Undergraduate Admissions
Admission to all majors in the Cockrell School of Engineering is competitive and automatic admission for eligible Texas applicants is restricted.
Freshman applicants seeking admission to any department in the Cockrell School of Engineering must meet the calculus readiness requirement by the official admissions application deadline. Applicants can apply for engineering scholarships.
For questions related to Freshman Admissions, please contact the Office of Admissions. The Office of Admissions makes all undergraduate admissions decisions for the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering.
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Transfer Students
Internal Transfers
Students currently enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin in another major who wish to change their major to petroleum or geosystems engineering should visit the Cockrell School of Engineering’s Internal Transfer page for more information.
External Transfers
Students currently enrolled at another college or university who want to apply for admission to the PGE department at The University of Texas at Austin must apply for external transfer. For additional information or questions about external transfers, please contact the Office of Admissions.
Need information on transferring credits to UT Austin? See the Office of Admissions Transfer Credit Resources guide.
Coordinated Admissions Program (CAP)
The Coordinated Admissions Program (CAP) is an offer made to Texas residents who applied as first-time freshmen to UT Austin and were not admitted. If you are a participant in CAP, you will have guaranteed admission into UT Austin, but not necessarily into the PGE department.
- What are the minimum requirements for an external transfer applicant?
The University of Texas at Austin requires that transfer students have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA in order to submit an application. You will need at least 30 hours of credit (this can include dual credit). Transfer students must have at least the equivalent of Mathematics 408D or M 408L or M 408M, Physics 303K and Physics 103M (lab). This must be shown on your college transcript at the time of application deadline. - What are my chances of admission to PGE?
UT PGE is a competitive program and admission depends on space available in the program. There is no set of criteria that can be met that will guarantee acceptance. The Office of Admissions reviews all applications and makes decisions regarding who will be admitted. They receive a large number of outstanding transfer applications each year and can only accept a small number of external transfer students. To be competitive for admission, transfer students need to have an outstanding GPA as most applicants who are admitted have a 3.9 out of 4.0 GPA (or higher). - Can I apply for spring or summer admission?
No. Currently, we only admit students in the fall semester. - Will I be considered for scholarships as a transfer student?
There are limited external transfer scholarships available through the Cockrell School of Engineering. The PGE department does not award transfer scholarships the first semester a student is transferred into the department, either internally or externally.
After the first semester, all transfer students with a 3.0 GPA who have completed the engineering scholarship application are eligible to be considered for a departmental scholarship.
Campus Visits
UT PGE regularly hosts current high school students and their families to learn about our top-ranked, globally recognized engineering programs and take a short tour of our student study lounge and lab spaces.
Prospective Student Info Sessions
The Cockrell School of Engineering offers prospective undergraduate student info sessions geared toward prospective high school students who are currently in the application process and would like to learn more about college or its programs.
Cost and Tuition
The University of Texas at Austin offers an outstanding education at a reasonable cost, compared to other institutions of its caliber. UT Austin provides a Cost & Tuition Rates Calculator to help students estimate their cost of attendance.
Please submit the Engineering Scholarship Application to be considered for financial support through the Cockrell School of Engineering.
The Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering awards scholarships each year to incoming high school students. These awards are based on the students’ academic achievement as reflected in their high school GPAs, class rank, and SAT scores. To be eligible for these scholarships, admitted students must be enrolled in Petroleum Engineering or Geosystems Engineering and Hydrogeology and must take 14 hours towards their engineering degree. Students who have been accepted to the PGE department, who are slated to receive scholarships, will receive notification by the department shortly after their admission as to the scholarship award and amount.
Ongoing students may also be eligible to receive departmental scholarships, if their cumulative GPA is 3.2 or above and if they have not reached their scholarship goal through Cockrell School of Engineering scholarships. Transfer students are eligible after they have completed one semester in residence at The University of Texas at Austin campus.
First Year Experience
The Hildebrand Department prioritizes creating a smooth transition for first-year and transfer students into the petroleum and geosystems engineering majors by offering supportive programs that will introduce you to your classmates and professors. The following initiatives will help you to build lasting friendships, introduce you to the oil and gas industry and give you the tools for academic success.
- First-Year Fall Retreat
The First-Year Fall Retreat is a required event hosted for newly admitted UT PGE undergraduate students. All incoming fall-semester students, including freshmen and transfer students, are invited to take part in this exciting event, which introduces students to Longhorn spirit and pride. - Study Abroad
The Cockrell School of Engineering offers several study abroad opportunities each semester, including an annual study abroad experience to Zagreb and Dubrovnik, Croatia, led by PGE Professor Maša Prodanović. - First-Year Interest Group (FIG)
UT PGE First-Year Interest Groups give students a great opportunity to bond with each other in a small community of students sharing the same interests. Students are put in three of their major courses together and then meet together once a week in their cohort. Department FIGs are lead by UT PGE student mentors who engage the group in academic and social activities. - Info for Admitted Students
Additional resources for admitted students can be found at the Cockrell School of Engineering, including new student orientations, FAQs for admitted students and admitted student checklists.
