Doctoral Program Admissions
Application to the PhD program requires admission to both UT Austin Graduate School and the Steve Hicks School. A single online application is needed.
Admission to the PhD program is competitive. We encourage early application.
Helpful Links
We welcome applications from all persons regardless of race, sex, color, religious affiliation, age, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, or ability. We consider these aspects during admission: human services motivation, academic potential, interpersonal effectiveness, capacity for sustained effort, and communication skills.
Let us help you decide if our doctoral program is the right fit for you:
- Learn more about the Steve Hicks School.
- Browse the PhD Program pages on this website.
- Contact program faculty to express interest in working with them and to learn more about their work. See the list of faculty accepting students for Fall 2025 here.
- See facts and figures about Steve Hicks School doctoral students.
- Learn more about UT Austin by visiting the Graduate School pages.
- Visit Texas One Stop to find information about tuition rates, cost of attendance, financial aid and more.
- Visit the admissions page of the Graduate School to find specific application information for graduate students.
Minimum requirements
- Master’s degree from accredited school of social work or related field with extensive experience in human services.
- GPA of 3.00 or above in upper-division (junior and senior) courses and in any completed graduate work.
- Minimum grade of B on a college or above statistics course. Research methods courses do not fulfill this requirement.
- International applicants from countries with primary language other than English: scores for TOEFL (minimum of 100, 25 in each section preferred) and TSE, or TOEFL-iBT. We do not accept IELTS.
- Show capacity for advanced academic work and potential for scholarship.
- Demonstrate excellent writing and analytic skills, show evidence of research interests and capabilities.
- The GRE score requirement is waived for the Fall 2025-2026 application cycle.
The deadline to submit all application materials is the November 14, 2025. Applicant files not complete by this deadline will not be reviewed.
All applicants are notified electronically of admission decisions as soon as they are finalized. You will be notified if you are admitted, denied, or on a wait list. We strive for a cohort of approximately six PhD students per year.
Please visit this Graduate School’s page for more information.
Info Sessions
Join our virtual info session to discover how the program advances social justice through impactful, transdisciplinary research. In this session, you will:
- Learn how the Steve Hicks School prepares scholars to advance the field of social work
- Learn about the admissions process requirements
- Explore funding opportunities and program highlights
- Have the chance to ask questions about the program
| Upcoming session | Time |
|---|---|
| July 8, 2025 | 12:00pm CST |
| July 31, 2025 | 5:00pm CST |
| August 13, 2025 | 12:00pm CST |
| September 9, 2025 | 5:00pm CST |