Written by Sarah Shields, M. Ed., Canfield BHP Strategic Enrollment & Joint Programs Manager
Topics of Interest: Applying to business school, how to apply to Canfield BHP, our admissions process, Texas CSB/Texas ECB/Plan II application guidance, what we’re looking for, why Canfield BHP
Editor’s note: Be sure to watch the admissions Q&A on our Instagram highlights featuring Canfield BHP Recruitment Coordinator, Kelly Georgestone, for more information!
Welcome prospective students and families to the Canfield BHP community! We often receive inquires on how to apply, what Canfield BHP Admissions is looking for in applicants, and what unique opportunities we offer students.
First, and foremost, the BEST way to learn more about Canfield BHP, our joint programs, and what it is like to be a student is to attend one of our Information Sessions. These are hosted during the school year every Monday and Friday afternoon (excluding holidays). Our Canfield BHP student recruiters are excited to share information with you regarding the program and answer your questions in real time. For Fall 2021 we will offer a mix of in-person and virtual sessions, so check out the UT Admissions website for details! Before we begin, please take note of the following application deadlines:
- Priority Deadline: November 1, 2021
- Regular Deadline: December 1, 2021
Note: Priority Deadline students will be notified earlier than Regular Deadline applicants. Applying by Priority does not influence admission decisions and is non-binding.
How to Apply to Canfield BHP
Most of our applicants will be traditional business students. Students who are admitted to Canfield BHP are admitted to the Business Honors major directly. After their first year if students would like to add an additional business major (Finance, Accounting, Marketing, etc.) they may do so via their academic advisor. In the application you will still apply as “Unspecified Business”, however if you know what area of business you would like to study you are welcome to discuss this in the essay portion of your application, short answer 1.
Canfield BHP Admissions has access to your entire UT Austin application for review.
To apply to the Canfield Business Honors Program, you must:
Apply via ApplyTX or the Coalition application.
- Select the McCombs School of Business as your first-choice college.
- List “Unspecified Business” (200400) as your first choice major.
- After you start your Apply TX or Coalition application, you will be able to select that you are interested in honors. This is towards the end of the application.
- Answer the “Canfield Business Honors Program” essay prompt.
- Once your application is complete, you will have access to your MyStatus page after about 24 hours. Use this page to upload your expanded resume.
- Submit a required letter of recommendation from an academic source (teacher, professor, etc.). Please note that you must use the Document Upload System in MyStatus, which will email your recommender a request to submit their recommendation to us directly.
- Complete all steps of the UT Austin application checklist.
You can always verify via MyStatus if your Honors Application is complete.
How to Apply to Canfield BHP + Joint Programs
Texas Honors Computer Science and Business (Texas CSB) is an integrated honors degree program between the Canfield Business Honors Program (Canfield BHP) and the Department of Computer Science. Texas CSB provides a rigorous four-year undergraduate curriculum aimed at preparing students for top technology careers.
To apply to Texas CSB, you must:
- Complete the general application requirements listed above.
- Select Unspecified Business and Computer Science as your first and second choice majors (first choice major should be the one you are most interested in). The department of Computer Science is within the College of Natural Sciences.
- After you submit your application having listed Unspecified Business and Computer Science for admission to UT Austin, you will be able to access the honors essay prompts. These are towards the end of the application.
- Designate Texas CSB as one of your honors choices. Students must select a combination of Unspecified Business and Computer Science for their major choices to be considered for Texas CSB.
- Students may also apply to either Canfield BHP or Turing Scholars, depending on which major is their first choice.
- Students must select Unspecified Business as their first choice major to be reviewed for Canfield BHP in addition to Texas CSB.
- Once your application is complete, you will have access to your MyStatus page after about 24 hours. Use this page to upload your expanded resume.
- Submit a required letter of recommendation from an academic source (teacher, professor, etc.). Please note that you must use the Document Upload System in MyStatus, which will email your recommender a request to submit their recommendation to us directly.
- Please note it is recommended to request your letter from a CS/Math/STEM teacher. If you are also applying to Turing Scholars it is a requirement that this letter come from a math or science teacher.
Texas Honors Electrical and Computer Engineering and Business (Texas ECB) is our newest integrated honors degree program between the Canfield Business Honors Program (Canfield BHP) and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). Texas ECB provides a rigorous four-year undergraduate engineering and business curriculum complete with a senior capstone project.
