Graduate Program FAQs

The best resource to learn about the graduate program is the BME Graduate Program Handbook. The handbook covers all program requirements, including detailed information about coursework, milestones, supervisor selection and general departmental information. All questions about the program should be directed first to the BME Graduate Program Administrator at bme-grad@engr.utexas.edu.

UT Austin permits the transfer of up to 6 hours of coursework to an M.S., as long as those courses do not count toward another conferred degree. Ph.D. students who earned an M.S. or completed graduate-level coursework prior to admittance at UT Austin are eligible to receive credit for up to 6 hours of coursework toward their Ph.D. program.

Due to the overwhelming number of requests to visit our department, we do not conduct individual visits. Applicants who are offered admission will have the opportunity to visit during recruitment events. To meet with a faculty member outside of a recruitment event, contact them directly.

Change of Major applications are not accepted for our graduate programs. Even if you are currently a UT graduate student, you must apply to the program.

The department accepts students from a variety of backgrounds, including engineering, natural sciences, math, physics, computer science and more. We recommend a number of college-level prerequisites be complete at the time of application.

Our students participate in national and departmental engineering organizations and serve in leadership roles in the Graduate Student Society, Graduate Student Assembly, Graduate Engineering Council and other student organizations. Our department hosts several seminar speakers throughout the year, and students are encouraged to attend seminars in other departments that are related to their work.

A number of students attend and present at national and international conferences each year. Many faculty, department staff and graduate students attend the Biomedical Engineering Society conference each year to present and support graduate student recruitment efforts.

Prospective graduate students can learn more about the BME program requirements on our department’s Admissions page.

Completion time varies but averages around 5 to 6 years to attain a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering.

Our faculty teach, research and travel often. Follow up with them. If you still cannot get in touch after a period of time, you may contact the Graduate Program Administrator at bme-grad@engr.utexas.edu.

The Department of Biomedical Engineering has a faculty directory which lists all faculty, their research interests, contact information and more.

The UT Austin Graduate School maintains all application statistics.

Contact the Graduate Program Administrator at bme-grad@engr.utexas.edu.

Applications for fall admission are due December 1st each year. After submitting the initial application and paying the application fee, it takes up to 48 hours to receive the link to upload the required documents.

Submit your application well in advance of the deadline to ensure all materials are received on time.

No, you may not submit materials after the deadline or change your application. Ensure your first submission is accurate and complete, as changes are not allowed.

International applicants are required to take the TOEFL and submit official, valid, unexpired scores as part of the application process. The score must be valid at the application deadline. The Department of Biomedical Engineering does not accept IELTS scores for English proficiency. Some international applicants may be exempt from the TOEFL. More information for international students can be found on the UT Austin Graduate School website.

Some applicants are eligible for a fee waiver, and specific criteria are provided by the UT Austin Graduate School.

All application materials must be submitted online. If you must submit paper documents, do not send them to the BME department. Instead, send materials to Graduate and International Admissions.

Applicants may check their application and materials submission on the MyStatus page.

The department cannot confirm that application materials have been received. You may check the MyStatus page.

After entering your recommender’s information in the application, an automatic email will be sent to them with instructions for submitting their recommendation online. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that reference letters are submitted prior to the deadline.

Once you have submitted your application, you can use the self-service feature on the MyStatus page to resend the Request for Reference email to your recommenders, if necessary. You can use this site to supply an alternate email, such as Gmail, if your recommender’s spam filter blocks the original request or has removed the link.

Submitting an early application will ensure your recommendation letters are received by the deadline.

For fall admission, you will typically receive notification by the end of March. All applicants will receive notification; please do not contact us asking for updates.

Review the Biomedical Engineering department admissions page to learn more about required application materials. You should also review the International Student and Scholar Services page and the Graduate School International Students Admissions page.

Applicants who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents must apply using the domestic application. Applicants who are permanent residents of the U.S. are not required to submit TOEFL scores. International applicants who attended UT Austin for their undergraduate degree may use the domestic application.

Your scores must be valid at the application deadline.

Each year, we receive a large number of competitive applications and are not able to provide individualized feedback. Know that every applicant’s materials are reviewed. Coursework, GPAs, references, personal statements, CVs and TOEFL scores (if applicable) are all heavily considered in the admissions process.

All applicants are required to submit copies of official transcripts as part of the application process. The Graduate School does not accept unofficial transcripts or score reports. Your application is not complete until you fulfill transcript requirements.

The UT Austin Graduate School provides graduate school applications for the Cockrell School.

More information on graduate school application deadlines and information can also be found on the Cockrell School Graduate Admissions page.

The GRE general test is not required to apply to our graduate program. Our committee does not consider GRE scores in its application review, even if they are submitted by an applicant. Applicants are in no way advantaged if they decide to submit GRE scores to the University.

Note that GRE requirements across UT Austin may vary. Applicants to multiple programs should confirm the GRE requirements with each individual program.

Yes, you may apply to multiple graduate programs at UT Austin.

As a research-focused graduate program, our admissions committees primarily admit to our doctoral program. We do not anticipate admitting students to a standalone master’s program in the near future.

Texas BME continues to consider applications and admit students to the B.S. BME/M.S. Integrated Program (for current Texas BME undergraduate students only) and the M.D./M.S. Dual Degree Program (for current Dell Medical students only).

Only students admitted to the BME Ph.D. program are eligible for full funding throughout their program, contingent on funding availability and satisfactory academic progress. Doctoral students may receive a competitive stipend, tuition and health insurance funds through a combination of fellowships and employment as teaching assistants or graduate research assistants.

Admitted students should refer to their official funding offer for details.

If admitted, the department may nominate you for institutional fellowships. You will be contacted if we need additional information or materials from you. Students who are not funded by a fellowship may be offered a teaching assistantship (TA) or graduate research assistantship (GRA) after admission.

Master’s students may apply for TA positions, both in BME and in other, related departments, to earn a stipend, funding toward tuition and fees and health insurance coverage. Although not guaranteed, master’s students may earn funding through a GRA position as well. More information about student employment policies is provided by the Graduate School.

All BME doctoral students must serve as a TA for at least one semester. Students apply to be a TA and are assigned after admission to the program. We do not accept TA or GRA applications prior to admission.

GRA positions may be offered directly by faculty to students after admission.

The BME base stipend for those with TA or GRA assignments for the 2025–2026 academic year is $34,000 per year. This amount may be supplemented with fellowships from the Cockrell School of Engineering.

Master’s students who earn a position as a TA or GRA will receive commensurate stipend rates as well.

Student academic employees (TAs and GRAs) receive a tuition reduction benefit and are eligible for health insurance at no cost. Admitted students should discuss professional development (travel) support with their supervisor.

Master’s students are not guaranteed support, but may earn support in some semesters. Additional funding information is available on our department’s Graduate Funding page. 

Whether or not you apply for financial aid is up to you. Doctoral students are fully funded at a competitive rate above the UT Austin’s established cost of attendance and typically do not apply for aid.

If you do apply for financial aid, your financial aid offer may be adjusted based on your funding offer from the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Keep in mind that doctoral students do not pay their own tuition.

Master’s students are not fully funded and may require financial support in the form of financial aid.

The department nominates students for travel awards to attend major professional meetings for the fall, spring and summer sessions. Research advisors also fund student travel to present at conferences.

In general, wages and fellowship earnings are taxable. Departmental staff cannot provide tax guidance to students. However, the Graduate School provides more information about tax considerations.