UT Austin Acceptance Rate, SAT/ACT Scores, GPA

With an acceptance rate of just 39 percent, the University of Texas at Austin is one of the more selective public universities in the country. As the data presented here reveals, admitted students typically have both grades and SAT/ACT scores that are well above average. Why the University of Texas? Location: Austin, TexasCampus Features: The Main Buildings tower stands 307 feet above UT Austins attractive 423-acre main campus. The university also has a large research campus in North Austin.Student/Faculty Ratio: 18:1Athletics: The Texas Longhorns compete in the NCAA Division I Big 12 Conference.Highlights: With over 50,000 students, UT Austin is one of the largest universities in the country. The school is an excellent value for in-state students, and McCombs is one of the best business schools for undergraduates. Acceptance Rate For students entering the University of Texas at Austin in the 2018-19 academic year, the acceptance rate was 38.52%. This means that for every 100 applicants, about 39 will receive acceptance letters and 61 will be rejected. Admissions Statistics (2018-19) Number of Applicants 50,575 Percent Admitted 38.5% Percent Admitted Who Enrolled 46% SAT Scores and Requirements The University of Texas at Austin requires all applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of their applications. For students entering the university in the 2018-19 academic year, 78.3% submitted SAT scores. UT Austin SAT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile ERW 620 720 Math 610 760 ERW=Evidence-Based Reading and Writing If you compare SAT scores for top Texas colleges and universities, youll see that only Rice University is more selective than UT Austin. For the evidence-based reading and writing exam, the middle 50% of applicants scored between 620 and 720. 25% of applicants scored a 620 or lower, and at the upper end, 25% scored a 720 or higher. On the math exam, the middle 50% scored between 610 and 760. This tells us that 25% scored a 610 or lower, and 25% scored a 760 or higher. The most competitive applicants at UT Austin will have SAT scores in the 1400s or higher. National SAT data show us that most successful applicants have SAT scores that are in the top 25% of all test-takers. Requirements The University of Texas at Austin does not require SAT Subject Tests, nor does it require the optional SAT essay exam. That said, it can be to your advantage to take the essay exam for your score can be used for class placement purposes. If youve taken the SAT more than once, UT Austin will super-score and use your highest math and ERW scores even if they are from different test dates. ACT Scores and Requirements All applicants to UT Autin must take the SAT or the ACT. The ACT is the less popular of the two exams with 55.5% of applicants submitting scores (many students submit scores from both exams). UT Austin ACT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile English 26 35 Math 26 32 Composite 27 33 According to national ACT score data, the great majority of students who enroll at UT Austin rank in the top 15% of all test-takers. The middle 50% of admitted students had scores ranging between 27 and 33. This tells us that the bottom 25% of students had scores of 27 or lower, and the top quartile scored a 33 or higher. You will be most competitive at UT Austin with an ACT score in the 30s. Requirements UT Austin does not require the optional ACT writing exam, nor does the university require students to take any SAT Subject Tests if they take the ACT. The university encourages applicants to submit scores from all ACT exams theyve taken, for the admissions office will consider the strongest section scores even if they are from different test dates. GPA and Class Rank The University of Texas at Austin does not publish GPA data of admitted students, but you can see from the self-reported applicant data below that nearly all admitted students have grades in the B range or higher. Strong A averages are the norm. The university does publish class rank data, and 84.9% of applicants were in the top 10% of their high school class, and 95.3% were in the top 25%. Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph UT Austin Applicants Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph.   Graph courtesy of Cappex. The GPA, SAT score, and ACT score data in the graph was self-reported by the actual applicants to the University of Texas. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in with a free Cappex account. Admissions Chances As the graph above shows, the higher your GPA and SAT/ACT scores, the better your chances of getting in. That said, realize that hidden beneath the blue and green on the graph is a lot of red—some students with excellent transcripts and strong standardized test results still get rejected from the University of Texas. The opposite is also true—a number of students were accepted with test scores and grades a bit below the norm. This is because the University of Texas has holistic admissions, so the admissions officers are considering qualitative as well as quantitative information. Students who show some kind of interesting talent or have a compelling story to tell will often get a close look even if grades and test scores arent quite up to the ideal. A winning essay, strong letters of recommendation, and interesting extracurricular activities can all be important pieces of a successful application. For its many strengths, UT Austin earned a place among the top Texas colleges, top South Central colleges, and top national public universities. Why Does UT Austin Reject Strong Students? Plenty of students with GPAs and standardized test scores that are on target for the university fail to be admitted. The rejection of a seemingly qualified student can be the result of many factors: lack of depth or accomplishment in extracurricular activities; failure to demonstrate leadership ability; a lack of challenging AP, IB or Honors courses; a sloppy admissions essay; and more. Also, out-of-state applicants will face a higher admissions bar than Texas students.   Be sure to strengthen your application by submitting an optional activities resumà © and optional letters of recommendation. Sources: Graphs from Cappex.com; all other data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the UT Austin Office of Admissions, and the UT Austin Common Data Set.