31.8%
Acceptance Rate
$11,448
Avg Cost (In-State)
$41,070
Avg Cost (Out-of-State)
88%
Graduation Rate
53,082
Total Enrollment
Popular programs
Application requirements
Regular Deadline
December 1
Common App
No
Test Policy
Test Optional
Essays Required
3
Letters of Rec
0
Application Fee
$75
Interview
Not required
Essays: Three short answer essays required through ApplyTexas or Coalition application. Topics include personal background, academic/career goals, and contributions to the university.
Note: Texas residents in top 6% of their high school class are automatically admitted. Uses ApplyTexas or Coalition application, not Common App.
Requirements are AI-generated from public data and may change. Always verify directly with the college.
Getting there
Graduate outcomes
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
$60,896
Median Earnings at 6 Years
median graduate salary 6 years after starting
$75,121
Median Earnings at 10 Years
median graduate salary 10 years after starting
88%
4-Year Graduation Rate
students completing degree within 4 years
Earnings data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Figures reflect federal aid recipients only — actual median earnings may be higher at schools where many students receive grants rather than loans.
Earnings by major
Median earnings 1 year after graduation, by bachelor's program. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard FieldOfStudy data.
| Program | Median earnings (1yr) | Earnings (4yr) | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication. | $47,972 | $80,221 | 420 |
| Biology, General. | $31,832 | $66,264 | 355 |
| Political Science and Government. | $43,281 | $75,988 | 327 |
| Economics. | $58,717 | $89,354 | 306 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | $111,587 | $155,168 | 296 |
| Psychology, General. | $33,556 | $56,821 | 284 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. | $96,997 | $146,003 | 278 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication. | $28,892 | $52,860 | 254 |
Tracked through federal tax records. Programs with fewer than 30 graduates with reported earnings are privacy-suppressed. 4-year figure tracks the same cohort 3 years later.
What current students say
Write a review →Verified with .edu email. We moderate for spam/abuse, never for sentiment. Reviewer names stay private.
No verified reviews of University of Texas at Austin yet.
Are you a current student here? Be the first to share what you wish you'd known before enrolling.
Verify with .edu and write oneWhat will you actually pay?
Personalized cost estimate based on your family's finances and academic profile
Calculate Your Cost at University of Texas at Austin
Get a personalized estimate of what you'd pay to attend University of Texas at Austin
Tactics that apply here
Things you can do that most families don't know about.
Texas Top 6% Auto-Admit (UT Austin)
~$20k valueTexas high-schoolers in the top 6% of their graduating class get automatic admission to UT Austin (not necessarily to a specific major).
Who it helps: Texas residents at any in-state public or accredited private high school who can sustain top-6% class rank through the end of junior year.
How to use: Confirm your rank with your school counselor by the end of junior year. Apply to UT Austin via ApplyTexas by the December 1 priority deadline. Indicate intended major; have a backup major ready in case your first choice is full. Check your portal status under Bealert.
Source ↗Texas Top 10% Auto-Admit (other Texas publics)
~$15k valueTexas top 10% gets automatic admission to most other Texas public universities (not UT Austin, which uses a tighter threshold).
Who it helps: Texas residents in the top 10% of their class who didn't make UT Austin's tighter cutoff but want a flagship-level state school.
How to use: Apply via ApplyTexas by each school's priority deadline. Indicate auto-admit status; school will verify with your transcript.
Source ↗Early Action priority deadlines unlock the biggest merit pools
~$15k valueAt many public universities, applying by the EA deadline (Nov 1) instead of regular (Feb 1) decides whether you're considered for the top merit awards.
Who it helps: Students with their applications ready by November of senior year, especially those targeting merit-rich publics.
How to use: List each target school's EA deadline (commonly Nov 1, sometimes Oct 15 or Dec 1). Submit complete applications + test scores by then. Confirm merit-scholarship deadlines separately — some require a different priority date or supplemental essay.
Source ↗TEXAS Grant
~$12k valueNeed-based grant for Texas residents attending Texas public universities — up to in-state tuition + mandatory fees.
Who it helps: Texas residents with EFC under $5,000-$6,000 attending a Texas public university. Priority given to first-time freshmen within 16 months of high school graduation.
How to use: File FAFSA or TASFA by the school's priority deadline. The school awards automatically if you qualify.
Source ↗File FAFSA the day it opens
~$5k valueMost schools award state and institutional aid first-come-first-served from a fixed pool. Filing FAFSA in October beats filing in February by thousands.
Who it helps: Every student applying for need-based aid, but especially families relying on state grants or institutional aid.
How to use: Set a calendar reminder for the FAFSA opening date (currently Oct 1 most years; Dec 1 in the 2024-25 transition year). Use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to auto-fill tax info. Submit even if you have to estimate; corrections are easy.
Source ↗CSS Profile is required by 200+ private schools — separate from FAFSA
Most selective private colleges use the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA. It costs $25 + $16/school and reaches deeper into family finances than FAFSA does.
Who it helps: Any student applying to a private 4-year with significant institutional aid needs.
How to use: Check the CSS Profile school list for each of your target colleges. Open the app at cssprofile.collegeboard.org as soon as it opens (early Oct). Submit ahead of each school's earliest priority date — often before the FAFSA deadline.
