How hard is it to get into UT Austin out-of-state?

Getting into UT Austin as an out-of-state (OOS) student is extremely difficult, with recent OOS acceptance rates hovering around 5-10%, far lower than the overall rate due to Texas state law reserving 90% of spots for residents, making it a significant reach even for top students, especially for popular majors like Business or Engineering. Competition has intensified with increased applications and rising prestige, so OOS applicants need exceptional grades, rigorous coursework, strong essays, and standout extracurriculars to compete, even with high scores, facing a highly selective holistic review.

Is it worth applying to UT Austin out-of-state?

The first thing to know about applying to UT Austin is that state law mandates that 90% of its students come from Texas. That means that Texas applicants have a huge advantage in the admissions process. In fact, only 5% of undergraduates come from out-of-state, and 5% of undergraduates are international.

Does UT Austin accept out-of-state students?

That rate is similar to their overall admissions rate, whereas UT admits Texas residents in significantly higher numbers. So, UT-Austin may be the most competitive university for non-resident and out-of-state applicants in the country.

What is the 6% rule at UT?

The UT Austin Top 6% Rule guarantees automatic admission for eligible Texas residents who graduate in the top 6% of their high school class (this is changing to the top 5% for Fall 2026 applicants) under a state law promoting diversity, but it doesn't guarantee entry into specific competitive majors, which still require meeting additional requirements through holistic review. This rule, derived from the statewide Top 10% Law, allows UT Austin to fill 75% of its freshman class with auto-admit students, adjusting the percentage based on application volume. 

How hard is it to get into UT out-of-state?

For the 2024-2025 college application cycle, UT Austin's acceptance rate is 26.6%, UT Austin's out-of-state acceptance rate is 10%, and UT Austin's transfer acceptance rate is 22.5%.

Should Out of State (OOS) Applicants bother applying for UT-Austin?

Is UT Austin considered a public ivy?

The Public Ivies was a term coined by Richard Moll in this 1985 book, The Public Ivys: A Guide to America's Best Public Undergraduate Colleges and Universities. UT Austin is one of the original 15 schools named in that book, and is still considered a Public Ivy to this day.

What is the #1 hardest school to get into?

There isn't one single #1 hardest school, as it varies slightly by year and source, but Harvard University, Stanford University, MIT, and Caltech consistently rank among the top, often with acceptance rates below 4%, with some lists pointing to Harvard or even Minerva University as the absolute lowest (around 1-3%) due to extreme competition and high standards. 

What is the 90% rule at UT Austin?

The "UT Austin 90 rule" refers to the state law requiring University of Texas at Austin to reserve about 90% of its freshman spots for Texas residents, with the remaining 10% for out-of-state/international students, making it harder for non-residents to get in. For in-state students, a separate rule, the Top 10 Percent Law, guarantees automatic admission to the top percentage of their high school class, a threshold UT Austin sets annually (currently the top 5% for Fall 2026, previously 6%) to meet the 90% residency requirement and the 75% auto-admit target for residents.
 

How do I increase my chances of getting into UT Austin?

How to Improve Your Chances of Getting into UT Austin

1. Aim to do well in the most challenging classes available. ...
2. Aim for a 1490 SAT and 33 ACT. ...
3. Aim to be in the top 5% of your high school class. ...
4. Cultivate at least one or two Tier 1-2 extracurriculars (find your “spike”). ...
5. Write engaging essays.

Is 1480 a good SAT score for UT Austin?

Yes, a 1480 SAT score is very good for UT Austin, placing you at the high end of their middle 50% range (typically 1230-1480/1490), making you a strong candidate, especially for competitive programs, though holistic factors like GPA and essays are crucial for acceptance. 

How hard is MCcombs out-of-state?

MCcombs business transfer statistics

The admissions rate for Texas residents is probably around 10%, with the out-of-state admissions rate much lower at around 3%. Competitive applicants will have a 3.9 college GPA or higher.

What is the #1 school in Texas?

