Admission Requirements

Applications must be submitted online at www.applytexas.org.

New Student Admission

General Information

Application. All new students must file an application for admission through the Apply Texas Application (www.applytexas.org) according to the posted application deadline dates (see below). A non-refundable application fee will be required as part of the enrollment process. All students must submit a non-refundable application fee or a qualifying UHD fee waiver.

NOTE: Admission applications are valid for one application cycle which includes the spring, summer and fall terms. The application opens on September 1 of each year for the following spring, summer and fall terms. The application fee is good for one calendar year; therefore if you are submitting an application for a semester that falls after one calendar year you must pay the non-refundable application fee, and turn in any official documents by the posted application deadline dates (see below).

Residency Status Documents. International students and U.S. citizens born outside the United States must provide original, valid immigration documents. Required documents will be identified after you submit the application.

If you are unsure as to whether or not your electronic transcripts will be considered official at UHD, please contact the Office of Admissions via email at uhdadmit@uhd.edu before you request or send your electronic transcripts.

Texas Success Initiative (TSI). The State of Texas requires that all students take, or prove exemption from, an assessment test prior to  enrolling in college-level courses in a public institution.  Students are exempt from this assessment if they meet college readiness benchmarks on the SAT, ACT, STAAR English III or Algebra II EOCs, or successfully complete the high school College Preparatory Course. Students must submit official documentation of test scores to the Office of Admissions. TSI scores and exemptions are valid five years from the date an assessment was taken documenting benchmarks were met.

Students who do not meet a TSI exemption must take the TSI assessment before college enrollment. Students who do not meet one or more of the established TSI benchmarks are admitted, however, they are required to receive developmental education/academic support as determined by the institution.

TSI scores and exemptions can be found at:  https://www.uhd.edu/sssl/testing/Pages/testing-tsia.aspx.

Re-Application process. New students who are admitted for any semester and do not register for courses within one application cycle must submit a new Apply Texas Application to apply for any future semester. Any subsequent applications must be in accordance with current admission requirements. Non-refundable application fee, new transcripts, test scores, and other supporting documents may be required since files for admitted students who do not register are not retained indefinitely, and to ensure the application file reflects the applicant’s complete academic record prior to enrollment at UHD.

Freshman Admission

To qualify as a Freshman applicant, the student must have completed at least the 6th semester (junior year) of high school, received a high school diploma, or hold a GED high school equivalency. Each Freshman applicant must apply online with the Apply Texas Application (www.applytexas.org) and submit an official high school transcript. UHD is test optional for freshman admissions consideration. On your admissions application, you can elect to apply with or without submitting official SAT or ACT scores.  An admission decision is not made until the applicant’s file is completed. All documents submitted in support of an application become the property of UHD and cannot be returned. Offers of admission are valid only for the semester indicated in the acceptance letter. In addition to the Freshman Admission criteria, all must also comply with the State of Texas Uniform Admission Policy as stated below.

State of Texas Uniform Admission Policy

Under the Uniform Admission Policy, each public university shall admit first-time undergraduate students in accordance with TEC §51.803-51.809 and TAC, Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 5, Subchapter A, §5.5. Students who graduate from a Texas public school in the top 10% or 25% of their high school class are eligible for consideration for admission to a public university if the student has completed the distinguished level of achievement under the Foundation, Recommended, or Advanced High School Program from a Texas public high school or from a private high school that is equivalent in content and rigor to the distinguished level of achievement under the Foundation, the Recommended, or Advanced High School Program; or has achieved college readiness scores on the ACT or SAT entrance exams.

To claim an exemption from the policy, students must submit one of the two Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board exemption forms completed by the high school counselor or other school official and all other documents for consideration for admission to any Texas public university. 

