External Transfer Applicants

Application Deadline: March 1

Apply for Admission

Application Process

The external transfer process is for any non-UT Austin student who has taken college-level courses post-high school or after receiving a GED and applying to enter the B.F.A. or B.A. Design major. Admission to the Design program is highly competitive and selective.

Additional Information for External Transfer Applicants

• Priority consideration is given to applicants with a transfer GPA of at least a 3.00.
• Applicants must have completed at least 24 hours of transferable credit before June 1 in order to be considered for admission for the fall.
• To learn how courses taken at other Texas colleges will transfer to UT Austin, consult the Office of Admissions' Automated Transfer Equivalency (ATE) system.
• Be sure to read through UT Austin’s Transfer Resources for helpful guidance when preparing to transfer and avoiding common transfer issues.

When filling out the UT Austin application, select your first-choice major as B.A. Design or B.F.A. Design under the College of Fine Arts. All students are encouraged to highlight their other design-related experiences, creative involvements, and coursework within their UT application materials and essays. Since all of these materials will be taken into consideration during review, be sure to put as much thought and time as possible into each of these requirements.

The School of Design and Creative Technologies accepts applications for fall semesters only.

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Steps to Apply

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Preparing a Creative Design Prompt & Video

To apply to the B.A./B.F.A. Design program at UT Austin, you need to submit a response to this year’s Creative Design Prompt. This should include a final creative work based on the provided prompt guidelines and a short video essay. The prompt allows you to showcase your interests, skills, and creative thinking. We recommend spending no more than 6 hours on your submission.

Updated for Fall 2025 Applicants

Creative Prompt

Design is a broad field that can be practiced in many ways for many purposes. As designers, we might create projects that:

• Clarify complex information
• Guide or give instructions
• Rethink an object or experience
• Create a call to action

As an aspiring designer yourself, create a new work using ONE of the approaches listed above.

When creating, keep in mind the context of this new work. It can be based on your identity and experiences, current or historical topics you are interested in, or even the ways you think about the future. You can use any medium or format you prefer, and create using any available tools, technology, or materials. The prompt is purposely open-ended so that you can choose to showcase your creativity in any medium that helps you thoughtfully compose your project.

Behind-the-Scenes Video

In addition to uploading your Final Work, you will also create a short (maximum 60 seconds) "Behind-the-Scenes" video essay. Describe your motivations, intentions, and the story behind your Final Work. Show not only the "how" but also the "why" behind your design choices and goals. You don't need to have advanced video editing skills; we're interested in understanding your thought process and approach.

You can create your video using any accessible method, such as iMovie, TikTok, or simply your smartphone camera. Here are some other additional tips:

• Include whatever visuals you think are needed to support your video presentation
• Showcase your creative process more broadly, not just simply a time-lapse of your project without context
• It is your choice whether you want to appear in the video or not

Keep in mind the technical requirements for upload listed below. Additionally, feel free to explore various free/low-cost design software alternatives to the Adobe products here.

Preparing Work Samples

In addition to the design prompt, transfer applicants must submit up to 3 recent examples of your design work from any medium. One or two samples is fine, but please do not upload more than 3. These additional work samples should demonstrate your trajectory as an aspiring designer.

Please note that you do not need to have formally studied or practiced design to be considered for this program. We are interested in seeing evidence that you are a creative thinker who likes to make things and can solve problems.

This could include 2-D or 3-D art or design work, performance art, graphic design projects such as logo-design or yearbook layouts, application development, website design, robotics, coding or other digital concepts you’ve explored.

Give your works descriptive titles (“poster design,” “prototype for chair,” “wireframe for a productivity app,” etc.) and tell us what materials, techniques, and/or software you used to create it. Feel free to include sketches and process documents as well. All documentation, photos or scans of your work should have good resolution/clarity to show detail, be well-lit, and cropped appropriately.

Reference the approved file format list when uploading your work. If you have an online portfolio or other website with your work, you can choose to provide a URL in your transfer resume, but please upload your creative submission files separately through the instructions listed on your MyStatus portal.

Document File Types & Sizes

• Document Files - .doc, .docx, .odg, .odp, .odt, .pdf, .ppt, .pptx, .rtf, .wpd  
  Must be less than 1GB
• Video - .mp4 file or include a link to Vimeo or YouTube (be sure to set privacy settings to public)  
  Must be less than 5GB, and no longer than 60 seconds
• Audio - .aac, .aif, .aiff, .iff, .fla, .m4a, .mpa, .mp3, .ra, .wav, .wma  
  Must be less than 5GB, and no longer than 60 seconds
• Slide - .bmp, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, .tiff  
  Must be less than 5GB
• Link - If your materials are located on YouTube, Vimeo or another online service, you may include the URL link (be sure to set privacy settings to public). Google Drive links will not be accepted.  
  Must be no longer than 60 seconds

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Internal UT Transfer Applicants

Application Deadline: May 1

Apply for Admission

Application Process

The internal transfer or add simultaneous major process is for current UT Austin students who are applying to enter the B.F.A. or B.A. Design major. Admission to the Design program is highly competitive and selective. When applying to this department, you are strongly advised to develop a backup plan for pursuing other majors. Use resources such as the Vick Center for Strategic Advising & Career Counseling and Wayfinder to determine what majors might be right for you. The maximum number of times a student may apply to the Department of Design is two. All applicants must also meet UT’s criteria for internal transfer.

