TOEFL If you are an international student and you do not qualify for a waiver, have your TOEFL scores sent to GIAC as well. International applicants who are from a country where English is the only official language are exempt from this requirement. Additionally, applicants are exempt from the requirement if they possess a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. institution or an institution in a country where English is the only official language. The requirement is not waived for applicants who have earned a master’s—but not a bachelor’s—degree from a similar institution. The minimum scores considered acceptable for admission by the Graduate School are: TOEFL: 79 on the Internet-based test (iBT) GRE You must also have your GRE scores sent to GIAC. There is no minimum GRE score. A high score does not guarantee admission just as a lower-than-average score does not doom an application. GRE scores do matter, however. Some years, depending on the composition of the committee and the applicant pool, GRE scores matter more, other years less, but our admissions committee is looking both for evidence that your interests fit with the interests of the department, and for indicators of promise as a graduate student. As a result, most applicants have very good scores. GRE scores of admitted students tend to average between the 75th and 80th percentiles on the quantitative section and in the 90th to 95th percentiles on the verbal section.

PS Your statement of purpose should clearly explain what you intend to study and convince the committee that you will excel at The University of Texas at Austin and become a successful political scientist. It should be about 500 words and no more than 1,000 words. CV Your resumé does not have to mimic the template precisely, but we are looking for this information. Sometimes applicants submit two resumés, one they have on hand, and one more closely modeled after the department template. Other applicants have found creative ways to incorpoate the information, while others follow the template exactly. You must pick two fields from: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Methodology, Political Theory, Public Law or Public Policy. Consult the department’s field pages for more information on each field. Your CV/Resumé should provide information set out in the template, which includes name; email address; phone number; country of citizenship; gender; race/ethnicity; UTEID; education; test scores; fields of interest; specific areas of interest; statement of purpose summary; writing sample summary; references; any publications; relevant employment history and research or teaching experience; research skills and/or languages; awards, honors, relevant activities and memberships, and any miscellaneous information; and relevant coursework completed (or in progress), the year completed and grade received. Fee International Graduate: $90 RL Your three letters of recommendation should attest to your ability to excel in a top-tier Ph.D. program in political science and come from writers qualified to make this assessment. Transcript Transcripts is required