Complete the pre-enrollment course requirements* and satisfy the following criteria:

• Current UT undergraduate student completing a non-accounting bachelor’s degree
• Minimum 3.5 grade point average, both overall and in your major
• Senior standing (90 or more credit hours) prior to summer admission

*MPA Bridge course requirements should be completed prior to applying. However, if you are a high achieving applicant and are lacking a pre-enrollment requirement, you may still apply to the MPA Bridge program. If you are admitted, we expect you to complete the outstanding requirement before enrolling in MPA classes.

All international applicants must possess strong English skills to be considered for the MPA Bridge program. Official scores for either the Internet-based TOEFL, IELTS , or Duolingo English Test must be on your UT record prior to the application deadline unless you were allowed to waive the English Test for admission to UT Austin.

Our preferred minimum scores:

TOEFL: 5 overall and section scores (6-point scale) or 105 overall and 24 section scores (120 scale; tests taken before January 21, 2026)

IELTS: 7.0-7.5 overall and section band scores

Dulingo English Test: 135 overall, 140 speaking and writing, and 130 reading and listening

If your previously-submitted test scores do not accurately reflect your current English proficiency, we strongly recommend that you retake the test and increase your scores.

Admission to the MPA Bridge program is for the summer semester only. Submit your application in the spring of your junior year. Application will open late August 2026. Completed applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

The following materials are required for a complete application:

• Online application
• Resume
• Essays (written and video)
• Two recommendation letters from faculty at UT Austin

When completing your application, you will be prompted to provide a link to your video essay, upload your written essays and resume, and send your recommenders an invitation to submit their recommendation letters. Read the instructions in the MPA Bridge Admissions Packet carefully before starting your application. Review the MPA admissions blog for additional application tips.

If you are taking prerequisite courses in the summer, indicate in the application where you plan to take the courses. Notify MPA Admissions if your prerequisite plans change after you submit your application. All prerequisites must be completed before starting MPA courses.

If admitted, you will meet with your MPA academic advisor before the second summer session and attend a mandatory orientation in August.

In the final semester of their bachelor’s degree, MPA Bridge students move from undergraduate to graduate standing by submitting an admissions application and paying an application fee. No essays, resume, recommendation letters or standardized test score requirements are associated with acquiring graduate standing. Students are required to enroll in a minimum of two long (fall, spring) semesters after gaining graduate status and must earn their bachelor’s degree before continuing with MPA degree coursework.