UT Austin Admission: Who Gets in and How
- Blue Admission
- Apr 21
- 6 min read
There are many reasons why a student might find the University of Texas-Austin appealing.
It’s a large, nationally ranked Top 30 university according to U.S. News & World Report.
It's internationally recognized for the strength of its majors in business, engineering, natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities.
As one of the largest and most prestigious public universities in the United States, UT Austin offers strong academic programs, a vibrant campus life, and access to a large and active alumni network.
So, what do you need to know about applying to the University of Texas at Austin?
Here, we will share important information about UT Austin's legal responsibilities to the state of Texas when admitting students, and how all non-Texas residents—both U.S. citizens and international students—are reviewed for admission as well.
UT Austin Admission Policies: Who Gets in and How
The most important thing to understand about the University of Texas at Austin is that it is a public university within the state of Texas. This is significant for several reasons, the most important of which is that, as a state public university, UT Austin must follow specific rules set by the Texas Legislature.
Whenever you are applying to state public universities, the biggest determining factor in your competitiveness for admission will be your residency. If you live in the state of Texas, your likelihood of admission to any state public university within Texas is higher than that of a U.S. citizen or international student living outside of Texas.
The next most important thing to understand about admission to the University of Texas at Austin is its automatic admission policy for Texas residents graduating from high schools within the state.
Finally, the most crucial point to understand is that—regardless of where you reside or whether you qualify for automatic admission—every student who applies is subject to UT Austin’s holistic review process for their first-choice major.
Let’s break all of this down piece by piece.
UT AUSTIN AUTOMATIC ADMISSION POLICY
In 1997, the Texas Legislature passed legislation granting automatic admission to Texas high school residents graduating from Texas high schools who ranked in the top 10% of their class. In 2009, this legislation was amended to allow UT Austin specifically to automatically enroll enough Texas high school graduates to fill 75% of the enrollment seats reserved for Texas residents.
Why make this amendment?
As the population within the state of Texas grew, so too did the number of graduating high school seniors. After enacting the initial legislation in 1997, it became apparent that, mathematically, the University of Texas at Austin could not abide by the top 10% rule based on the number of available seats in their class.
With this amendment, a new era began, shifting the class rank required for Texas residents graduating from Texas high schools to secure automatic admission to UT Austin. For Fall 2026 entry, Texas high school students must rank in the top 5% of their class to qualify for automatic admission.
It is worth noting that all other state public universities in Texas are governed by the same 1997 legislation, which mandates that the top 10% of all Texas high school graduates who are also residents earn automatic admission. As of Fall 2025, no other state public universities in Texas have had to adjust the top 10% rule.
IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT AUTOMATIC ADMISSION
Qualifying students must still complete and submit their application and all required materials by the stated deadlines. Failure to do so will void the automatic admission guarantee.
Students with automatic admission are NOT guaranteed admission into their first-choice major. This process is still conducted holistically for every applicant to UT Austin.
Students without automatic admission guarantees are admitted every year. You might just be one of them!
HOLISTIC ADMISSION AT UT AUSTIN
Everyone who applies to the University of Texas at Austin – whether you qualify for automatic admission or not – enters into some form of holistic review with the admission office.
Texas Residents Who Qualify for Auto-Admission
If you meet the state application deadlines, you will be offered admission to the University of Texas at Austin 100% of the time. However, qualifying for automatic admission to the university does not ensure that you will be admitted to your first-choice major. Even Texas residents who qualify for automatic admission enter into a holistic review for their first-choice major. Only Texas residents who qualify for automatic admission, meet the stated application deadlines, and are not offered admission into their first-choice major are actively considered for the second-choice major they indicated in their application.
Texas Residents Who Do NOT Qualify for Auto-Admission
If you are a Texas resident graduating from a Texas high school but do not qualify for automatic admission based on rank, you still have a higher likelihood of earning admission to the University of Texas at Austin than non-Texas residents and international students. After you apply, your entire application enters a holistic review process, and each component of your application is reviewed in the context of the first-choice major you have selected. The second-choice major you select, in most cases, does not play a role in the review of your application.
Non-Texas Residents & International Students
The initial legislation passed related to automatic admission policies for Texas residents was amended for the University of Texas at Austin to guarantee Texas residents access to at least 75% of available spaces in the incoming class.
If you are a non-Texas resident or international student, it is important to understand that, based on legislative mandates by the state government in Texas, there are simply fewer seats allocated to the admission of students not from the state of Texas at UT Austin. This is important for two reasons:
The stated admission rate at the University of Texas is typically around 30%. However, because of automatic admission policies and the limited number of seats available to non-Texas residents, the actual admission rate for non-automatically admitted students who are also non-Texas residents is mathematically much lower than 30%. For this reason, even if you are a strong academic candidate based on your GPA, class rigor, and standardized testing, you should assume that admission to the University of Texas at Austin is highly competitive and highly selective. In other words, it is not a safety or target university.
You are competing for a smaller number of seats that must also be distributed across the student group designed to meet various university priorities. For example, the University of Texas at Austin has many very competitive Division I athletic programs that require the recruitment of students not from Texas. Additionally, the university may need to admit students who have strong legacies or important political connections but are not residents of the state of Texas. You are competing alongside all of these other university priorities in the application process.
Like Texas residents who do not qualify for automatic admission, your application automatically enters the holistic review process and is evaluated in the context of your first-choice major. Like Texas residents who do not qualify for automatic admission, the major you choose as your second-choice major is relatively unimportant in the overall review process.
THE HOLISTIC REVIEW PROCESSES AT UT AUSTIN
From UT Austin's website, they share:
The University uses an individualized, holistic review process to consider each completed application. No specific class rank, test score, or other qualification by itself—other than automatic admission based on section 51.803 of the Texas Education Code—ensures admission.
Here is a list of the documents and data points that are reviewed for all applicants to the University of Texas at Austin:
Class rank
Strength of academic background
Test scores
Record of achievements, honors, and awards
Special accomplishments, work, and service both in and out of school
Essays
Recommendations (although not required)
Competitiveness of the major you applied to
Supplemental Application Materials
UT Austin does allow the submission of a few supplemental application items but stresses that they should only be shared if you believe they help convey information or qualifications that are otherwise not detailed in your application.
Supplemental materials accepted include:
Resumes of accomplishments and extracurricular activities (Note: Resume is required for transfer admission)
Letters of recommendation
Letters addressing your special circumstances
Holistic Review Process
Every holistic application review at UT Austin starts with the applicant’s selection of their first-choice major.
The UT Austin website details: “We encourage you to choose a first-choice major that is aligned with your interests and strengths, not just what you hope to do as a career. We will consider you for this major during our holistic review. Remember that your major won’t necessarily determine your career later on, so we recommend reviewing the entire list of options on MyMajors before you decide. You may be considered for your second-choice major if you qualify for automatic admission and are not admitted to your first-choice major.”
What This Means for Your Application
When planning your application to UT Austin, it is important to pause here and understand what this piece of information is telling you.
Your admission hinges on whether we believe your application, the materials you are required to submit, and the supplemental materials you might choose to submit support your first-choice major selection. We are reviewing your application in terms of your first-choice major selection and whether you:
Meet the requirements to enter that major, and
Are competitive in the larger application pool to enter that major – regardless of your auto-admission status.
Application Review for All Applicants
All applicants – automatically admitted or not, Texas resident or not – are held to the high bar of review for academic readiness, standardized test score readiness, and extracurricular support for the first-choice major selected on the application.
UP NEXT: UT Austin Admission: Your Application Timeline
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