Source ↗Scholarships
Scholarships you may qualify for.
UT Austin Butler School of Music Endowed Scholarships
$1,000-$10,000/year
universityButler School of Music students; audition + academic merit.
Deadline: December 1
Learn more ↗UT Austin Texas Exes Centennial Scholarship
$2,500-$10,000/year
universityTX residents with academic merit + Aggie family ties; via Texas Exes alumni association.
Deadline: December 1
Learn more ↗UT Austin Moody College of Communications Scholarships
$1,000-$10,000/year
universityMoody College students (journalism, advertising, communication sciences, etc.) with academic merit.
Deadline: February 1
Learn more ↗UT Austin Jackson School of Geosciences Scholarships
$1,000-$15,000/year
universityJackson School geosciences students; multiple endowed + corporate awards.
Deadline: February 1
Learn more ↗UT Austin School of Architecture Scholarships
$1,000-$10,000/year
universityArchitecture students at UT Austin's School of Architecture.
Deadline: February 1
Learn more ↗UT Austin AAUW Award (Texas Branch)
$1,500-$3,000/year
universityWomen UT students pursuing nontraditional fields or graduate study.
Deadline: Varies
Learn more ↗UT Austin School of Nursing Scholarships
$1,000-$10,000/year (various)
universityNursing students with academic merit + clinical commitment.
Deadline: February 1
Learn more ↗UT Austin Ray Lozano Memorial Scholarship
$1,000-$3,000/year
universityHispanic UT freshmen with academic merit + community service.
Deadline: February 1
Learn more ↗UT Austin LBJ School Public Affairs Endowed Awards
$2,500-$20,000/year (graduate)
universityLBJ School MPAff/MGPS students with academic merit + service.
Deadline: March 1
Learn more ↗Round-by-round
Acceptance rates by application round.
The single overall 31.8% rate hides a 2–4x gap between ED and RD at most selective schools. Class of 2027 cycle.
Regular Decision
30%
acceptance
Priority deadline Dec 1 (some majors). Auto-admit for TX top 6% public HS. UT system reinstated test requirement.
Source ↗For transfer students
Transferring in to University of Texas at Austin.
28%
Transfer admit rate
3.0
Min transfer GPA
TX TCCNS + CAP
State articulation
Coordinated Admission Program (CAP) guarantees transfer in after one year at a partner school with required GPA + courses.
Peer colleges
Similar colleges to consider.
Similar selectivity
University of California-Irvine
Irvine, CA
28.6% acceptance
Both admit around 29% of applicants, with 30k undergrads and a s campus — a close selectivity match.
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA
36.2% acceptance
Both admit around 36% of applicants, with 35k undergrads and a u campus — a close selectivity match.
University of California-San Diego
La Jolla, CA
26.7% acceptance
Both admit around 27% of applicants, with 35k undergrads and a s campus — a close selectivity match.
Cheaper alternatives
Florida A&M University
Tallahassee, FL
38% acceptance
Similar selectivity (38% vs 32%) but out-of-state cost runs $18k — meaningfully less than $41k.
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
24.2% acceptance
Similar selectivity (24% vs 32%) but out-of-state cost runs $19k — meaningfully less than $41k.
University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL
40.1% acceptance
Similar selectivity (40% vs 32%) but out-of-state cost runs $22k — meaningfully less than $41k.
Reaches above this college
Tulane University of Louisiana
New Orleans, LA
14% acceptance
Same u setting in the South, but more selective (14% vs 32%) — a stretch target if University of Texas at Austin is already on your list.
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
12.9% acceptance
Same u setting in the South, but more selective (13% vs 32%) — a stretch target if University of Texas at Austin is already on your list.
Tulane University
New Orleans, LA
11% acceptance
Same u setting in the South, but more selective (11% vs 32%) — a stretch target if University of Texas at Austin is already on your list.
Safer alternatives
University of South Florida
Tampa, FL
43.2% acceptance
Same u setting in the South, but higher admit rate (43% vs 32%) — a likelier admit with a similar feel.
Texas Christian University
Fort Worth, TX
44.5% acceptance
Same u setting in the South, but higher admit rate (45% vs 32%) — a likelier admit with a similar feel.
George Washington University
Washington, DC
47.1% acceptance
Same u setting in the South, but higher admit rate (47% vs 32%) — a likelier admit with a similar feel.
Transfer pathways
Routes in from a community college.
From TX community colleges
articulation onlyUT's Coordinated Admission Program (CAP) and Path to Admission through Co-Enrollment (PACE) offer transfer pathways from Texas community colleges. CAP students attend a UT System partner school for a year, then transfer to UT Austin with guaranteed admission contingent on GPA. Th…
From UT community colleges
articulation onlyUT's Coordinated Admission Program (CAP) and Path to Admission through Co-Enrollment (PACE) offer transfer pathways from Texas community colleges. CAP students attend a UT System partner school for a year, then transfer to UT Austin with guaranteed admission contingent on GPA. Th…
Ready to dig deeper?
Get your personalized research report for University of Texas at Austin — scholarships, admissions strategy, costs, and a step-by-step playbook.