The University of Texas at Dallas

The University of Texas at Dallas placed 121st in the 2027 U.S. News National University Rankings, showing a broad upward move from its 145th position in 2018 despite some yearly shifts. Admissions are moderately selective compared to similar institutions. In 2025, the university posted an admit rate of 65.1%, which is higher than 27% of 30 peer public comprehensive universities. This lower acceptance rate relative to peer institutions indicates that entering standards remain comparatively competitive. Once admitted, students make their enrollment choices among various alternatives, as reflected in the university's yield rate of 20.3% in 2025. This means about one in five admitted applicants registered for classes, pointing to an enrollment pull that closely mirrors typical regional state institutions. For prospective students, these metrics show that while getting admitted requires solid academic preparation, the university regularly competes with other options for committed enrollees.

Standardized testing at The University of Texas at Dallas is optional, considered if submitted. For 2025, the campus median SAT score stood at 1280, which is higher than 67% of peer schools in a comparison group of similarly ranked public universities. While test scores are not mandatory for admission, standardized exam reporting remains common across the incoming class; in 2025, 78% of enrolled students submitted SAT results. For applicants seeking perspective on high school academic standing, applicant cases collected by Forward Pathway, which represent unofficial records rather than institutional figures, show an admitted international student median unweighted GPA of 3.71. These academic markers suggest that competitive applicants generally demonstrate steady secondary school achievement alongside test results that comfortably match or exceed the average of comparable public institutions.

Academic programs at the University of Texas at Dallas are heavily centered on computing, data science, and business fields. Undergraduate degrees show moderate concentration, with the top three bachelor's majors accounting for 32.7% of all undergraduate degrees in 2025. The single largest undergraduate program was Computer and Information Sciences, General, graduating 988 students. These high-enrollment technical subjects align directly with the university's strongest national reputations. In 2026, U.S. News ranked its graduate Audiology program 2nd and its Information Systems Management MBA program 11th, while its undergraduate Information Systems Management program placed 16th in 2027. Early career outcomes reflect the strong market demand for these specialized disciplines. According to 2023 earnings data, bachelor's degree graduates in Computer Engineering achieved median earnings of $88,685 one year after graduation. For prospective applicants, the school offers clear career advantages if targeting information technology and applied quantitative disciplines.

The student body at the University of Texas at Dallas features a distinct racial and cultural composition across its undergraduate and graduate divisions. Asian students make up the largest demographic among undergraduates, representing 46% of the first-year freshman class with 1,931 students. White and Latino students form the other major domestic groups on campus, while Black students and those from other backgrounds comprise smaller shares. At the graduate level, the demographic balance shifts dramatically toward global representation. International students account for 54.8% of all graduate enrollees, totaling 4,398 students, followed by domestic white and Asian cohorts. Across campus, male students outnumber female students at both the undergraduate and graduate stages. This distribution creates an undergraduate environment with exceptionally strong domestic Asian representation, contrasted with a master's and doctoral community that draws predominantly from international scholars.

The age distribution at the University of Texas at Dallas reflects a predominantly traditional undergraduate population alongside an early-career graduate cohort. In 2025, undergraduate classrooms were heavily centered on students in their late teens and early twenties, with the 20 to 21 age group making up 37.7% and the 18 to 19 age bracket comprising 37.1% of all undergraduates. Older undergraduates form a smaller segment of the student body. In contrast, graduate enrollment is dominated by young adults pursuing advanced degrees directly after college, where students aged 22 to 24 accounted for 36.4% of graduate enrollees. This distinct split means undergraduate life revolves primarily around standard collegiate milestones, while graduate programs operate with students who are largely in the early stages of professional specialization.

International enrollment patterns at the University of Texas at Dallas show a sharp division between undergraduate and graduate divisions. At the undergraduate level, international representation has trended upward, reaching 5.5% in 2025. This share is higher than 80% of peer public comprehensive universities, demonstrating greater undergraduate international recruitment than most peer schools. Undergraduates from abroad concentrate primarily in technical subjects such as Computer and Information Sciences. Conversely, international enrollment at the graduate level has seen a mild decline in recent years, yet foreign scholars still made up 54.8% of all graduate students in 2025. At the advanced degree stage, international graduates heavily dominate data and business programs. For instance, international students accounted for 88.5% of master's degree recipients in Information Science and Studies, alongside similarly high shares in Business Analytics. Prospective international applicants will find modest numbers at the undergraduate stage but an expansive global network across graduate-level STEM and analytical business tracks.

Several other four-year universities are located within driving distance of the University of Texas at Dallas for students considering institutions in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and greater Texas region. Located 9.9 kilometers away in Dallas, Southern Methodist University is a private institution ranked 85th among National Universities in the 2027 rankings. To the west, The University of Texas at Arlington is 27.5 kilometers away and ranked 236th, while the University of North Texas is located 27.9 kilometers to the northwest in Denton, holding rank 208. Additionally, Texas Christian University sits 40.4 kilometers away in Fort Worth with a national ranking of 90th.

Campus safety trends at the University of Texas at Dallas indicate a relatively calm environment that has seen reported incident rates decline over the past decade. In 2025, the university recorded a crime rate per 1,000 students of 2.0, reflecting a steady decrease from earlier years. Looking at cumulative offense categories between 2023 and 2025, the most frequent incidents were drug arrests, which totaled 46 cases over those three years. Motor vehicle theft was the second most common reported category during the same period, with 30 incidents logged. Other offenses registered in smaller volumes across those years included stalking, rape, alcohol arrests, and general theft. These recorded figures provide prospective students and families with an unembellished perspective on campus security, showing that while vehicular and substance issues occur occasionally, serious incidents remain limited relative to the overall campus population.