University of Texas MSc Electrical Engineering - Communications 2026:Admission,Fees,Scholarship and Placement

University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Master of Science (MS) Electrical Engineering (EE), Communications, is a two-year, full-time campus programme in San Antonio, Texas. Applicants need a relevant bachelor’s degree and a 3.0/4.0 grade point average, approximately 60% to 70% for Indian applicants, subject to official evaluation. For Summer 2027, calculated nine-credit academic charges are US$14,639.86 (INR 13.83 Lakhs), a semester illustration rather than full-degree fees.

The specialisation develops mathematical and engineering skills for wireless systems, optical communications and information transmission, making it relevant to applicants with electrical or electronics preparation. Its thesis and project routes serve different goals: research development or an applied engineering portfolio, while both retain study outside communications.

• Approved electives can include up to six credits from other graduate subjects, allowing a communications study plan to incorporate complementary technical interests.
• A required research seminar introduces departmental work alongside the taught curriculum.
• Afternoon and evening course offerings provide scheduling options, although applicants should check the actual timetable before accepting employment commitments.

Also Check: UTSA MS Electrical Engineering Admission

UTSA MS EE Communications Fees and Living Costs 2027

Summer 2027 fees are published by credit load, with an additional engineering differential rather than one flat Communications programme price. The following nine-credit illustration uses the non-resident graduate schedule; it does not prescribe a summer workload or cover the entire degree.

Summer 2027, 2026-27 cycle: tuition components and mandatory charges below apply to nine credits, with the current international application fee identified separately.

All INR conversions in the article use a conversion rate of US$1 = INR 94.4598 as of 06 November 2026. Rates fluctuate daily, verify before applying.

Source: UTSA Summer 2027 non-resident graduate fee schedule and current graduate admissions fee policy; combined charges are calculated.

The engineering differential is US$59.87 per credit (INR 5,655), so nine engineering credits add US$538.83 (INR 50,898) to the published base. Because mandatory fees include fixed charges, dividing one semester bill by nine and multiplying by the degree’s credits would misstate the full cost.

• A three-credit Summer 2027 example calculates to US$5,157.82 (INR 4.87 Lakhs), including the published base and three engineering differential charges.
• The thesis requires 30 credits and the project route requires 33, so request a semester-by-semester quote for the route you intend to complete.
• No programme-specific deposit or complete multi-year payment schedule was located on the checked official surfaces, so obtain these details before transferring acceptance funds.

Cost of Living in San Antonio for Communications Students

UTSA’s 2026-27 off-campus graduate allowances provide a separate living-cost reference for fall and spring, excluding tuition and books. Monthly amounts below divide those allowances by nine for budgeting; the university does not publish them as monthly rent quotations.

A calculated 2026-27 fall-and-spring planning illustration totals US$48,911.72 (INR 46.20 Lakhs) for two nine-credit engineering semesters, living allowances and books. Its basis is twice US$14,654.86 (INR 13.84 Lakhs), plus US$18,402 (INR 17.38 Lakhs) for living and US$1,200 (INR 1.13 Lakhs) for books. This illustration covers 18 credits, excludes summer living and is neither a full-degree budget nor the university’s visa financial-evidence requirement.

For a Summer 2027 entrant, request a quote spanning the entry semester and subsequent academic years, including insurance, travel and any additional registration. Later-year rates and your thesis or project schedule remain necessary before a lender can assess a complete borrowing requirement.

Read More: Cost of Living in the USA for Indian Students

Key insight: The 33-credit project route requires more credits than the 30-credit thesis route, but the thesis may involve different registration timing. Obtain both credit-load and completion assumptions before choosing the cheaper option.

UTSA MS EE Communications Admission 2027

Summer, fall and spring entry are offered, with Summer 2027 the first published intake whose international deadline remains open. The Communications option belongs to the Electrical Engineering master’s degree, so a communications-related undergraduate title alone does not establish adequate engineering preparation.

Academic requirements: the programme page and current graduate catalogue assess degree equivalence, prior coursework and academic performance together.

The Indian percentage comparison is approximate; UTSA makes the official equivalency decision using the applicant’s documents and credential evaluation. Request the required course-by-course evaluation rather than a summary report, because the graduate admissions instructions expressly reject summaries.

Applicants from electronics, telecommunications or another related discipline should document preparation relevant to communication theory and signal analysis. A transcript-supported explanation of that preparation is more useful than treating the degree title as automatic eligibility, particularly where the catalogue limits related-field admission to exceptional candidates.

English Language Requirements

UTSA accepts IELTS (International English Language Testing System) and TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), alongside the Duolingo English Test. These are alternative English proficiency routes, so applicants should select one accepted examination rather than assume that every test listed for undergraduates applies.

