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Students seeking admission to the Cockrell School of Engineering with 24 hours of transferable credit from other colleges or universities are classified as external transfer students.

All students admitted to the Cockrell School are admitted to a specific major. Due to the nature of transfer students’ coursework, we highly recommend students apply to the major in which they intend to earn a degree. It is important for applicants to be familiar with the areas of study within the major degree offerings.

Explore Majors

In addition to submitting a completed application for admission, external transfer applicants to the Cockrell School of Engineering should also review the following information regarding special application requirements and admission restrictions:

• Students do not need to earn an associate's degree before transferring.
• Admission to the Cockrell School is competitive and based on criteria similar to but higher than those for admission to the university.
• The school limits undergraduate admission to the number of students it can provide a high-quality education.
• Texas community college students should review the recommended core curriculum courses and transfer guides prior to applying.
• Each transfer applicant's performance in technical coursework such as calculus, chemistry and physics is carefully reviewed.
• Application deadline is March 1 and it is only for Fall admission.

Please note: Completion of prerequisite sequences in the major area can require a minimum of five or more semesters. Therefore, most transfer students should anticipate a minimum of five long semesters or the equivalent in residence at the University. Most transfer students in the Cockrell School take six to seven long semesters to graduate after transferring from another university.

Most students who complete 24 hours at another institution and transfer directly to the Cockrell School are often best on track for completing an engineering degree in a timely manner. We encourage students to become familiar with the degree plans for their major of choice and utilize the Automated Transfer Equivalency through Texas Admissions to evaluate how their individual credits will transfer.

If an external transfer student accepts an offer to a different major at UT Austin with the intent of switching into the Cockrell School, they will need to meet internal transfer requirements and apply through a competitive application process. Students with non-engineering majors need at least one year of in-residence coursework at UT Austin before they are eligible to apply for internal transfer. Learn more about internal transfer

Guidelines and Requirements for Transfer Students

Below are general guidelines for prospective transfer students. Additional information is available through Texas Admissions.

• Students who wish to transfer to the university from another college or university must apply to Texas Admissions. Requirements for admission as a transfer student vary, but all transfer applicants must submit transcripts of all college and high school coursework.
• Transfer students must have completed at least the equivalent of:
  • Mathematics 408D or M 408L or M 408M (TCCN: Math 2415)
  • Physics 303K (TCCN: PHYS 2425)
  • Physics 103M (lab)
• Transfer applicants must also complete four technical courses (math, physics, chemistry, biology, geology, computer science and engineering).
  • The courses listed above may apply toward the four technical courses.
• Refer to the Automated Transfer Equivalency online database for details about how the courses you are taking, or plan to take, will transfer.
• Only courses listed in the student's engineering degree program, or equivalent courses accepted by the department chair and approved by the dean, may be counted toward an engineering degree. A course may therefore be accepted for transfer credit but not be applicable toward an engineering degree
  • Because significant differences may exist between courses that appear to be very similar, students who have questions about the requirements of a specific degree plan should contact the appropriate departmental advising office.
• Special note for Electrical and Computer Engineering students: A maximum of 25 semester credit hours in electrical engineering transfer courses may be counted toward a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Additional Resources

• Common Transfer Credit Issues
• Engineering Scholarships
• Instructional Assessment and Evaluation
• Office of Student Financial Services
• Visit UT and Texas Engineering

The Cockrell School of Engineering offers a select group of students the opportunity to participate in the Engineering Honors Program (EHP), a non-curriculum-based program that awards merit scholarships to first-year participants. Additionally, participants can be considered for honors housing.

The Engineering Honors Program considers all engineering majors for participation in the program after admission decisions have been determined by the UT Office of Admissions. Because the Engineering Honors Program is not a degree program, an invitation to participate in the EHP in no way communicates an admission decision for one of the Honors Degree Programs listed below.

How to Apply

First-year Students

First-year selections are made by reviewing the standard materials required to apply for admission to the university. No additional essays or application materials are required, but submitting an expanded résumé is recommended. If you would like to be considered for the Engineering Honors Program, please acknowledge your interest in your admission application.

If you decide to apply for the EHP after you submit your admission application, you may complete the external honors program application by December 1. This external application is not required unless you can no longer access the acknowledgment question in your admission application. Students who use either method to apply will be considered equally.

To view your application status, review the Honors tab in MyStatus. It takes 1-2 days for your status to update after you complete the application. The Cockrell School mails invitation letters January through March.

Current Students

If you are not invited to join the program as a first-year student, you could be invited to apply later if you meet the following criteria:

• Completed at least 24 hours in residence in the Cockrell School
• Have at least 60 credit hours remaining in your degree program
• Rank in the top 10 percent of your class and degree program

Honors Thesis

Some students in the Engineering Honors Program complete an optional thesis at the culmination of an undergraduate research experience. Areas of research examined by engineering honors students are often the fields leading to their careers after graduation or their areas of interest in graduate school. In an informal academic conference, engineering honors students give short presentations about their theses. Students who complete their theses receive special honors designation on their transcripts and recognition during their commencement ceremonies.

Honors Degree Programs

In addition to indicating an interest in the Cockrell School’s EHP, first-year students can select any of the following degree programs below as a major choice when applying for freshman admission. Admission into one of these degree programs does not convey an invitation to participate in the EHP. For additional information, please visit Applying to Honors on the UT Admissions website.

Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Honors Program 
The ECE Honors Program provides a rigorous, challenging and faster-pace curriculum and environment to a cohort of ECE students.

Electrical and Computer Engineering & Business (ECB)
The Texas Honors Electrical and Computer Engineering and Business is an integrated degree program that allows you to earn degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Business in a shorter time.

Engineering and Plan II Honors Program
Students interested in pursuing challenging liberal arts courses while also pursuing a degree in engineering can consider applying to both Engineering and the Plan II Honors Program.  Interested students should apply to one Engineering major (first choice) and to a College of Liberal Arts major of your choice (second choice) in order to be considered for admission to both programs. Students must also submit the additional Plan II Honors Program application to fulfill admission requirements to that specific honors program. Admissions decisions for Engineering, Liberal Arts and the Plan II Honors Programs are separate, and admission is not guaranteed.  

The following criteria demonstrate calculus readiness for admissions purposes:

• SAT Math score of 620 or above
• ACT Math score of 26 or above
• Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus AB or BC test score of 3 or higher
• International Baccalaureate (IB) HL or SL Mathematics score of 4 or higher
• Official college or university transcript showing credit for a college-level Calculus I (or higher) course with a grade of B or higher
• Official high school transcript showing credit for a Calculus I (or higher) course with a grade of B or higher

Please send SAT, ACT, AP or IB test scores to The University of Texas at Austin if scores will be used as proof of calculus readiness. If earned college credit will be used to show calculus readiness, an official college transcript is required.