To apply to Texas ECB, you must:
- Complete the general application requirements listed above.
- Select Unspecified Business and ECE as your first and second choice majors (first choice major should be the one you are most interested in). The department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is in the Cockrell School of Engineering.
- After you submit your application having listed Unspecified Business and ECE for admission to UT Austin, you will be able to access the honors essay prompts. These are towards the end of the application.
- Designate Texas ECB as one of your choices. Students must select a combination of Unspecified Business and ECE for their major choices to be considered for Texas ECB. Students may also apply to either Canfield BHP or ECE Honors, depending on which major is their first choice.
- Students must select Unspecified Business as their first choice major to be reviewed for Canfield BHP in addition to Texas ECB.
- Once your application is complete, you will have access to your MyStatus page after about 24 hours. Use this page to upload your expanded resume.
- Submit a required letter of recommendation from an academic source (teacher, professor, etc.). Please note that you must use the Document Upload System in MyStatus, which will email your recommender a request to submit their recommendation to us directly.
- Please note it is recommended to request your letter from a CS/Math/STEM teacher. If you are also applying to ECE Honors it is a requirement that this letter come from a math or science teacher.
Canfield BHP + Plan II Honors
Plan II Honors is the oldest honors program in the nation and offers students a place where they can explore the issues and questions that shape the human experience. Plan II students graduate with exceptional writing, communication, and analytical skills that can be applied to virtually any career path.
To apply to Plan II, you must:
- Complete the general application requirements listed above.
- Select Unspecified Business and a Liberal Arts major as your first and second choice majors (first choice major should be Unspecified Business). The Plan II Honors program will review all students who have first/second choice within Liberal Arts and complete application requirements.
- After you submit your application having listed Unspecified Business and a Liberal Arts major for admission to UT Austin, you will be able to access the honors essay prompts. These are towards the end of the application.
- Designate Plan II as one of your honors choices.
- Students may also apply to Canfield BHP.
- Students must select Unspecified Business as their first choice major to be reviewed for Canfield BHP in addition to Texas CSB.
- Once your application is complete, you will have access to your MyStatus page after about 24 hours. Use this page to upload your expanded resume.
- Submit a required letter of recommendation from an academic source (teacher, professor, etc.). Please note that you must use the Document Upload System in MyStatus, which will email your recommender a request to submit their recommendation to us directly.
What We are Looking for in Applicants
This is one of our most common questions!
We do not have minimum GPA, score, or rank requirements to be admitted to Canfield BHP or our joint programs. We are looking for community leaders who take academics seriously. The Canfield BHP Admissions committee reviews each application submitted an in a holistic manner.
Students are encouraged to submit test scores (SAT/ACT/AP/IB) if they think they are representative of their academic skills. Students who do not submit scores will not be viewed negatively by the admissions committee.
Leadership can be shown in several ways in your community. This could be volunteering, holding titled leadership positions at your high school, or helping support your family. While our application process is very competitive every year, we pride ourselves in not having a homogeneous admitted class; students come from a variety of backgrounds, hometowns, and experiences.
What Makes Canfield BHP Unique
Our community.
Students are encouraged to be leaders on campus while in Canfield BHP. This could be leadership within Canfield BHP, UT Austin, or the Austin community. One of the first ways students get to know our leadership community is through our Peer Mentoring Program. These small groups meet once a week their first semester to get to know their upperclassman mentor, their peers, and what resources are available to them while in the program.
After the first-year, students are then paired up with an alumni mentor to help guide them through their career development, no matter what their goals are for the future. It is not uncommon to see an alumnus in the Canfield BHP offices simply stopping by to say hello or hosting a coffee chat for current students.
Speaking of career development, students are paired with their personal Career Coach in their first semester who will help build their interviewing skills, networking, and resume while in the program. Canfield BHP students have unique opportunities to hear from our corporate partners directly while on campus via dinners, HBA events, and coffee chats.
And finally, our Canfield BHP staff are always here to support our students and their academic goals. Our academic advising team works with students one on one, every semester until graduation, to help with course selection, graduation planning, and majors in addition to Business Honors.
We look forward to reading your application this Fall!