Additional Information

• Freshman-Transfer applicants have less than 15 college credit hours, follow the Freshman Application procedures, and submit official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended.
• Texas Public High School Graduates must submit an official high school transcript.
• GED Recipients must submit their official GED certificate electronically, in person, or a true copy via mail.
• Home School Students are welcome as applicants for admission. Home schooled students are evaluated for admission on the same basis as students from public and other private high schools.

All transcripts sent to UHD must be official; an official transcript includes the school’s official seal, the signature of the school official, your class rank and size, and your high school coursework. Copies and faxes do not satisfy this requirement.

Transfer Student Admission

Students should apply for admission as transfer students if they have previously completed 15 or more college-level credit hours from a regionally accredited institution after high school graduation. Applicants may be attending another regionally accredited college or university and may have coursework in progress at the time of their application to UHD

Transfer applicants must file an application for admission, application fee, and submit official transcripts from all previously attended colleges, regardless of whether credit was earned, to the Office of Admissions by the application deadline. Transfer applicants that are not in good academic standing from the most recent institution attended prior to applying to UHD will not be offered admission.

To qualify for transfer admission, the applicant must have earned 15 or more college-level semester credit hours and must have a minimum 2.0 transfer grade point average in non-remedial and non-developmental course- work. Plus and minus grades from a regionally accredited institution (i.e. “C-“, “B+”) are not used to determine the transfer grade point average.

Students applying for admission with less than 15 semester hours of college-level credit should submit an official high school or GED transcript as well as official college or university transcripts. To qualify for admission, applicants must have a minimum transfer grade point average of a 2.0 and meet the freshman admission standards.

UHD prefers the use of EDI/SPEEDE transcript submission. However, if this option is not available, official paper transcripts are acceptable as long as they are unopened and bearing the seal of the sending institution.

If sending your official transcripts by a third party service such as eSCRIP-SAFE, JST, National Student Clearinghouse, Parchment/DocuFide, ADDS/AVOW, etc. please use the UHDETranscripts@uhd.edu email address. PLEASE NOTE: PDF transcripts must be sent directly from the issuing company and directly to the UHDETranscripts@uhd.edu email address to be considered official.

If you are unsure as to whether or not your electronic transcripts will be considered official at UHD, please contact the Office of Admissions via email at uhdadmit@uhd.edu before you request or send your electronic transcripts.

Academic Fresh Start

A Texas resident is entitled to apply for admission as an undergraduate student in any public institution of higher education under the fresh start program. The university shall not consider academic course credits or grades earned by the applicant 10 or more years prior to the starting date of the semester in which the applicant seeks to enroll. An applicant who is admitted with a fresh start may not receive any course credit for courses undertaken 10 or more years prior to enrollment. If a student earns a baccalaureate degree, and applies for admission to a postgraduate or professional program offered by a public institution of higher education, the institution shall consider only the GPA of the applicant established by the course work completed after enrollment under the fresh start program, along with any other criteria the institution uses in evaluating applicants for admission. Nothing prohibits a public institution of higher education from applying standard admissions criteria to persons seeking admission to the institution.

Transient Student Admission

Current students who are working towards a bachelor’s degree at another college or university and would like to attend UHD, may qualify for transient undergraduate admission to UHD.

To qualify as a transient applicant, students must apply online at applytexas.org, submit the completed Letter of Academic Standing available online on the Office of Admissions webpage, and submit official or unofficial transcripts.

Transient students are not eligible for financial aid. A transient student who wishes to remain at UHD or plans to attend in a future semester must reapply and be accepted as a transfer student.

Post-Baccalaureate Admission

Post-baccalaureate applicants seeking a baccalaureate degree from UHD must meet all requirements for transfer admission. Post-baccalaureate applicants desiring to earn an additional undergraduate degree are required to submit official transcripts from all institutions attended. Post-baccalaureate applicants desiring to take undergraduate courses only without seeking a degree, are required to submit an official transcript from the baccalaureate degree awarding institution, along with unofficial transcripts from other previously attended institutions. Post-baccalaureate applicants desiring to  take graduate-level courses, but not seeking a graduate degree, must comply with all requirements of the department offering the graduate degree. Additional documents may be required by a designated UHD College if enrollment in graduate-level courses is desired.

