University of Texas at Austin Psychology Programs

The University of Texas at Austin offers psychology programs through two separate departments: a BA and BS in Psychology in the College of Liberal Arts, and graduate programs in the Department of Educational Psychology, including Counselor Education and the Combined School/Clinical Child Psychology PhD. Several doctoral programs hold APA accreditation.

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UT Austin is the flagship campus of the University of Texas System, founded in 1883 and now enrolling more than 50,000 students. Psychology instruction at UT Austin runs through two distinct departments, which is the first thing to understand before comparing programs or requirements.

Accreditation Details

UT Austin holds institutional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Within that, specific doctoral programs carry their own programmatic accreditation: the Combined School/Clinical Child Psychology PhD is APA-accredited and NASP-approved, while the Department of Psychology’s Clinical Psychology PhD is accredited by both the APA and the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS). Institutional accreditation covers degree validity and federal aid eligibility; programmatic accreditation affects licensure eligibility in many states.

Application Requirements

Undergraduate applicants, including first-year, transfer, and international students, submit the online application, required essays, official transcripts, and any additional materials required for the applicable admission cycle. The application fee is $75 for domestic applicants and $90 for international applicants, with fee waivers available.

Graduate admission requires a bachelor’s degree and an official transcript. Applicants should review the specific GPA and prerequisite requirements for their intended graduate program. The graduate application fee is $65. Faculty in each program review applications individually and select admits based on fit with available research mentorship and training capacity.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition varies by department and residency status. Students should confirm current per-semester and per-credit-hour rates directly with the relevant department, since flat-rate and credit-hour billing models differ between undergraduate and graduate psychology programs at UT Austin. Students with financial need should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine eligibility for subsidized and unsubsidized federal loans, grants, and work-study. Graduate students in research-focused programs may also qualify for departmental funding or assistantships tied to faculty research positions.

Psychology Programs at University of Texas at Austin

Department of Psychology (College of Liberal Arts)

The Department of Psychology is UT Austin’s largest psychology program, with more than 2,350 undergraduate majors and double majors. It offers a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, the latter built around a heavier science and statistics course load for students aiming at graduate study or research roles. At the doctoral level, the department trains PhD students in clinical, cognitive, and social psychology, with the clinical area following a mentorship-based admissions model and APA/PCSAS accreditation. For a broader look at doctoral programs across the state, see Psychology Doctoral Programs in Texas.

Department of Educational Psychology (College of Education)

The Department of Educational Psychology offers a separate track of programs focused on applied and school-based practice. The Counselor Education master’s program prepares graduates for counseling roles in academic and postsecondary settings. The Combined School/Clinical Child Psychology PhD trains practitioner-scientists for roles in school and clinical child psychology. The department also offers graduate programs in quantitative methods, human development, culture and learning sciences, and program evaluation, with select coursework available through UT Austin’s online campus.