Required High School Courses
Applicants for freshman admission must successfully complete at least 15 1/2 units of high school coursework* in grades 9-12. At least 14 units must fulfill the subject area requirements listed below. One year’s work in a subject counts as one unit; one semester counts as a half unit. You may fulfill your coursework requirements with dual credit courses taken while you’re in high school.
Many of the colleges and schools at UT Austin have program-specific requirements for applicants, some of which include coursework suggestions or requirements beyond those listed here. Visit the pages for each college/school in the Schools & Majors section for details.
Required HS Units
Language Arts
4 units of English (one unit may be writing, world literature, speech, or journalism). English as a second language (ESL) and correlated language arts do not count as units of English
Foreign Language
2 units (3 recommended) of a single foreign language. American Sign Language may be used to fulfill the foreign language requirement.
Mathematics
3 units (4 recommended) at the level of Algebra I or higher: algebra, plane geometry, trigonometry, analytic geometry, elementary analysis, probability and statistics, solid geometry, calculus with analytic geometry, or number theory. Informal geometry, pre-algebra, and mathematics of money are below-achievement-level courses and may not be counted toward the mathematics requirements.
Strongly recommended: If you’re interested in studying architecture, business, engineering, geosciences, natural sciences, or other technical fields, you should prepare by taking math every year of high school.
Science
2 units (3 recommended) of laboratory science. Recommended courses include physical science, biology, chemistry, physics, physiology and anatomy, geology, meteorology, marine science, or astronomy.
Social Studies
3 units, which may include anthropology, area studies, ethnic studies, economics, geography,...