Internal Transfer and Changing Majors for Current UT-Austin Students

Doubtful Sound, New Zealand

Doubtful Sound, New Zealand

Update: I am offering internal transfer services for the first time as of February 2023. Please reach out to me directly at kevin@texadmissions.com for assistance.

There are two kinds of transfers: external and internal. External transfers begin their studies at one university and wish to move to another, like at Texas A&M, and want to move to Austin. They may or may not be changing their major in addition to moving campuses. I discuss external transferring here.

Internal transfers are current students who wish to enroll in another college or school. Internal transferring contrasts slightly with changing majors because a student inside the College of Liberal Arts, for example, may wish to change their major from History to Government. Changing majors within a college is usually pretty easy (although there are exceptions, especially in Engineering). Changing majors and internal transfers can be used interchangeably, but when you’re Googling for advice, search for internal transfer rather than major changes.

The university limits internal transfer attempts to a particular college/school at two. Only in rare exceptions are students granted appeals to internally transfer after completing 60 hours or four long semesters, so if you want to change your major/internally transfer, you need to do so during your first or second UT year.

When students email me about internally transferring, they come from a few different backgrounds:

  • Current UT students usually wanting to transfer into Business, Engineering, or Computer Science

  • First-time freshman applicants who are not admitted to their first-choice major and want to game plan possible pathways and whether to enroll at UT or another university where they’ve received their major. This is different from appealing discussed here.

  • Prospective external transfers who are trying to apply for a less selective program with hopes of internally transferring after arriving at UT

Generally speaking, it is easier to internally transfer as a UT student than it is to externally transfer from another college or university. You’re also more likely to finish your degree sooner if you internally rather than externally transfer for reasons I discuss further down.

Internally transferring into some majors is relatively straightforward (Liberal Arts, Education, and Social Work) while others are much more difficult (Business, Engineering, Computer Science). A few are nearly impossible (Architecture and Nursing).

I have omitted Jackson Geosciences, Education, and Social Work although the links in this sentence direct you to each portal. For Fine Arts prospective internal transfers, you need to visit the department specific to your major because procedures vary widely.

This post is primarily for prospective UT students who are deciding whether to enroll and possible options after enrolling. I discuss each college or school or particular in-demand majors and provide resources for current UT students to access or prospective UT families to assess their options.

Check out my new book Surviving the College Admissions Madness and Youtube Channel

Internal Transfer Essay Writing Tips

Some colleges and schools either require an essay or allow for an optional one. Unless you’ve got straight A’s, you should opt to submit an essay if it isn’t required. Not all programs will allow for submitting a resume or supplemental materials, so the essay is your opportunity to stand out and provide context to your resume and academic interests.

It’s critical that you cite concrete experiences and share anecdotes that are particular to you. Avoid vagueness or generalities. Reference particular lessons, professors, themes, independent studies, projects, and so on that fit for your proposed major. Share both the how you’ve conducted yourself in addition to the why. Focus mainly or exclusively on your UT experiences and not early childhood. Only if you have substantial high school experiences related to your proposed major should you mention it.

Joining engineering or technical clubs if you’re a non-technical student aiming for CNS or engineering can help. If you’re coming from Natural Sciences or another STEM-oriented major, compare and contrast your current studies with how your proposed major can help you expand your skillset or discover new interests. For Business applicants, a track record of leadership and EC involvement will help because they place a heavy emphasis on the resume in addition to your grades.

It will help to discuss your professional goals. Identifying Central Texas firms or those nationwide that fit your interests will help give reviewers an idea of where you see yourself long-term. Citing HOW you came about these opportunities also helps. Did you listen to a podcast, attend a guest speaker presentation, read a book or published article, or have an influential person in your life that helps guide your goals? If you’ve had a related internship, that will help provide context to your goals. Relate your personal experiences and how your future major courses or research opportunities can aid your path.

I don’t have any polished internal transfer essay examples. External Transfer Apply Texas Essay A Statement of Purpose, however, is similar. These Transfer Essay A examples may help articulate your journey and future goals.

A message to prospective External Transfers intending to change their UT major after enrolling

The most common scenarios I encounter are current business majors at other universities wishing admission to McCombs. However, McCombs external transfer is extremely competitive, with around a 10% admissions rate and an average admit having a 3.93 or higher. They’ve either made a few B’s or don’t have the four prereqs of micro/macroeconomics and Calculus 1 and 2. So they apply first choice to less-selective majors like Economics or Communications. They or their parents present elaborate plans to eventually burrow their way into McCombs. They think that they have things all figured out, but they make a number of faulty or uncertain assumptions.

