Entrance and English language Testing & Test Scores
When applying for admission as a first-time international undergraduate, you must submit
- Official scores for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or the ACT Assessment (ACT) and
- Official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the Academic Examination of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores
SAT Reasoning & ACT Exams
A complete application for admission includes official standardized test scores from either the SAT Reasoning or ACT exam.
Details about SAT & ACT exam scores
Official scores from testing agency
Have the testing agency send your official SAT Reasoning scores or ACT scores (including the Optional Writing Test) directly to UT Austin. Scores on transcripts and student score reports sent to you don’t fulfill this requirement.
Writing Test for ACT test takers
If you choose to take the ACT, you must also take ACT's Optional Writing Test on the same date if you plan to submit your ACT scores to UT Austin. ACT scores submitted without a Writing Test score do not complete your testing requirement.
Multiple score reports and how we use them
You may submit as many score reports as you like. If you submit more than one score report, we will use the score from a single test date that will benefit you the most when your application is reviewed. We will not, however, combine scores from different test dates (a critical reading score from one test date with a mathematics score from another test date, for example) to come up with a better score.
Requesting an additional score report for UT Austin
If you didn’t have your scores sent to UT Austin when you took the exam, contact the testing agency to have an additional score report sent to us. Scores on transcripts and student score reports sent to you don’t fulfill this requirement.
Getting scores here on time
To assure that your scores reach us by the application deadline, you should plan to take either the SAT or ACT no later than December of your senior year (if you’re applying for the summer or fall semesters).
Calculus readiness for engineering applicants
For a freshman application for admission to engineering to be complete, an applicant must fulfill the requirements of the Cockrell School of Engineering’s Calculus Readiness Requirement. (Most students fulfill the requirement by submitting scores from the SAT Subject Test in Mathematics.)
TOEFL or IELTS
Submit either an official TOEFL or IELTS score report demonstrating an adequate knowledge of English. International applicants receive a waiver of English language testing if they:
- Are from an English-only speaking country
- Graduate from a high school in the U.S. or in an English-only speaking country
- Have completed three years of study in a U.S. high school before graduating from high school
There is no institutional code for the IELTS examination. To fulfill your requirement for English language testing with scores from the IELTS, have your official scores sent to UT Austin at the following address:
Graduate and International Admissions Center
The University of Texas at Austin
P.O. Box 7608
Austin, Texas 78713-7608
Applicants from the following English-only countries do not need to submit a TOEFL or IELTS score.
TOEFL/IELTS exempt countries
American Samoa
Australia
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Canada (except Quebec)
Dominica
Grenada
Grand Cayman
Guyana
Ireland
Jamaica
Liberia
New Zealand
Sierra Leone
Trinidad/Tobago
Turks and Caicos Islands
United Kingdom
U.S. Pacific Trust
College Credit for Earning an IB Diploma
Students who are admitted to the university and have earned an IB Diploma during high school may qualify for 24 hours of college credit. Details about the program are available from the Division of Instructional Assessment and Evaluation (formerly the Measurement and Evaluation Center).
SAT Subject Tests
Most applicants are not required to submit SAT Subject Test scores as part of the admissions application (although some engineering applicants do need to submit them to fulfill the Calculus Readiness Requirement for the Cockrell School of Engineering).
However, many applicants do choose to submit SAT Subject Test scores in hopes of attaining credit for required coursework. When we receive SAT Subject Test scores from a high school student, we set them aside until the application cycle is complete. If an applicant is admitted, credit is given for SAT Subject Tests based on established guidelines.
After being admitted, most students also take at least one SAT Subject Test for freshman course placement purposes.
Official Score Reports
Only test scores sent to UT Austin directly from the testing agency are considered official. You should take the tests well in advance of the appropriate application deadline to insure that scores will arrive on time. Copies of test scores are not considered official, but they may help the university locate your official test scores and are therefore useful when the application is processed.