What is ApplyTexas? What Colleges Use It?

For students interested in University of Texas, Texas A&M University, or one of the many other wonderful schools in Texas, ApplyTexas makes it easy for students to apply to all of these schools through one centralized application process. Designed to simplify the application process for both Texas students and non-Texas students, ApplyTexas allows students to apply to several community colleges, universities, and even graduate school all in one place.

Writing the essays? Check out our guide for the 2020-21 ApplyTexas essay prompts.

What is ApplyTexas?

ApplyTexas is similar to the Common App, but specifically for Texas schools. You can apply for admissions to any Texas public university, participating community colleges, or participating private universities, and you can easily copy parts of your application to another Texas school so you can avoid having to do an entirely new application for each school.

While each school has its own admission guidelines that you should follow, here’s generally what you need for a complete application:

• Complete application form
• High school transcript and college transcripts, if applicable
• ACT or SAT scores
• Extracurricular, volunteer, and employment information
• School-specific requirements, including essays
• Application fee or a fee waiver
• If you are not a native English speaker, a TOEFL or IELTS score

ApplyTexas also has the benefit of being able to apply directly for scholarships at participating universities and graduate programs. You can work on scholarship applications while you work on admissions applications simultaneously, so you can make sure that your applications work together and increase your chances of receiving a scholarship.

How Do You Apply with ApplyTexas?

First, select a school to apply to. Although most of the application is the same, any additional requirements, such as institution-specific essays, will automatically populate based on the selected school.

Fill out the application. Save regularly, use the internal navigation features rather than your browser buttons, and be thorough in filling out the form. Some parts of the application—like the extracurricular information, essays, or test scores—may not be required by the specific school you’re applying for, but it’s good practice to send in a complete application rather than leaving parts of it blank, as that’ll make copying the application to another school a lot easier.

Pay close attention to school-specific requirements. Although a lot of information can be found through the ApplyTexas portal, you should do your own research into the schools you are interested in and follow their application guidelines.

Which Colleges Use ApplyTexas?

All of the public and many private universities use ApplyTexas, but you’ll need to pay close attention to each college’s deadlines and requirements. Here are a few of the schools that use ApplyTexas and a quick look at their requirements to get you started.

Texas A&M—College Station

• Application deadline: December 1
• Application fee: $75
• Essay requirements: Essay Topic A is required, B and C are optional. Here’s how to write the Texas A&M supplemental essays.

University of Texas—Austin

• Application deadline: December 1
• Application fee: $75
• Essay requirements: Essay topic A is required, along with three short answer questions. Here’s how to write the UT Austin application essays.

Texas Tech University

• Application deadline: December 1
• Application fee: $75
• Essay requirements: Optional

Southern Methodist University

• Application deadline: January 15
• Application fee: $60
• Essay requirements: Essay topic A is required, B is optional. Here’s how to write the Southern Methodist University essays.

Visit ApplyTexas for a full list of participating 4-year institutions.

Tips for Applying

Many impressive schools use ApplyTexas, including University of Texas and Texas A&M. These schools have stricter deadlines and expect more in an application than other institutions, so while we’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: pay close attention to their application requirements and follow them to the letter.

Regardless of the school you’re interested in, it’s important to surround yourself with people who have been through the process before. Ideally, connect with current students at the school you are interested in or their alumni to get a feel for what the school looks for in an applicant and ask them about their application process.

Tell your story, especially if the school requires an essay. Admissions counselors want to know who you are and what perspective you’ll bring to their campus, which is why you should not only make sure your essay is strong, but make sure that you take the time to fill out the extracurricular information as well.

For more information about Texas schools, check out these CollegeVine posts:

Texas A&M Acceptance Rate and Admission Requirements

Texas Tech Acceptance Rate: What Does it Take to Get In?

Curious about your chances of acceptance to your dream school? Our free chancing engine takes into account your GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and other data to predict your odds of acceptance at over 500 colleges across the U.S. We’ll also let you know how you stack up against other applicants and how you can improve your profile. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account today to get started!