Let’s say you’ve finished your sophomore year with 60 hours earned for grades or credit by exam having completed most of the Core Curriculum. If you apply to and decide to enroll in Economics, you will spend your first year at UT taking courses that are likely not part of the core curriculum nor will count towards many hours in a Business degree. You can expect to spend your first year at UT doing little that contributes to your eventual graduation.

McCombs is Fall admission only, so if your first UT semester was in the spring, it’s a full year and a half before you’re eligible to apply because McCombs (and most UT programs) requires a minimum of 24 hours in residence, meaning courses taken at UT. For students beginning in the fall, you need to prepare your internal McCombs application soon after your first spring semester begins. Then you need to make all A’s to have a shot - no easy task adjusting to a new campus and rigor.

The earliest you can hope to complete your UT degree if you enter with 60 hours, begin in a different major, and even if you’re lucky enough to gain internal transfer admission, is 3 years and more likely 4 for a Bachelors of Business Administration AFTER arriving at UT. Even if you externally transfer and enroll immediately after your first year at another university, you’re looking at 4.5 to 5 years minimum to finish your degree from when you began your studies presumably following high school.

Let’s assume the worst-case scenario that you’re denied internal transfer to McCombs. Now you’ve squandered a year’s time and money and must decide whether to finish your degree or pursue an external transfer should you wish to still pursue your major. For that reason, I recommend that internal transfers with a strong major preference also prepare and submit external transfer applications in the event they do not succeed with internally transferring.

The rule of thumb for external transfers: if you want to transfer to UT, please select your desired major if you have a strong preference, especially if you have more than 60 hours completed or in progress. Even if you have enough credits completed previously to plausibly graduate in four years, the vast majority of transfers take three or more years to finish their bachelor’s. Even though UT requires only 60 hours in residence to receive their degree, for transfers in most majors to complete their degree, less than 11% of external transfers finish in two years. Nearly 20% take more than four years to earn their UT degree or don’t finish at all (page 47).

Around a decade ago, UT commissioned a Commission to Increase Four Year Graduation Rates to 70%, a target they’ve since hit. Increasing graduation rates is one reason they require first-time freshman applicants to lock-in a major at the outset and make changing majors more onerous than when I was a student a decade ago. One of the many changes implemented was to make it more challenging to change your major outside of your college or school that often delays graduation and occupies resources for younger students. Think very hard before either transferring into a non-ideal major or enrolling at UT at all if not given your first choice.

McCombs School of Business Internal Transfer

McCombs Internal transfer information page

Current UT students must have an in-residence GPA of 3.25 or higher to be eligible to apply. However, the average admitted student has a 3.87. Anecdotally last year, UT students with 3.9+ routinely reported not gaining admission. Five or more years ago, McCombs internal transfer was almost exclusively GPA-based. They determined the number of spaces available, placed applicants by GPA on a line, and drew a cutoff point. They may have holistically reviewed a handful on the margins, but the process was predictable and straightforward.

Not anymore. I received record numbers of inquiries last year for help on the essay. I realized only later that’s because the process seems much more holistic than in previous years. Many 4.0s got denied for 2020. They place a heavy emphasis on your resume, so occasionally sub 3.75 students with stellar ECs and essay gain admission. It may help to secure an internship if possible or leadership positions in student organizations or joining business-related groups. McCombs internal transfer offers an optional essay (someone please correct me if it’s required) that you should probably submit.

Prospective internal transfers should attend an information session offered once or twice per month. These sessions are not available to non-UT students for obvious reasons.

One way to secure your GPA is to take challenging courses like calculus or micro/macro econ outside of UT or others where you worry you may not be able to earn an A. Credits earned outside of UT are not considered as part of your cumulative GPA. Double-check on whether your non-UT calculus class counts for prerequisites because McCombs seems to have changed their calculus requirement to M 408 Q that combines topics into semester rather than two, so two courses in M 408 K/L, N/S, or C/D satisfy the single new course.

Applicants also need to have completed or in progress by the spring of the semester they are applying courses in micro/macroeconmics and the first year of Calculus. You have a maximum of two transfer attempts, and they will not review students with over 90 hours completed at UT. The suggestion for juniors is to finish their degree and look towards graduate school. Other alternatives include a McCombs Minor or one of their many certificates open to all majors.

