UT Austin Acceptance Rate: 29%
Shortcuts to sections offered for UT Austin prospective students:
Successful Applicant Profile
- Demographics
- Majors
- SAT/ACT Scores
Entry Requirements
- Tuition
- Scholarships
- Checklist of Application Requirements
- Application Deadlines
What Should You Expect?
- Student life
- Academics offered
- Athletics offered
- Notable alumni
UT Austin Acceptance Rate – Important Information for Applicants
The University of Texas at Austin, commonly known as UT Austin, is one of the most well-known universities in the country. While sports fans know this university for the Longhorns sports team, academics are aware of the world-class education that UT Austin has been offering since its inception in 1883.
Despite being a larger university, the UT Austin acceptance rate is still rather competitive when compared to other standard state colleges.
While it changes slightly from year to year, the UT Austin acceptance rate typically hovers around 29%. When compared to some of the most selective universities in the country, the UT Austin acceptance rate might seem like a saving grace to some students.
The AdmissionSight team put together this guide to give you a better understanding of what it takes to get accepted into UT Austin and how you can greatly improve your chances.
Successful Applicant Profile
The UT Austin acceptance rate is encouraging for students who are daunted by the lower admit rates of more competitive universities. This, combined with the excellent education offered at UT Austin, leads tens of thousands of students to apply each year.
In 2019 an impressive total of 53,000 students applied to be members of the incoming Class of 2023. Of this massive number, around 17,000 applicants were admitted. Since 2013, UT Austin has seen an increase in admissions, making the school slightly more competitive each year.
Fortunately, UT Austin takes has a comprehensive strategy for screening applicants. Instead of looking at a few parts of an application, admission officers give weight to all requirements, giving students to show off their strengths in a variety of different areas.
All components of your application will be used to make the final decision, including your high school GPA, coursework difficulty, extracurriculars, work experience, and academic goals – among other things. For this reason, it’s important to shine a spotlight on both your personal and academic achievements to give admission officers an aggregate picture of you as an applicant.
Where are the applicants from?
One look at the student demographics of UT Austin can tell you how rich the college is with diversity. With tens of thousands of students, UT Austin is like a melting pot of different cultures, perspectives, backgrounds, and ideas.
You’ll be able to not only bing your unique points of view to the university, but you’ll also be able to come away with a richer understanding of how other people think – making UT Austin a truly unique university.
Just like the city of Austin, TX in which its located, UT Austin attracts people from around the country and the world. In fact, among the student body, there are representatives from 50 different states (and Washinton D.C.) and 52 different countries.
Roughly 79.3% of the student population originates from Texas while 10.6% hail from out of state and 10.1% are international students. Understandably, 167 counties within Texas are represented at the school and 1,752 high schools throughout the country are represented too.
Of the 52 different countries from which UT Austin’s international students hail, China, India, and South Korea make up the largest representations.
UT Austin reports having around 5,244 international students amongst their entire student population, of whom 2,183 are undergraduates. Within the last few years, the international student population has been growing at a rate of 4.6%. Currently, China is the biggest contributor to this steady growth.
Let’s take a look at some other demographics relating to the student population of UT Austin:
- 56% of enrollees are male and 44% are female
- 20% of students are within the first generation of their to attend college
- The top 7% of Texas high schoolers are automatically admitted
- 25 students are named Austin
What are the more common programs?
Academically, UT Austin is well-known for its engineering, communication, and business programs. However, the sheer variety of programs and majors offered at this university can make it difficult to pigeonhole its offerings.
In total, UT Austin offers students 114 different undergraduate degrees that are concentrated into 77 unique majors within 22 wide-ranging fields of study. This plethora of academic offerings makes it easier for students to find the right majors and courses to meet their academic and professional goals.
In general, some of the most popular majors for UT Austin students include Biomedical and Biological Sciences, Social Sciences, Journalism and Communications, Business and Management, and Engineering. Whether you’re looking for subject matter related to the arts, sciences, or somewhere in between, you’re bound to find what you’re looking for academically at UT Astin.
What is the average SAT/ACT score of admitted students?
Even though the UT Austin acceptance rate is more forgiving than some other esteemed universities, AdmissionSight encourages students to not get too complacent or comfortable.
The UT Austin admissions office is still highly selective and competitive. One of the best ways to distinguish your resume from the batch of applicants is to score high on the SAT and/or ACT exams.
With these standardized tests, you have the ability to overcome low grades that might otherwise count you out of the running. Below, we’ll review the overall average SAT and ACT scores of admitted UT Austin students to give you a better idea of what you need to aim for.
UT Austin Average SAT Score of Admitted Students
Overall average score: 1275
75th percentile score: 1410
Scoring below the overall average SAT score of 1275 means the test is working against you and should be left off your application as a result.
UT Austin Average ACT Score of Admitted Students
Overall average score: 29
75th percentile score: 32
Scoring below the overall average ACT score of 29 means the test is working against you and should be left off your application as a result.
It’s clear that admission officers stress academic proficiency when deciding who gets admitted into UT Austin and who gets rejected. As a result, it’s important to focus strongly on boosting your GPA as well.
To give you an idea of the level of competitiveness inherent in this university’s admission process, the average admitted student has an unweighted GPA of 3.7. We always advise students to take weight courses (i.e. honors and AP classes) in order to boost their overall GPA and to also better prepare for the SAT and ACT exams.
Entry Requirements
Don’t let the UT Austin acceptance rate lull you into a false sense of confidence; it’s still challenging to get into this esteemed university. Since you’ll be competing with tens of thousands of potential admits, it’s critical that you gain a better understanding of UT Austin’s entrance requirements and get comfortable with the admission process overall.