Additional Internal Transfer Criteria

You are eligible to apply to internally transfer from another UT Austin college or add a simultaneous major in the Department of Design if you meet all of the following criteria:

• You are currently an enrolled or returning undergraduate student at UT Austin (SDCT only accepts applications for the fall semester).
• You will have no more than 60 hours of coursework completed in-residence at UT Austin by the fall semester for which you’re applying for admission as according to UT’s 60-hour rule. You can read more about the credit hour rules under the Internal Transfer Requirements.
• You have not already applied twice to internally transfer or add a simultaneous major in this department.
• The Admissions Committee gives preference to applicants who have at least a 3.0 GPA by the end of the semester in which the student applies.
• Only required for Simultaneous Major applicants: You have completed 30 credit hours in-residence at UT Austin. These 30 hours cannot include AP, IB, credit-by-exam, dual or transfer credits. You may apply to the department for a simultaneous major while in progress to meet the 30-hour requirement, but you must complete these hours prior to the fall semester for which you would potentially be admitted.

If you are a current major in the Department of Design who wishes to change between the B.F.A. in Design and B.A. in Design, set an appointment to meet with your undergraduate academic advisor to learn about the process.

The School of Design and Creative Technologies accepts applications for fall semesters only.

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Steps to Apply

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Preparing a Creative Design Prompt & Video

To apply to the B.A./B.F.A. Design program at UT Austin, you need to submit a response to this year’s Creative Design Prompt. This should include a final creative work based on the provided prompt guidelines and a short video essay. The prompt allows you to showcase your interests, skills, and creative thinking. We recommend spending no more than 6 hours on your submission.

Updated for Fall 2025 Applicants

Creative Prompt

Design is a broad field that can be practiced in many ways for many purposes. As designers, we might create projects that:

• Clarify complex information
• Guide or give instructions
• Rethink an object or experience
• Create a call to action

As an aspiring designer yourself, create a new work using ONE of the approaches listed above.

When creating, keep in mind the context of this new work. It can be based on your identity and experiences, current or historical topics you are interested in, or even the ways you think about the future. You can use any medium or format you prefer, and create using any available tools, technology, or materials. The prompt is purposely open-ended so that you can choose to showcase your creativity in any medium that helps you thoughtfully compose your project.

Behind-the-Scenes Video

In addition to uploading your Final Work, you will also create a short (maximum 60 seconds) "Behind-the-Scenes" video essay. Describe your motivations, intentions, and the story behind your Final Work. Show not only the "how" but also the "why" behind your design choices and goals. You don't need to have advanced video editing skills; we're interested in understanding your thought process and approach.

You can create your video using any accessible method, such as iMovie, TikTok, or simply your smartphone camera. Here are some other additional tips:

• Include whatever visuals you think are needed to support your video presentation
• Showcase your creative process more broadly, not just simply a time-lapse of your project without context
• It is your choice whether you want to appear in the video or not

Keep in mind the technical requirements for upload listed below. Additionally, feel free to explore various free/low-cost design software alternatives to the Adobe products here.

Preparing Work Samples

In addition to the design prompt, transfer applicants must submit up to 3 recent examples of your design work from any medium. One or two samples is fine, but please do not upload more than 3. These additional work samples should demonstrate your trajectory as an aspiring designer.

Please note that you do not need to have formally studied or practiced design to be considered for this program. We are interested in seeing evidence that you are a creative thinker who likes to make things and can solve problems.

This could include 2-D or 3-D art or design work, performance art, graphic design projects such as logo-design or yearbook layouts, application development, website design, robotics, coding or other digital concepts you’ve explored.

Give your works descriptive titles (“poster design,” “prototype for chair,” “wireframe for a productivity app,” etc.) and tell us what materials, techniques, and/or software you used to create it. Feel free to include sketches and process documents as well. All documentation, photos or scans of your work should have good resolution/clarity to show detail, be well-lit, and cropped appropriately.

Reference the approved file format list when uploading your work. If you have an online portfolio or other website with your work, you can choose to provide a URL in your transfer resume, but please upload your creative submission files separately through the instructions listed on your Internal Transfer application portal.

Document File Types & Sizes

• Document Files - .doc, .docx, .odg, .odp, .odt, .pdf, .ppt, .pptx, .rtf, .wpd  
  Must be less than 1GB
• Video - .mp4 file or include a link to Vimeo or YouTube (be sure to set privacy settings to public)  
  Must be less than 5GB, and no longer than 60 seconds
• Audio - .aac, .aif, .aiff, .iff, .fla, .m4a, .mpa, .mp3, .ra, .wav, .wma  
  Must be less than 5GB, and no longer than 60 seconds
• Slide - .bmp, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, .tiff  
  Must be less than 5GB
• Link - If your materials are located on YouTube, Vimeo or another online service, you may include the URL link (be sure to set privacy settings to public). Google Drive links will not be accepted.  
  Must be no longer than 60 seconds

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