UT Austin: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Officially University of Texas at Austin · Austin, Texas · Public · Highly selective · CDS 2025-2026
Admission at a glance
Common Data Set 2025-2026
- Tests required
- 90,690
- Applicants
- 20,154
- Admitted22%
- 9,900
- Enrolled
- 49%
- Yield rate
Selectivity
Highly selective22% admittedRanked #34 (tie) in National Universities; Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs #11, Business Programs #6 (tie), Computer Science #11 (tie), Nursing #27 (tie)U.S. News & World Report, Best Colleges 2027
Admission figures come from the 2025-2026 Common Data Set published by University of Texas at Austin (see the source), read on 2026-09-16.
Is UT Austin a reach, target or safety for your student?
Enter a GPA and course load and the calculator places UT Austin against it in about a minute. No account needed.
UT Austin is a public university in Austin, Texas that admits about 22% of applicants, making it a highly selective school. The average family pays about $19,857 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Biology, General, Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication and Psychology, General, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 89% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 3.3 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
UT Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas and one of the highly selective schools in the country. For the most recent reporting cycle, UT Austin admits between 1 in 10 and 1 in 4 applicants, with an overall admission rate of 22%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1395 and an ACT composite around 30. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $19,857 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price.
What parents should know about UT Austin right now
The University of Texas at Austin is the flagship of the UT System, with 53,864 total students enrolled in fall 2024, including 43,165 undergraduates. The most important recent change for applying families is the reinstatement of standardized test scores. Beginning with fall 2025 applications, SAT or ACT scores are required for all first-year applicants after four years of test-optional review, with UT Austin citing the tests as a useful differentiator. For fall 2023, UT Austin admitted 19,253 of 66,109 applicants, a 29.1 percent admit rate, and 74.4 percent of enrolled freshmen ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school class. Distinctive programs include nine honors tracks, among them the Plan II Honors Program and the Turing Scholars Program in Computer Science, plus the Freshman Research Initiative. Accounting and Latin American history programs consistently rank near the top nationally, and McCombs, Cockrell Engineering, and the Moody College of Communication are widely recognized. UT Austin's endowment, separate from the broader Permanent University Fund, was $20.85 billion in FY2024, with a $4.35 billion FY2025 budget. Recent campus news parents may have seen includes the April 2024 elimination of about 60 positions tied to diversity programs after Texas legislation, and pro-Palestinian protest activity that resulted in 57 arrests, later dismissed. On-campus housing for 2024 to 2025 ranges from $13,504 to $20,447 per academic year.
What GPA does my child need for UT Austin?
Most admitted students at UT Austin present unweighted GPAs in the 3.85–4.0 range with five or more AP or honors courses across high school.
Compare UT Austin with the other schools on your list
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SAT and ACT scores UT Austin typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 620–770, with an EBRW midpoint near 675. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 27–33. A score at or above this school's 75th percentile materially improves your child's odds, particularly when paired with a rigorous course load.
| 25th percentile | n/a |
| 50th percentile | 1395 |
| 75th percentile | n/a |
| % submitting SAT | % |
| 25th percentile | 27 |
| 50th percentile | 30 |
| 75th percentile | 33 |
| % submitting ACT | % |
- • Tests required: Standardized test scores are part of the standard application package.
- • Policy detail: Required
How much does UT Austin actually cost?
Published tuition is $11,688 for in-state students and $44,908 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $14,828 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $19,857 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 26% of students receive Pell Grants.
| In-state tuition | $11,656 |
| Out-of-state tuition | $44,816 |
| Room and board | $15,420 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $19,857 |
| Share of financial need metaverage, for students with need | 71% |
| Average need-based grant | $20,052 |
| Graduates who borrowed | 36% |
| Average debt at graduationamong those who borrowed | $20,429 |
| Financial aid forms | FAFSA only (no CSS Profile)College Board 2026-27 list |
| Application fee | $75 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for UT Austin
| Regular deadline | 12/1 |
| Notification date | 2/15 |
| Reply deadline | 5/1 |
Will my child graduate from UT Austin?
These predict outcomes at UT Austin better than its acceptance rate does. How to read retention and graduation rates
Most popular majors at UT Austin
The most popular undergraduate programs at UT Austin, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Biology, General, Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication and Psychology, General. Across all programs, UT Austin confers roughly 3,530 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Biology, General program report a median income of about $65,785 five years after entering college. What these figures mean
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Biology, General | 671 | $65,785 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 506 | $79,337 |
| Psychology, General | 461 | $55,701 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 456 | $132,436 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 407 | $116,432 |
| Mathematics | 358 | $86,814 |
| Economics | 340 | $97,244 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 331 | $73,667 |
Is UT Austin safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), UT Austin disclosed 143 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 3.3 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 20 violent offenses and 34 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Why per-1,000 rates, not counts
What is campus life like at UT Austin?
About 17% of undergraduates at UT Austin live in campus housing, so a meaningful share of students commute or live off campus. In Greek life, 13% of men join a fraternity and 17% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in Texas parents ask about
- Texas A&M University-College Station57% acceptance
- Southern Methodist University63% acceptance
- Baylor University51% acceptance
- Texas Christian University44% acceptance
- University of Houston74% acceptance
- Texas State University89% acceptance
- University of North Texas72% acceptance
- Texas Tech University73% acceptance
Next steps for UT Austin
Common questions parents ask about UT Austin
What GPA do I need for UT Austin?
Most admitted students at UT Austin present unweighted GPAs in the 3.85–4.0 range with five or more AP or honors courses across high school.
What SAT or ACT score does UT Austin typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 620–770, with an EBRW midpoint near 675. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 27–33.
How much does UT Austin actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at UT Austin after grants and scholarships is $19,857 per year, against a published in-state tuition of $11,688 and $44,908 out of state. Budget against the net figure.
Is UT Austin realistic for my child?
UT Austin admits 22% of applicants, so 620–770 SAT Math is target range and below 620 is a reach. Then check the $19,857 average net price against what your family can carry.
What is the acceptance rate at UT Austin?
UT Austin accepts about 22% of applicants out of roughly 90,690 who apply each year. That makes it a highly selective school.
Is UT Austin test-optional?
No. UT Austin requires SAT or ACT scores as part of a standard application.
What is the graduation rate at UT Austin?
About 89% of students at UT Austin graduate within six years, and 74% finish in four years. 97% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
Is UT Austin a public or private school, and where is it located?
UT Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas.
What are the most popular majors at UT Austin?
The largest undergraduate majors at UT Austin by annual graduates are Biology, General, Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication and Psychology, General. The school awards about 3,530 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is UT Austin safe? What is its campus crime rate?
UT Austin reported 143 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 3.3 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at UT Austin?
At UT Austin, 17% of undergraduates live on campus, 13% of men are in fraternities, 17% of women are in sororities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Sources: the 2025-2026 Common Data Set submitted by University of Texas at Austin, the College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act disclosures. What each source covers