I heard that there's top percentile of kids in every Texas highschool that get a shoe-in

What GPA do I need to get into UT Austin?

You're referring to Texas's automatic admission law, which does give certain students a guaranteed path to UT Austin—though it's become increasingly competitive.

Automatic Admission

Texas residents who graduate in the top 6% of their high school class are automatically admitted to UT Austin. This used to be top 10%, but the university had to lower it because so many students qualified that there wasn't enough room for holistic review admits. This automatic admission applies to the university itself, but not necessarily to your preferred major—highly competitive programs like Computer Science, Business, and Engineering still require separate reviews.

For Everyone Else

If you're not in the top 6%, or you're an out-of-state student, UT Austin uses holistic review. The middle 50% of admitted students typically have:

Unweighted GPA: 3.75-4.0
Weighted GPA: Often above 4.0
SAT: 1240-1470
ACT: 27-33

However, GPA alone doesn't tell the whole story. UT Austin looks at course rigor (AP, IB, dual enrollment classes), essays, extracurriculars, leadership, and other factors. A student with a 3.8 GPA taking the most challenging courses available and demonstrating genuine passion in their activities can be competitive.

Important Considerations

Even if you qualify for automatic admission, you still need to submit a strong application. Your essays and activities matter for scholarship consideration and for competitive major placement. Also, automatic admission doesn't guarantee housing or financial aid.

If you're aiming for UT Austin, focus on taking rigorous courses and doing well in them, but also invest time in meaningful extracurriculars and crafting authentic essays. Texas has other excellent universities too—Texas A&M, UT Dallas, and others offer outstanding programs and may provide better scholarship opportunities.

What year are you in high school, and do you know your current class rank? That would help me give you more specific guidance about your chances and what to focus on.