Admissions
Due to the hands-on nature of much of its curriculum, participation in the EVS Program is restricted to 50 students per year. By contrast, The University of Texas at Austin enrolls nearly 40,000 undergraduates each year. Consequently, EVS is very selective, and admission is available only through a competitive application process.
- Internal Transfer Process
- Non-Major Seats in EVS 311
- Internal Transfer Information Sessions
- Prospective Freshmen and External Transfer Students
Internal Transfer Students (Current UT Students)
Applications to EVS for students currently enrolled at UT Austin are accepted each spring for enrollment in the program the following academic year. Applicants should meet the following requirements to be competitive for internal transfer admissions:
- Completion of or enrollment in at least one of the basic sequence courses in EVS (BIO 311C, CH 301, M 408C/K/N, and/or GEO 401/303/GRG 401C).
- Minimum 3.0 cumulative UT GPA at the time of the application
- Minimum 3.0 GPA in completed basic sequence courses
Overall factors in assessment of internal transfer applications will include, but are not limited to:
- the student’s grade point average in the EVS basic sequence courses;
- the student’s overall grade point average at the University;
- the difficulty of the student’s course load, course repetitions, and proven mathematical ability;
- interest in environmental science and in the EVS Program; and
- previous lab or field experience, and any environmentally-related volunteer work.
In practice, as the number of seats available for internal transfer students is limited, the GPA of successful internal transfer applicants is typically higher. Interested students are therefore encouraged to explore all options for environmental study at the university. Internal transfer applications are typically open during the month of February for program entry in the following academic year.
The EVS internal transfer application for 2022-23 will be open Feb. 1st and close May 1st.
Applications will be reviewed in early June after spring 2022 grades are posted, and all applicants will be contacted with admission decisions no earlier than June 15, 2022. All offers will be sent via Secure Academic Note.
Current UT Austin students interested in applying for the EVS major are encouraged to attend an information session prior to submitting their application. Unless noted, all sessions will be in person. For the Zoom appointments, the link is included below and the Zoom session will open about 5 minutes before the presentation.
Internal Transfer Information Sessions
All in person sessions will take place in the the McQueen Conference Room, JGB 2.102A
October 12th: 3-4pm
October 31: 3-4pm
November 15: 11am-12pm
Non-Major Seats in EVS 311 (Current UT Students)
Current UT Austin students interested in internally transferring into the EVS Program may request a non-major seat in EVS 311 (Introductory Field Seminar in Environmental Science & Sustainability), pending availability. The application is available once spring registration has ended and we have determined if there will be extra seats to offer to non-majors.
Pending available seats, the application for non-major seats in EVS 311 for the Spring 2023 semester will open Nov. 16th 2022 and will close Dec. 9th at 11:59pm
Decisions will be announced no later than the first class day of the spring semester via a secure academic note, and the EVS Advising Coordinator will work with students offered a seat during add/drop to add the class to their schedules.
Prospective Freshmen and External Transfer Applicants
Students not currently enrolled at UT Austin can apply directly to the EVS Program on their application to the university by selecting “environmental science” as their major at the College of Natural Sciences, the College of Liberal Arts, or the Jackson School of Geosciences. Applicants should apply through the college they believe best suits their academic interests and needs.
To be considered for admission to the EVS program, freshmen and external transfer applicants must meet Calculus Readiness Requirement, described below.
Freshmen and external transfer applicants are evaluated through the university’s Office of Admission, and therefore are evaluated according to the official application review factors. External transfer applicants should check the prerequisites for EVS in each college as outlined on the Admissions Prerequisites page.
Please Note: All EVS applications, including first year and external transfer student applications, are be reviewed by a central admission committee. Consequently, the likelihood of acceptance to the Program does not increase in the event an applicant applies to EVS through more than one college.
Calculus Readiness Requirement
To be considered for admission to the Environmental Science major as a prospective freshman or external transfer applicant, you must meet the calculus readiness requirement. You can show calculus readiness by submitting one of the following by the admissions deadline:
- A SAT Math score of 620 or above (on exams taken after March 2016; a score of 600 or above is considered for exams taken prior to March 2016);
- An ACT Math score of 26 or above;
- An AB or BC Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus Test score of 3 or higher;
- An International Baccalaureate (IB) HL or SL Mathematics score of 4 or higher;
- An official college or university transcript showing credit for a college-level Calculus I (or higher) course with a grade of “C-” or higher; or
If you have any questions about this process or the above criteria, please take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions or contact the EVS Program at evs@esi.utexas.edu.