Applying to Dean’s Scholars

Incoming Freshmen

First-year students may apply to honors through the ApplyTexas or Common Application systems. If you have already submitted your main UT application through either of those systems without applying for honors, you need to fill out the separate honors application, which can be located on UT Austin’s admissions site.

For the Fall 2023 cycle, the priority deadline for UT Austin admissions is November 1. Honors applicants are encouraged to apply by this date. The final deadline for UT Austin admissions and CNS honors applications is December 1.

Please refer to the CNS Honors Admissions website for the most updated information regarding required materials and deadlines.

Please note that applying to Dean’s Scholars is restricted to students applying to the College of Natural Sciences. Find answers to additional FAQs and read more about the difference between departmental honors and college-wide honors programs in CNS here.

Transfer Students

Current students in the College of Natural Sciences wishing to transfer into Dean’s Scholars cannot have completed more than three (3) semesters of college coursework. A short essay, resume, and letter of recommendation are required.

Deadlines to apply are December 15 for the spring and July 31 for the fall. Please refer to the CNS Honors Admissions website for the most updated information regarding required materials and deadlines.

The linked form on the CNS website is a shared transfer application for all three CNS Honors programs. You may indicate that you wish to apply to Dean’s Scholars by selecting our program name in the drop-down menu.

Find answers to additional FAQs and read more about the difference between departmental honors and college-wide honors programs in CNS here.

Application Timeline

The application timeline for incoming freshmen depends on if your application was submitted before the Priority (November 1st) or the Regular (December 1st) Deadline. Please visit the official admissions’ website for freshman applications and CNS Honors for the most updated information.

Submit Your Application

For the Priority Deadline, you must submit both your UT Austin application and the supplemental Honors application by November 1.

For the Regular Deadline, you must submit your UT Austin application and CNS Honors application by December 1.

While CNS Honors encourages applicants to apply by November 1st, the program will review applications submitted by either the Priority or the Regular Deadline.


Decision Notifications

Decision notifications for applications submitted before the Priority Deadline will come out by February 1.

Decision notifications for applications submitted before the Regular Deadline will come out by March 1.

Your decision may be deferred. Please note that this is normal and is not an indication of an unfavorable outcome.


Accept Your Offer

You have until May 1 to accept or decline your offer.