Return of Former Students

Students who have attended UHD but who were not enrolled during the preceding 14-month period must reapply for admission via the Apply Texas Application (www.applytexas.org). Students who have attended other colleges or universities since last at tending UHD must submit official transcripts to the Office of Admissions.

Eligibility for registration depends on the student’s academic status at the conclusion of the last UHD semester of enrollment. Depending on academic standing students may need to speak with an Academic Success Coordinator for class approval.

Articulation Agreements

UHD has worked with area community colleges to develop degree articulation agreements. Students planning to transfer to UHD are encouraged to direct their questions about the transferability of their courses to their community college counselor or to the Transfer Relations Department via email at transfer@uhd.edu. Transfer students are also referred to information on the Texas Common Course Numbering System. This system ensures that any course designated as a common course by UHD will be accepted in transfer as equivalent to the UHD course.

International Student Admission

Individuals who hold non-immigrant visas are classified as international students. International students seeking admission to the University of Houston-Downtown must apply through the Office of International Admissions. Individuals who have applied for immigrant status, but who have not adjusted their status with the Immigration and Naturalization Service, also must follow the procedures below in order to obtain an I-20 immigration form.

Application. A new international student must file an application for admission with the Office of International Admissions and pay the nonrefundable application fee according to the University Fee Schedule (see Tuition and Fees  section of catalog).

In addition to meeting the appropriate requirements for freshman or transfer admission, an international applicant must provide the following:

Transcripts. Freshman students must provide official transcripts of secondary school scores, including mark sheets and date of graduation, in their original language. A certified English translation of all transcripts must be included if the originals are not in English. Transfer students must provide official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended. If original transcripts are not in English, a certified translation must accompany the original documents. In addition, all foreign transcripts must be evaluated by an evaluation service recognized by UHD in order to receive transfer credit. Students transferring from another college or university in the United States must submit a transfer form that has been completed and signed by the foreign student advisor at the previously attended institution. This form must be returned to the Office of International Admissions in order to complete the application.

Affidavit of Support. An Affidavit of Support must be submitted showing that a sponsor will be responsible for all educational and living expenses.

Bank Letter. A certified bank letter, indicating that the sponsor is financially capable of meeting the student’s education and living expenses, must be submitted. This letter must indicate, either in US dollars or in the local currency, the amount maintained in the account(s).

Language Proficiency. A valid Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 550 for the paper version or 213 for the computer-based version, an IBT score of at least 80 or an IELTS score of at least 6.5 is required Transfer students may be exempt from taking the TOEFL if they have passed 12 or more college-level hours in the United States, including Composition I and II, with a grade of C or better.

Health Insurance. International students must carry health insurance for the duration of their studies. The University of Houston-Downtown requires that students have Medical/preventative care benefits equivalent to the UHS-endorsed Student Health Insurance Plan with no annual limits and deductible does not exceed $1,500 (individual)/$3,000 (family) annually, and at least $25,000 repatriation coverage and $50,000 medical evacuation coverage. Students must provide updated proof of this cover- age, written in English, specifying coverage for the following periods: August 22nd to December 31st for Fall semester and January 1st to August 21st for Spring Semester. Students can also provide acceptable alternate insurance If they are sponsored by the U.S. government, the government of the student’s home country is recognized by the U.S. or by certain international, government-sponsored or non-governmental organizations, if the sponsor has provided a plan equivalent to the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) or a letter guaranteeing payment of all health care expenses. To apply for Insurance Waiver, international F-1 students must submit proof of acceptable health insurance to initiate the request at https://uhd.myahpcare.com/waiver. The Fall Online Waiver Period is from August 1st to September 7th. The Spring Online Waiver Period is from December 1st to February 1st (dates are subject to be changed every semester).