Admissions

FAQs

The Application Process

Should I send my graduate application to the graduate school of my choice, or to the Office of Admissions?
We recommend that all students submit their graduate applications to the Office of Admissions at this address:

The University of Houston
Office of Admissions
122 E. Cullen Building
Houston, TX 77204-2023

If you have questions about the graduate application, though, contact the department of your interest.

Are there deadlines for applying to the University of Houston?
Application deadlines vary from year to year, and some colleges and departments have different deadlines too. You can check this year’s deadlines here.
How long will it take to get an admission decision?
Once your file is complete, it will take at least seven to 10 working days for an admission decision.
I am a former student of the University of Houston. Do I need to re-apply for admission?
No, former UH students are not required to re-apply for admission, as long as you’re not applying to a different program. If you have completed course work elsewhere since leaving the University, send those transcripts to:

The University of Houston
Office of Admissions
122 E. Cullen Building
Houston, TX 77204-2023
Should I send my graduate recommendation letters directly to the department of my interest or to the Office of Admissions?
Recommendation letters should go directly to the department of your interest. For department addresses, go to Colleges at UH.
How do I prepare for graduate school?
Successful preparation for graduate school involves a lot of thought, some research, and careful planning of your undergraduate course of study; for example, you’ll want to take as many writing courses as possible, because good writing skills are essential for all graduate programs. For more about how to prepare for graduate school, see our Graduate School Planning Guide.
How can I find out the status of my application?
For most graduate programs, you can monitor the status of your application by logging on to myUH (PeopleSoft) . You will also receive regular updates by mail. The Cullen College of Engineering, however, processes its own graduate applications. If you’ve applied for an engineering program, you must contact the college directly for information regarding your admission status. For additional information, please visit the Cullen College of Engineering’s website.
I am applying to the MBA program, and the admission requirements say I have to take the GMAT. What is the GMAT?
The Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) is a standardized assessment exam that examines basic verbal, mathematics, and analytical writing skills developed over a long period of time in your education or employment. It does not evaluate your knowledge of business, job skills, specific content of undergraduate work, abilities in subject areas, or personal qualities such as interpersonal skills or creativity. Find out more about the exam, including study strategies, and registration information, at mba.com.

Graduate Programs

What graduate degrees are offered at UH?
The University of Houston offers nearly 200 graduate and professional degree programs, ranging from kinesiology to creative writing to the MBA. To find the graduate program that interests you, you may browse our program listings by college, or check our alphabetical master’s and doctoral listings.
I heard someone refer to a graduate student as being A.B.D. What does that mean?
A.B.D. stands for "all but dissertation." In other words, an A.B.D. student is a doctoral candidate who has completed all required course work, passed the preliminary examination, and had a dissertation topic approved by the graduate committee of the academic department. All that remains is to actually research and write the dissertation. Some Ph.D. programs award the student a master's degree at this point.