Home to Texas™

The student application opens at the beginning of the spring semester for the upcoming summer and closes mid-February. Once applications are reviewed, qualified students are invited to an in-person interview.

Eligibility:

• Open to all enrolled, degree-seeking UT Austin students.
• Must have a minimum 2.0 GPA and be in good academic standing.
• First-year students (0–30 in-residence passed credits; entering their second year in the fall after the program).
  • Second-year students (30–60 in-residence passed credits; entering their third year in the fall after the program) are encouraged to apply.
    • Upperclassmen may be considered if space remains available.
    • Transfer, Coordinated Admission Program (CAP), and Path to Admission Through Co-Enrollment (PACE) students are welcome to apply and will be considered if spots are available in their community.
  • Must have lived in or have a permanent residence in a participating Home to Texas community (or within a 30‑minute drive of one). This typically refers to the Texas community where you were born, grew up, moved to at a young age, or have lived at the longest.
  • Must have less than one year of full-time professional work experience (defined as continuous, full-time 40 hours/week employment, not part-time jobs or internships).
    • Must be able to commit to working 35 hours per week for the full duration of the program.

The program offers a variety of placements primarily focusing on internships that can provide students with a general professional skills foundation that can then be applied to any career path. Our priority industries target internships with public organizations, such as city government departments, economic development offices, school districts, or airports as well as nonprofit organizations. Additionally, opportunities may include some private companies, such as corporations and startups that have a strong community impact.

Although we are unable to guarantee that a major will match an internship job duty or a specific employer industry, we still encourage applicants to be open to experiencing an internship through our program. Since Home to Texas takes place early during a student’s time at UT, participating employers typically offer broad professional development opportunities related to teamwork, time management, office communication, etc. Students selected to the program receive a list of participating community employers and internship descriptions so they can rank their internship preferences.

What qualifies as “my Texas hometown”?

Your Texas hometown means that you have lived in or have a permanent residence in a participating Home to Texas community (or within a 30‑minute drive of one). This typically refers to the Texas community where you were born, grew up, moved to at a young age, or have lived at the longest. We want to ensure that students engaging in a Home to Texas internship have a deeper and longer-term connection to the community they are serving.

If you are currently residing in Austin for school purposes only and plan to stay in Austin over the summer, this would not be considered your hometown.

Make sure to keep your student records, such as your permanent address, updated with the university!

What will my day look like during my internship?

That really depends on the specific internship, but employers are encouraged to tailor the internship to a student’s interests where possible and to allow the student to participate in activities that are typical of a full-time staff member.

In general, students are expected to work 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout the program (with an hour for a lunch break), but those hours may shift depending on the organization. Students may be asked by their employer to participate in the occasional evening or weekend event, but significant evening or weekend work is not expected.

Does the H2TX professional development course fulfill any of my academic requirements?

Participants are enrolled in a zero-credit course, EXP 000. While students do not receive credits for this course, it does show up on their transcript. There is no cost associated with this course.

What if I have a family vacation planned or want to take a course over the summer?

Students should be willing to fully focus and commit to the entire length of the program. We want to ensure students are getting the most from their Home to Texas experience since nine-weeks is a short period. We also want to ensure that there is a positive work-life balance between the internship duties, EXP course requirements, and a student’s family/personal time.

How were the communities for Home to Texas chosen? Why are there no Home to Texas^™ internships in my community?

Home to Texas communities are selected based on different factors including employer interest, type of employer, available funding, community needs, and level of student interest. Internships available within each community varies.