UT Austin

ut_austin.md

UT Austin

Overview

  • Location: Austin, TX
  • Category: public_elite
  • Conference: SEC (Big 12 until 2024)
  • Total undergrad enrollment: ~43,165

Admissions (CDS 2024-25)

  • Total applicants: 72,885 (record high, +10.2% YoY)
  • Admitted: 19,417
  • Enrolled: 9,210 (2nd-largest freshman class ever)
  • Acceptance rate: 26.6%
  • Yield rate: 47.4%

Academic Profile

  • SAT middle 50%: 1270-1470
  • ACT middle 50%: 27-33
  • Avg unweighted GPA: ~3.83
  • Top 10% of HS class: 86% of enrolled students
  • Top quartile: 96%
  • Testing policy: Required (reinstated for 2025-26 cycle)

Texas Top Percent Rule

  • Currently top 6% of Texas HS class gets automatic admission
  • Dropping to top 5% for fall 2026 entry
  • Accounts for majority of in-state admits
  • Major placement not guaranteed under auto-admit

Early Action

  • Non-binding, non-restrictive EA with Oct 15 deadline
  • EA decisions released by Jan 15
  • No advantage in review process vs. regular deadline (Dec 1)

Demographics (College Scorecard)

  • White: 32%, Hispanic: 28%, Asian: 25%, Black: 5%
  • International: 4%, Multiracial: 4%
  • Women: 56%
  • In-state: 88%

Net Cost by Income (College Scorecard)

  • $0-30K: $12,972
  • $30-48K: $15,543
  • $48-75K: $18,618
  • $75-110K: $25,697
  • $110K+: $28,972

Athletics

  • NCAA Division I, SEC
  • 21 varsity sports (9 men's, 12 women's)
  • 691 student-athletes (~1.3% of enrollment)

Community Insights (Reddit/Forums)

Admissions Strategy

  • Auto-admit dominates: Top 6% of Texas HS class (dropping to 5% for Fall 2026) gets guaranteed admission. State law requires at least 75% of admits come from auto-admit pool, leaving only ~25% of spots for holistic review.
  • Non-auto-admit is Ivy-level difficult: With 90K+ applications and only ~5K holistic spots, counselors describe non-auto-admit acceptance as "as difficult as getting into Dartmouth." Forum consensus confirms this.
  • OOS is extremely limited: State law caps OOS enrollment at 10% of undergrads. OOS applications jumped 48% recently, intensifying competition for very few spots.
  • Major placement is NOT guaranteed: Auto-admit gets you into UT, not into your major. Competitive programs (McCombs Business, CS, Engineering) require secondary placement that many auto-admits don't receive. This is a major source of frustration discussed extensively on forums.
  • EA exists but provides no admissions advantage: Oct 15 EA deadline gets earlier decisions but does not improve odds vs Dec 1 regular deadline.

Campus Culture & Fit

  • Austin is a massive draw — students love the city's music scene, food, tech jobs, and outdoor culture.
  • Campus is enormous (43K+ undergrads) with strong school spirit centered around Longhorn football.
  • Greek life is significant but not dominant; campus is politically diverse by Texas standards.
  • Students report a "big pond" experience — easy to feel anonymous without proactive effort to build community.

Financial Aid Reputation

  • Strong value for in-state students, especially with Texas Grant programs.
  • OOS tuition (~$40K) with limited institutional aid makes UT expensive for non-Texans.
  • Forum discussions note that many OOS admits decline due to cost, contributing to moderate OOS yield.

Simulation-Relevant Takeaways

  • Auto-admit (top 6%/5%) should be modeled as a separate pathway — it's the dominant admissions mechanism, not holistic review.
  • In-state vs OOS split is ~88/12, among the most skewed of any top public. OOS acceptance rate is likely 10-15%.
  • Yield (47%) is high, driven by in-state auto-admits who view UT as their best option.

Sources

  • UT Austin CDS 2024-25: reports.utexas.edu/common-data-set
  • College Scorecard: collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?228778
  • UT News enrollment report (Sep 2024)
  • GoodGoblin CDS visualization
  • Inside Higher Ed: UT Austin's auto-admit rule raises the stakes (Dec 2024)
  • Texas Tribune: UT-Austin tightens auto admission to top 5% (Sep 2024)