As with many things in life, the harder you work, the greater the payout. This couldn’t be more aptly illustrated than with the average starting salary of UT Austin graduates which is a competitive $56,900 – proof that an education at this university actually pays off.
As we mentioned before, admission officers at UT Austin take a comprehensive approach when assessing applications.
In other words, your eventual rejection from or admittance to UT Austin isn’t solely dependent on a limited number of factors like your GPA or standardized test grades. Instead, admission officers take all application requirements into account, including (but not limited to), your academic goals, personal interests, letter of recommendations, personal statements, course rigor, and more.
How much will it cost to attend?
UT Austin has different fees and unique costs for each program, making it impossible to give every student an exact number when discussing tuition. However, there are accurate estimates that we’ve outlined below, breaking down the average costs for both in-state and out-of-state students.
| In-state students | Out-of-state students | |
| Tuition | $10,610 | $37,580 |
| Books & Supplies | $700 | $700 |
| Room & Board | $10,804 | $10,804 |
| Personal Expenses | $4,392 | $4,392 |
| Total | $26,506 | $53.476 |
For more specific information and accurate costs depending on your chosen major, visit the official UT Austin tuition webpage.
What financial aid opportunities are available?
UT Austin is dedicated to helping talented students from around the country afford a world-class education at its university. By offering scholarship packages and competitive recruitment, UT Austin is a potential for qualified students, regardless of their families’ financial standing.
This university’s commitment to making its education affordable means reducing student costs and debt while allowing students to take advantage of everything the university ash to offer.
To give you a better idea of how UT Austin’s financial aid and dedication to affordable education plays out, let’s take a look at how many students actually receive some form of financial assistance and how much.
The average first-year financial support deal for a student at UT Austin is $16,531. In total, around 43% of enrollees receive some form of financial aid, which typically comes in the form of grants and scholarships.
What are the application requirements for UT Austin?
First-year applicants are permitted to submit their applications either through the Coalition for College application or the ApplyTexas application. It’s within one of these applications that you should report your entire academic record, including any college credit you’ve earned throughout high school.
It’s important to only choose one of these applications for sending all of the required documents. In order to be considered for admittance into UT Austin in the following freshman class, you have to have the following items submitted before the application deadline:
- An online application submitted through ApplyTexas or Coalition for College
- $75 non-refundable application fee ($90 for international students) or fee waiver
- UT Austin supplemental essays
- Official high school transcripts
- SAT and/or ACT test scores
- College transcripts (if applicable)
Any international students interested in applying to UT Austin can find more information regarding specific requirements on the university’s Texas Global page.
AdmissionSight always recommends that students review their applications at least a few times (or more!) to make sure that everything’s in order before hitting that send button.
What are the timelines for UT Austin applications?
November 1 is the deadline for priority application for honors and admissions. The standard deadline is a month later on December 1. Keep in mind that you’ll have to send in more items than just an application. Furthermore, all of those extra requirements have to also be sent in before these deadlines. You can visit this link to get more information on what kind of items you have to send in along with your application.
If you’re able to submit the application on or before the priority deadline of November 1, you should receive a notification of admission by February 1.
This decision might be a notification of admission or deferral until March 1. On the other hand, you’ll be notified no later than March 1 about your acceptance status if you complete the application by the standard deadline of December 1. You might get lucky and receive notification before these published dates, but those are expectations.
What to Expect
UT Austin is a vibrant university located in one of the most diverse and enthusiastic cities in the United States. With over 50,000 students, you’ll definitely feel the size when attending UT Austin. While this larger size brings with it more opportunities, better connection, and a lively atmosphere, those students looking for a more intimate and personal community might feel that atmosphere is lacking on this large campus.
When you’re not exploring the wonderful city of Austin, you can visit a number of nature reserves and state parks located around the university. Those students interested in participating in clubs and extracurriculars will be blown away by the sheer number of options that are on the UT Austin campus.
What do students think of life at UT Austin?
UT Austin has an excellent student-retention rate of 95%. This means that the vast majority of first-year students enjoy the experience so much that they decide to stay on for another year.
Considering that the national average is 68%, it’s safe to say that the student satisfaction rate at UT Austin is incredibly high. To give you a more concrete idea of what you can expect as a student at UT Austin, here’s a review of the college from a current freshman:
“The University has a great campus environment. The professors and faculty are always willing to help and there are a lot of activities and organizations that make campus feel like home.” – Anonymous UT Austin Freshman 2020
What academics are offered?
Despite UT Austin’s large size, the university still maintains a respectable student-to-faculty ratio. For every 1 faculty member, there are 19 students. In addition, 37.6% of the university’s classes have less than 20 students. While not quite as intimate as some smaller universities, students will still feel like there’s a personal atmosphere in the classroom.
What athletic options are available?
UT Austin is known as a competitive sports school. Whether you’re looking to pursue a sport in college or simply love attending tailgates and sports events, you’ll love what this university has to offer.
The Texas Longhorns are one of the most recognizable teams in the NCAA. The Longhorn’s football team competes in NCAA Division I. For students looking for more low-key athletic options will be happy to hear that UT Austin has several intramural sports and other extracurricular activities for students.
Who are some famous UT Austin alumni?
Matthew McConaughey – One of the most successful and famous actors of all time
Neil deGrasse Tyson – American cosmologist, astrophysicist, author, planetary scientist, and overall science ambassador
Owen Wilson – A famous American actor, screenwriter, and producer
Are you eager to get into UT Austin?
UT Austin is an exciting and esteemed university that has an equally challenging admission process. If you’re eager to get accepted into this prestigious college, AdmissionSight can help.
With years of experience in the college admissions space, we’ve developed the resources and services needed to help students achieve their academic goals. If you’d like to learn more about what we do, please contact us today.
