The Application Process for the MPA Program —
Application Instructions and Checklist

The MPA online application consists of several components. Please review the following checklist carefully before proceeding with the online application. In addition, the Graduate and International Admissions Center website includes detailed instructions for both U.S. applicants and international applicants regarding the application fee, transcripts and test scores. There are two different types of materials you must submit: materials submitted online and those that must be mailed. Please do not send materials both online and via mail, as the duplication will increase processing time. It is extremely important to use the same version/format/spelling of your official name on all application materials submitted electronically or via mail to ensure all documents are matched to your file.

Listed below are the items that collectively constitute a complete application package for admission to both The University of Texas at Austin and the MPA Program. To ensure prompt and accurate processing of your application, check for each item to be sure it has been received by the application deadline. Please submit your application materials to the appropriate locations listed below. Incomplete applications cannot be evaluated and may encounter processing delays that could affect the admissions decision.

Online Checklist

1. Texas Common Application: This is the online application. It allows you to complete all required information online and includes information required by the University of Texas, as well as specific information required for MPA applicants. Note that all applicants will complete a fall application, even if they will be required to start in the summer. (Please see the "Application Process" web page for more information about who would be required to start in the summer.)
    
2. Application Processing Fee: Payment of all required fees may be submitted electronically or mailed in your Mailed Items packet. The application fee is $80.00 for U.S. Citizens/Permanent Residents and $100.00 for international applicants. In addition, applicants who have previously attended UT-Austin will be billed $10.00 through UT Direct What I Owe for UT academic record processing.
    
3. Texas MPA Application Essay: We suggest you write and edit your essay responses in Word (or similar application) and then copy and paste the text into the Texas Common Application. There are no editing functions within the online application. Your online essay must be no longer than 120 eighty-character lines of text (including spaces and blank lines) (Preview Statement of Purpose Essay now.)
    
4. Two (2) Letters of Recommendation: When you complete the "Employment, References, and Honors" page of the online application for admission, you will be asked to provide the names and email addresses of your recommenders. There will be space for up to three names and email addresses, but you can opt to leave one blank and provide information for just two. Be sure that their email addresses are current and accurate. In addition, on the “Custom University & Major Specific Questions” page, you will be asked to decide whether or not you will waive the right to view your letters after they are submitted. After your application for admission is submitted and received at UT-Austin, the Graduate and International Admissions Center (GIAC) will send email messages to your recommenders and ask them to visit a website where they can complete an online questionnaire. Please note that your recommender will be informed whether or not you have waived your right to view his/her letter of recommendation. After you have submitted your online application for admission, you can log into the application status check website to monitor the status of your pending requests for references, resend the Request for Reference email to your recommenders, or add a new recommender.
   
   If you are unable to provide an email address for a recommender, you may have the recommender return the recommendation form and attached letter to you in sealed envelopes with their signatures across the seal, and you can include the letters in your “mailed items” packet to GIAC. Please note that submitting a hard copy instead of an online recommendation could delay the processing of your application, so it is highly recommended that your recommenders submit an online recommendation whenever possible.

Mailed Items Checklist

The following items should be collected and mailed as one packet. A PDF version of the Document Matching form is provided below.

1. A current Professional Resume (suggested two-page maximum length)
    
2. One (1) official Transcript for each college or university you have attended. Foreign transcripts must be submitted in their original language along with an English translation.
    
3. Document Matching Form (PDF Document): Please complete this form and include it with all materials submitted via mail. It assists in matching the mailed items with the electronic portion of your application.
    
4. Copy of GMAT/TOEFL score reports (optional): Official scores must be sent by GMAC and ETS. Our GMAT program code is 396-44-94, and our TOEFL institution code is 6882 (department code: 99).
    
5. Copy of U.S. Permanent Resident Green Card (if applicable)

Please collect these items and mail them in one packet:

Once you have reviewed the checklist, you may begin the:

Texas Common Application