You’re welcome to attempt a sophomore year transfer into CBHP. Competitive applicants will have a 4.0 and a maximum of a single A-.

Cockrell School of Engineering Internal Transfer

Click this link for the Cockrell Internal transfer portal

Cockrell has separate eligibility criteria whether you’re a current engineering student or outside of the Cockrell school. Non-engineers can internally transfer only in the fall. Current engineering students are eligible to request their major change even in their first semester, and others can apply to change through their first four semesters either for fall, summer, or spring.

If you’re an incoming UT freshman admitted to an engineering major that isn’t your preference or your goals and interests have changed, understand that you are not guaranteed a major change after arriving on campus.

Regardless, all applicants need to meet the following prerequisites to be eligible to apply:

  • A minimum of 24 hours in residence and no more than 60 (except for freshman fall engineers who can apply with 12). AP/dual credit/non-UT classes don’t count towards the total.

  • A 3.0 cumulative GPA and a 3..0 GPA in technical classes

  • Completing Calculus M 408 C and having M 408 D completed or in progress

  • Completing Engineering physics PHY 303K with lab PHY 103M

  • Four or more technical courses. The physics and calculus prerequisites can count

  • Maximum of two attempts for non-Engineers

Like with McCombs. there are Cockrell Internal Transfer information sessions you can attend.

Cockrell Internal Transfer Session Notes

A UT student attended a session and shared their notes that I’ve summarized here.

Around 500 UT students attempt an engineering major change each term. The overall acceptance rate is around 45%. Students are limited to two attempts. There are many more students who want engineering than there are available spaces, particularly for in-demand programs like electrical/computer and mechanical engineering. You have two engineering choices, and selecting only one does not increase your chances. Cockrell does not disclose the number of available spaces in advance or after decisions are released.

The pools for non-Cockrell and Cockrell students are separate, so if you start in Natural Sciences, you’re compared with other non-Cockrell students to your proposed major. Non-Cockrell acceptance rates are a bit higher since they don’t have a pathway to an engineering degree. Applying earlier or on February 1 makes no difference, so do not rush your application. Decisions go out in mid-June.

There is a single staff member responsible for the distribution of spaces. It is the person who runs the session. Emailing her will not help your chances - she’s busy, so don’t bother her with try-hard questions. However, other staff members review and score each application twice independent of one another. If there is a wide discrepancy in scores, a third person will review the file. Consequently, Cockrell takes the review process seriously and commits itself to holistic review.

Although making most or all A’s will help you become much more competitive, a 4.0 is no guarantee of transfer, particularly if you drop the ball on the essay. Exceptional essays can compensate for an imperfect GPA. Occasionally, students with lower than a 3.5 gain admission. Reviewers do not look at the resume section, so any relevant experiences need to go into your essay.

Transfer credit GPA does not factor if you attended another university before UT enrollment. They focus much more heavily on your technical GPA and the overall. So, if you made B’s or C’s in liberal arts classes, that’s less damaging than if it were in math and physics. Q drops and Pass/Fail does not matter. Taking restricted, space-limited engineering classes in your preferred major, like ECE 302 or 306, does not help your application.

Avoid idolizing figures like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos. Try not to sound overly desperate or begging for a space. Your essays should focus as much or more on the how/why of your experiences and not just a list of what you’ve done. Almost everyone writes about climate change, so if you take this direction, you need to be highly specific to differentiate yourself from a crowded pool.

Admission Decision Criteria

Cockrell uses a holistic review process. From their site:

Internal transfer admission to all majors in the Cockrell School is offered on a space-available basis to those students who are best academically qualified. Academic qualification is objective and based on the in-residence cumulative GPA and the in-residence required technical GPA. For equally qualified applicants, preference will be given to the student who has completed more of the courses required for the requested major.

The Cockrell School does not have a standard GPA requirement for internal transfer admission. The cumulative and required technical GPAs of admitted students vary by semester and requested major, as does the number of seats offered. During the 2017-18 academic year, 67.3 percent of qualified applicants were given an internal transfer offer.

Required Essay (500 words)

What are your career aspirations, and how will an engineering degree help you realize those goals? What experiences have informed your belief that engineering is the best path for you?

The essay is a straightforward request for you to discuss your specific interests, hobbies, and courses that help influence your engineering goals and professional ambitions.

College of Natural Sciences and Computer Science Internal Transfer

The statistics for internal transfers interested in CS are sparse. The CS website refers applicants to the general Natural Sciences portal because the college makes the decisions rather than the majors themselves. CNS offers transfers only for the fall semester with deadlines in the middle of the spring prior to changing. First-semester UT students must wait until their spring semester to apply for internal transfer.

