline 15 October, with supplemental materials by 22 October;
• Regular deadline 1 December, with supplemental materials by 10 December;
• Early Action applicants receive a decision or a deferral by 15 January 2027; deferred and regular applicants hear by 15 February;
• Honors decisions are released on 1 March.

7. Costs and aid

• 2026-27 non-resident estimates (international students pay non-resident rates), based on 12 hours per semester:
  • tuition US$42,554 to 51,106, depending on college;
  • housing and food US$15,420 to 15,580, transportation US$1,840, books and supplies US$724, personal costs US$3,666;
  • total US$64,204 to 72,916.
  UT Austin lists differential tuition for the business, engineering and natural sciences schools; the College of Liberal Arts is not among them.
• Scholarships and aid: there is no separate scholarship application. The need-based aid UT describes runs through the FAFSA or TASFA, and its admissions pages do not describe need-based aid for international undergraduates; check with International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS).

8. Transfer students

• Who applies as an international transfer: students who started post-secondary study after high school and will have earned 24 hours of transferable coursework; international applicants cannot count courses in progress.
• Timeline: for fall, the Common App opens 1 September and closes 1 March, with international transfer decisions by 15 June; for spring, the deadline is 1 September, with decisions on 15 December.
• Materials: one essay, official transcripts from every college attended, high school records, a required resume and optional recommendations. Review focuses on challenging college coursework, coursework and experience related to your field, required courses for the major and your GPA trend.
• Credit: courses are evaluated individually; see UT’s transfer credit resources. The Psychology BA requires at least 60 hours in residence (24 of them upper-division), at least 18 major hours in residence, and PSY 420M plus at least six upper-division psychology hours at UT.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Put Psychology (BA or BS) as your first-choice major on the Common App; apply by 15 October (EA) or 1 December
• Official SAT or ACT required; TOEFL 79 (or 4), IELTS 6.5 or Duolingo 115
• Essay and short answers; optional resume and up to two recommendations

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• Graduates of Canadian high schools outside Quebec are generally exempt from English tests
• SAT or ACT required; complete the course entry form if MyStatus asks

Transfer students:

• 24 completed transferable hours; fall deadline 1 March
• Send a resume and all college transcripts; check early which courses transfer and which must be taken at UT

Sources: The University of Texas at Austin, Freshman admission; International freshman admission; Information for international students and English requirements; Review and decision process; Admissions FAQ; Colleges and degrees; Psychology (BA) catalog; Psychology (BS) catalog; Department of Psychology; 2026-27 cost of attendance; Tuition rates; Transfer admission; International transfer admission; Transfer credit resources. Information is for summer/fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 figures). Check UT Austin for the latest details.