The University of Texas at Austin

Admission to The University of Texas at Austin is selective, and the institution commands a much stronger draw on admitted applicants than typical public peers. In the 2027 U.S. News rankings, the university stood at 34th, showing long-term progress from its rank of 56 in 2018. Gaining entry requires strong qualifications, as the school recorded an undergraduate admit rate of 26.6% in 2025, higher than 27% of peer institutions in a comparison group of 30 similarly ranked public comprehensive universities. Once admitted, students choose to enroll at a high frequency relative to other public institutions. The university recorded a yield rate of 47.4%, which was higher than 97% of peer schools in the group. For prospective applicants, these figures mean that gaining admission is difficult, and because the school retains nearly half of its admitted pool, spaces are filled efficiently with little dependence on secondary offers.

Applicants aiming for The University of Texas at Austin need strong testing records alongside high classroom marks. For enrolled undergraduates in 2025, the middle 50% earned composite ACT scores between 27 and 33, while the institution reported an SAT midpoint of 1390. That SAT midpoint was higher than 36% of peer schools in a comparison group of public research universities. For international students evaluating competitive benchmarks, applicant cases collected by Forward Pathway, which are not official figures, show admitted candidates with a median unweighted high school GPA of 3.87. These metrics show that admitted students typically achieve top marks in high school courses alongside test results that match or exceed these selective benchmarks. Applicants should plan their academic coursework and test schedules accordingly to remain competitive.

Academics at The University of Texas at Austin feature broad programmatic depth rather than heavy concentration, with the top three undergraduate majors accounting for only 15.4% of all bachelor's degrees awarded in 2025. The single largest bachelor's program was Biology, producing 761 graduates that year, followed by Computer and Information Sciences and Psychology. Notably, the school's largest majors are not its highest-ranked disciplines. In U.S. News rankings, the university earned 1st place in undergraduate Petroleum Engineering in 2027 and 3rd place in Accounting, alongside top-five placements in Civil Engineering and Chemical Engineering. Highly ranked technical disciplines also produce the strongest immediate earnings. According to 2023 post-graduation data, bachelor's recipients in Computer and Information Sciences reported median earnings of $136,045 one year after finishing, while Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering graduates earned $111,942. For prospective applicants, UT Austin offers nationally recognized engineering and business degrees that deliver strong early career compensation.

The student body at The University of Texas at Austin is large and diverse, with undergraduates comprising the vast majority of the campus. Asian students represent a prominent demographic across undergraduate cohorts, exemplified in 2025 by 2,426 entering freshmen who accounted for 26.3% of the first-year class. Their representation remains consistent among continuing undergraduates before tapering in postgraduate programs. In contrast, international representation shows a sharp division across academic levels. Foreign scholars represent a modest share of the undergraduate student body, but they form a substantial presence in advanced degree programs, where 3,283 international students made up 30.7% of all graduate enrollment in 2025. Hispanic and White students comprise the remaining major population groups on campus, while female students hold a solid majority within the undergraduate community. For incoming students, these demographics define an expansive learning environment where undergraduate life reflects substantial domestic diversity, while graduate departments feature prominent international participation.

Undergraduate life at UT Austin is dominated by students of traditional college age, while graduate programs bring an early-career dynamic to campus. Among undergraduates in 2025, the two largest age groups are students aged 20 to 21 at 45.4% and those aged 18 to 19 at 43.4%. With few older undergraduates, student organizations, campus activities, and academic pacing are tailored primarily to young adults progressing directly through college. At the graduate level, students aged 25 to 29 form the single largest cohort at 41.8%, followed by students aged 22 to 24 at 30%. This demographic pattern indicates that advanced degree seekers largely enter either immediately after their bachelor's degrees or after only a few years in the workforce.

International enrollment at The University of Texas at Austin differs markedly by academic level, both in overall presence and long-term direction. At the undergraduate level, the foreign student share has trended slightly downward, settling at 4.5% in 2025. International undergraduates represent a small fraction across all fields, reaching their highest concentration in Economics, followed by Psychology and Computer Science. In contrast, the international share among graduate students has expanded over the past decade, climbing to 30.7% in 2025. This divergence is clearly visible in degree conferrals: international students earned only a minimal share of bachelor's degrees, but accounted for 25.1% of all master's degrees awarded in 2025. Graduate international students concentrate heavily in quantitative and technical fields, where they represented 58.2% of master's recipients in Information Science and Studies, alongside sizable shares in Computer Science and Data Science. For prospective international students, these patterns show that while undergraduate admission remains tightly restricted, graduate departments actively recruit international talent in computing and data disciplines.

Families exploring alternatives in the region have several higher education options within commuting or driving distance. Located just 24.7 kilometers away, Southwestern University is a liberal arts college ranked 91st in the 2027 rankings. Nearby in San Marcos, Texas State University sits 29.8 kilometers from campus as a large national university ranked 288th. Further south in San Antonio, Trinity University is a liberal arts college ranked 38th, located 72.1 kilometers away. Additionally, Texas A&M University-College Station, situated 86.7 kilometers from Austin, is a major public national university ranked 59th. These nearby institutions offer students alternative settings ranging from smaller liberal arts colleges to large comprehensive research campuses across central Texas.

The crime rate per 1,000 students at The University of Texas at Austin stood at 5.4 in 2025, reflecting a stable long-term safety profile. Disciplinary infractions and substance violations formed the primary categories of recorded activity. From 2023 to 2025, the university documented 331 liquor disciplinary referrals and 183 drug arrests on campus. Property crimes constituted the majority of remaining reports over that same three-year window, including 108 motor vehicle thefts, alongside smaller totals of stalking incidents and burglaries. Violent offenses remained comparatively infrequent. These records suggest that overall campus safety is generally consistent, with enforcement predominantly addressing alcohol and drug policies alongside vehicular security. For students joining this large urban campus, practicing standard safety habits, securing vehicles, and remaining mindful of personal belongings provide effective protection in daily student life.