Generally speaking, all students including current CNS ones must meet the following eligibility criteria.

  • Complete 24 credit hours in-residence at UT Austin. Typically two long semesters (Fall & Spring).

Other advice they offer is a preference for students intending to graduate in single majors in four years. Moreover, “enroll in 12-15 credit hours per semester with no Q drops as evidence of being able to handle the rigor of CNS courses with grades of B- or better.” Admissions is based on the number of spaces available, which changes from year to year. Please visit the FAQ for more information.

Unlike other colleges or schools, they do not look at your resume or recommendation letters. There is a required essay: Describe how the intended CNS major would impact achievement of educational and career goals.

Computer Science is understandably the most in-demand major in CNS and arguably at the entire university. Since there are many more students interested in CS than the 400 or 500 spaces provided for each classification of students, that means it’s often very challenging to gain admission. The CS Department is notorious for withholding admissions statistics for first-time freshmen and external and internal transfers.

Anecdotally, internally transferring seems a little bit easier. I recall seeing somewhere that the admissions rate for internal transfers is surprisingly high, around 40-50%. A recent email went out reporting 250-300 applicants each year of which around a third are admitted. So it seems enough CS students transfer out of the program that frees up spaces for non-CS students. I’ve also seen online recent internal transfers getting in with a 3.6 or 3.7, although to be confident you need to aim for a 4.0.

External transfer, on the other hand, is nearly impossible. I don’t work with students who do not meet a 4.0 and have substantial CS experience. If you’re an incoming freshman trying to decide whether to enroll at UT in a major other than CS with hopes of internal transferring, that process is comparatively easier than external transferring, but by no means guaranteed.

Moody College of Communications Internal Transfer

Moody allows internal transfers and major changes for both the fall and spring. First-time freshman, however, can only apply after completing one semester at UT. Moody students requesting a major change follow the same procedures as non-Moody students although the minimum to apply for the former is a 2.0 whereas the latter requires a 2.75.

Competitive GPAs are likely much higher than these minimums, but Moody does not disclose their admissions statistics or which majors tend to have more or fewer spaces than others. Generally speaking, the most in-demand majors are Advertising/PR, Journalism, and RTF. You should assume these are more competitive than less popular majors like Communication Sciences/Disorders or Communication Studies, for example. Moody requires all prospective major changers or internal transfers to attend an information session within one year of applying.

Consult this FAQ for more information along with these recommended courses for non-Moody students. Moody allows for an optional essay where you can discuss your interests and goals.

College of Liberal Arts Internal Transfer

Liberal Arts, like Education and Social Work, is, generally speaking, the easiest one to change your major or internally transfer from a different college or school. You simply meet with an advisor and declare your new or additional major. You can view the portal here.

The most popular majors like Psychology and Internal Relations/Global Studies or those that require extensive prerequisites like Urban Studies or Environmental Science require applications. Economics is a popular major but non-competitive for internal transfers. Psychology, on the other hand, is highly competitive with a less than 20% admissions rate an a 3.9 average GPA. A BS in Environmental Science is both competitive and has core math/science prerequisites.

Overall, joining the College of Liberal Arts is much more straightforward than Business, Engineering, Natural Sciences, or Moody Communications.

Architecture and Nursing Internal Transfer

I include these two small programs in this post because they’re almost impossible to transfer into for either internal or external transfer students. Unknown to most people, they have the lowest first-time freshman admissions rates of all non-honors majors at around 10%. For first-time freshman applicants not admitted to these programs, I advise enrolling at another university to pursue your studies because internal transfer is a highly uncertain pathway.

Nursing is one of the few programs in the state or country that has a direct-entry BSN curriculum whereas almost all others require two years of pre-nursing. You can view the eligibility for non-nursing UT students here. Anecdotally, I’ve heard Nursing admits maybe two or three transfers each year.

Architecture enrolls only around 100 students each year and is known as the most demanding program at UT. I knew only one Architecture student ever during my time at UT (because he was Plan II as well) - they tend to keep to themselves. If you want to give it a try, please follow this link and read it thoroughly. Architecture has the most extensive prerequisites, and if you’ve earned anything less than straight A’s, I wouldn’t bother trying. Anecdotally, they admit fewer than 5 internal OR external transfers each year.


Kevin MartinProcess, Transfer