Current programme TOEFL policy: “For exams taken on or after January 21, 2026: We require a minimum TOEFL iBT score of 4.0.”

India is absent from the published country-exemption list, and the checked graduate policies do not provide an Indian school-English waiver. The university’s graduate test list also excludes Pearson’s academic English examination, so do not use undergraduate acceptance rules when booking a test for this master’s.

• Official English scores must be less than two years old, so check validity against your application and enrolment timetable before reusing a previous result.
• The published revised TOEFL minimum is an overall score; request confirmation of any component conditions rather than converting a previous-scale result yourself.
• Send official results through the testing organisation, because an uploaded score copy does not satisfy the final official-document requirement.

Tip for Indian students: The course-by-course evaluation is mandatory for foreign university study, even when your degree was taught in English. Start that process alongside English testing to avoid a complete-looking application missing its required academic assessment.

UTSA MS EE Communications Application 2027

Complete the Summer 2027 file by 01 March 2027, including the application, fee, transcripts, evaluation and required test documentation. UTSA reviews complete Electrical Engineering applications as they arrive and generally communicates a decision within four to six weeks, rather than publishing one results day.

All published future entry options: cutoffs are 5:00 p.m. U.S. Central Time, with the corresponding Indian date and time shown beside each. Central Standard Time applies in February and March here; Central Daylight Time applies to the June and October deadlines.

The university’s Central Time cutoff controls the portal, even though its Indian equivalent falls on the following calendar day. Fall’s February priority deadline precedes the summer final deadline, so applicants weighing both entry terms must make that choice before the earlier fall milestone.

For applicants seeking Fall 2027 priority consideration, completing the file by 01 February 2027 preserves that stage without treating it as a guaranteed funding offer. Summer applicants have no published priority round, making early document completion useful for the stated review window and subsequent visa arrangements.

Choose the Thesis or Project Route Deliberately

The catalogue identifies Communications and Intelligent Networks as the concentration, with Foundations of Communication Theory as its core. Its thesis and non-thesis structures differ in both research commitment and breadth, so ask the graduate advisor which structure supports your intended technical work.

• The 30-credit thesis includes six thesis credits, making supervisor alignment important before committing to a research topic or doctoral preparation.
• The 33-credit non-thesis route includes a three-credit graduate project and at least six core credits outside the concentration, requiring a broader taught study plan.
• Use proposed work in wireless or optical communication to explain your interests, while checking course availability rather than assuming every catalogue elective runs each semester.

Application components must match the live portal checklist; the checked master’s page does not specify a universal recommendation-letter count or a mandatory interview stage. Prepare your project record and academic documents, then confirm any additional statement, references or interview request through the official Electrical Engineering application page.

Application tip: UTSA’s four-to-six-week review period begins with a complete file, not with the first uploaded document. Order the foreign credential evaluation early enough for its arrival before the selected intake’s international deadline.

UTSA MS EE Communications Scholarships 2027

Funding is conditional rather than an automatic admission benefit for the Communications master’s. The available routes include international need-based support, research-presentation assistance and competitive assistantships, which serve different purposes and should not be combined into an assumed tuition discount.

Named Support Available to Eligible Graduate Students

The International Student Grant considers demonstrated financial need and available funds, with no fixed maximum published. Applicants need valid student status, full-time graduate enrolment in fall and spring and the required academic standing, so the scheme cannot be treated as guaranteed pre-arrival finance.

The following awards are current published, cycleless schemes, not confirmed Summer 2027 entrance scholarships. Each requires a separate qualifying activity beyond being admitted to Electrical Engineering.

The travel fund requires six enrolled credits in a long semester or three in summer, good standing and an eligible presentation. Its published recurring cutoffs are 01 September, 01 November, 01 February, 01 April and 01 July; the page does not assign these to a named intake cycle.

For the fellowship incentive, the underlying opportunity must offer at least US$18,000 annually (INR 17.00 Lakhs) for two or more years. Indian applicants must independently satisfy that external fellowship’s nationality and degree conditions; the university’s examples do not establish eligibility for every international master’s student.

Assistantships and Tuition Remission

Graduate research and teaching assistantships are employment appointments, with master’s students eligible for research assistant roles under the university’s appointment framework. Ask a potential communications supervisor about a funded vacancy and obtain the actual stipend, appointment period and fee coverage in writing before reducing your borrowing requirement.

UTSA publishes an in-state tuition rule for qualifying competitive scholarships of at least US$1,000 (INR 94,460), which changes the applicable tuition tier. That is a remission mechanism rather than permission to subtract an invented award value from international fees; no net tuition calculation is made here.