There isn't one single "number 1 school" as it depends on whether you mean K-12 public, private, or university, but Rice University often tops private university lists, while Dallas's School for the Talented and Gifted (TAG) is frequently ranked as Texas's #1 public high school by outlets like U.S. News & World Report and Niche, and UT Austin is a top public university. 

Is UT Austin the Harvard of the South?

UT Austin isn't officially the "Harvard of the South," but it's often called that or a "Public Ivy" due to its strong academics, highly-ranked programs (especially Engineering & Business), national prestige (even being named a "New Ivy" by Forbes), and large, well-funded research environment, offering Ivy-caliber education at a more accessible public university cost, though it's huge and less selective than true Ivies.
 

What are some cons of UT Austin?

I've heard that the worst thing might be how big and crowded UT Austin can feel. It's easy to feel overwhelmed or lost in the crowd. The worst thing is probably how big the school is. With so many students, classes can fill up fast and navigating campus or resources can feel overwhelming at times.

What is the 5% rule at UT Austin?

The UT Austin 5% Rule means Texas high school seniors graduating in the top 5% of their class are guaranteed automatic admission, a change from the previous 6% threshold, effective for students entering Fall 2026; this policy, stemming from Texas's "Top Ten Percent Law," fills 75% of resident spots, with the rest decided holistically, though even top-ranked students need competitive scores for high-demand majors.
 

Why is UT Austin so hard to get into out-of-state?

As a public institution, UT Austin is committed first and foremost to educating Texas residents, which is reflected in the Texas state law requiring public universities to admit a specific percentage of Texas high school students (top 6% as of now at UT Austin; top 10% at most other public institutions).

What's the easiest major to get into at UT?

Majors within the College of Liberal Arts, College of Natural Sciences (excluding Computer Science), and the College of Education tend to have slightly higher acceptance rates.

Can a guy and girl share a dorm at UT Austin?

Yes, UT Austin, through its "Family & Friend Expanded Roommate Option," offers gender-inclusive housing in specific residence halls like Blanton, Duren, Dobie Twenty21, Jester East/West, San Jacinto, and Moore-Hill where students can live with roommates of any gender identity, a program started as a pilot but now a standard option in those halls. This allows for coed living arrangements in rooms or suites with private bathrooms, differing from traditional gender-separated floors.
 

Is a 1400 SAT score good for UT Austin?

Yes, a 1400 SAT score is a very good score for UT Austin, placing you well within or above the typical range for admitted students, especially if you are a Texas resident or applying for less competitive programs; for highly competitive majors (like Engineering or CS) or for out-of-state/international applicants, it's strong but you'll need exceptional essays and extracurriculars to stand out against scores closer to the 1500+ range, according to sources from Next Admit and PrepScholar. 

Is UT Austin first come first serve?

The University of Austin offers four-year Bachelor of Arts degrees in Liberal Studies via full-time enrollment at our downtown Austin, Texas campus. *Limited spots are reserved for deposited students on a first-come, first-served basis.

Where do top 1% send kids to college?

The "top 1%" of students, often defined by family income, tend to go to highly selective, elite universities like Dartmouth, Yale, Penn, Brown, Princeton, and Stanford, MIT, and Harvard, with some Ivy League schools having a higher concentration of these students than the bottom 60% of income earners. Rankings vary, but MIT, Princeton, Harvard, Stanford, and UC Berkeley consistently appear at the top for overall academic standing, attracting top talent across all income levels. 

Where do the 1% go to college?

The 1% of the wealthiest Americans disproportionately attend highly selective, elite universities, particularly Ivy League schools (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown, Penn, Columbia) and other top institutions like MIT, Stanford, Duke, and UChicago, where they make up a large percentage of the student body, often outnumbering students from the bottom 60% of income earners combined. Liberal arts colleges and prestigious public universities also attract many wealthy students, with specific examples including WashU St. Louis, UVA, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Vanderbilt, and Johns Hopkins.
 

Which Ivy League is easiest to get into for international students?

For example, Cornell accepts about 10.6% of its international applicants (which turns to around 9 % for U.S. citizens) — that's easiest Ivy League to get into from abroad — while Princeton and Harvard have accepted 4–5%, which is the norm as they do not want demand.