• For a thesis application, present evidence of relevant communications work when asking about research funding, because supervisor fit and an actual appointment must support the funding assumption.
• For the project route, retain a funding case that works without an assistantship, since admission alone supplies no published stipend entitlement.
• Treat travel reimbursement and the fellowship submission incentive as activity-specific support rather than money available for your first tuition payment.

The Summer 2027 grant deadline is not identified on the checked grant guidance, while the published description centres on fall-and-spring enrolment. Verify entry-term eligibility and the live application form through the official international student funding page before counting this award toward summer expenses.

Read More: UTSA Scholarships for International Students

Scholarship reality: The named travel award reimburses eligible research presentation costs, while the international grant depends on need and available funds. Neither replaces a written, programme-specific funding offer for the first semester.

UTSA MS EE Communications Salary 2027

No named-cohort Communications salary or placement report was located on the checked programme, department and career surfaces. The programme’s career widget draws on external labour-market information, so its role estimates should not be read as salaries earned by UTSA graduates.

External U.S. job-market benchmarks, May 2025: these national gross annual medians cover workers across experience levels, not this course’s graduating class.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 wage data; external market evidence rather than graduate outcomes.

The industry-specific difference makes the intended role important: communications study does not imply a single telecommunications salary, while semiconductor employment may require different device skills. Use the concentration’s wireless, optical and communication-theory options to identify suitable roles, then check each employer’s technical and work-authorisation requirements.

Gross pay differs from take-home income because tax residency, withholding and deductions affect the amount available for loan repayments. Check the official tax estimator eligibility guidance, which directs nonresident taxpayers to separate instructions rather than the general estimator.

Return on Investment for Indian Applicants

The 18-credit, two-semester 2026-27 planning illustration is US$48,911.72 (INR 46.20 Lakhs), before the remainder of either degree route and additional summer expenses. Because a complete target-entry degree budget and cohort employment outcomes are unavailable, the return on investment requires a qualitative risk assessment rather than a numerical payback promise.

• The 30-credit thesis commits six credits to research, so secure topic and supervisor alignment before financing a route intended to support research or doctoral applications.
• The 33-credit project requires three more total credits, so obtain its complete registration plan and fee quote before treating practical project work as the cheaper choice.
• The published US$750 travel award (INR 70,845) is reimbursement-based, so exclude it from the cash needed for the first semester unless an award confirms usable support.
• Initial post-completion practical training is limited to 12 months, with a conditional 24-month extension for eligible degrees, so verify your degree code before assuming a longer earning window.
• The salary table describes United States occupations rather than India-return earnings, so use an actual Indian role and compensation offer when testing repayments after returning home.

ROI reality: UTSA offers a defined communications curriculum and two different completion routes, but the checked sources do not establish graduate placement probabilities. A defensible borrowing decision needs a full registration budget and confirmed funding, rather than a national occupational median.

USA Visa for UTSA MS EE Communications Students 2027

UTSA students in F-1 student status may apply for OPT (Optional Practical Training) after completing their degree. This authorisation permits up to 12 months of degree-related work, subject to approval. A further 24-month extension requires an eligible science, technology, engineering or mathematics degree and other conditions, including an enrolled E-Verify employer. The master’s itself creates no automatic permanent-residence route or fixed settlement timetable.

• The published student visa application fee is US$185 (INR 17,475), with a separate student-record registration fee of US$350 (INR 33,061), so budget both before travel.
• Confirm the degree classification code on your Form I-20 eligibility document with UTSA before assuming the Communications concentration qualifies for the additional 24-month work extension.
• For H-1B employer-sponsored work, required pay is the higher of the employer’s actual wage or the occupational prevailing wage, so verify the proposed role’s applicable rate.
• F-2 spouses and dependent children cannot work, so a family accompanying a Communications student needs funding that does not rely on a dependant’s United States earnings.

Check Out: USA Student Visa Requirements for Indian Applicants

Visa reality: Admission to this master’s and permission to remain for employment are separate decisions. Confirm the degree-code conditions and approved work dates before using a three-year U.S. employment assumption in a repayment plan.

UTSA MS EE Communications Ranking 2027

UTSA’s Electrical, Electronic and Communications Engineering discipline is ranked 112 in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report graduate rankings. The university’s April 2026 announcement reports this subject position, which covers the broader graduate discipline rather than a separate Communications concentration.

For a 2027 entry decision, this discipline ranking supplies context alongside the concentration’s communication-theory core and choice of thesis or project. It does not identify a suitable supervisor, confirm elective availability or establish a graduate salary, so verify those programme-level requirements before accepting an offer.

Also Check: UTSA Subject Rankings

Honest take: The published position applies to the graduate engineering discipline, while your degree plan depends on the Communications concentration and completion route. Prioritise the specific courses and supervision you can secure over an assumption that the ranking predicts employment.