23 Common Applicant Errors and UT-Austin Misconceptions
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An underlying question that many families wonder but don’t ask directly is: why is it so hard to find official UT-Austin admissions information? Just the other day, I messaged UT’s research and data office requesting admitted and application statistics for CS, but they declined. They said the information isn’t available to the public, and they didn’t respond when I asked why.
UT is less transparent than their peer universities like the University of Michigan and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. UNC provides easy-to-locate, detailed information about average GPA and test scores, applicant and admitted student data, class profiles, and demographics. Michigan details its selection process. Those universities disclose how many times applications are read, and they provide specific tips on how to be more competitive.
Some liken UT admissions to a “black box.” I’m inclined to agree. You submit your application and wait for weeks or months. You receive a decision typically at the end of January, but sometimes much earlier. When I served in admissions, they imposed clear guidelines on what we could and could not discuss. We provided the minimum amount of information. Parents, students, and counselors often said my advice was vague. They were correct. I was merely following orders from a university constrained by politics and bureaucracy.
UT doesn’t value transparency because they know students will still apply in record numbers, and they will continue enrolling classes stronger than the previous year. They are most concerned with poaching applicants they might otherwise lose to their peer universities. I deep-dive similar developments nationwide in Surviving the College Admissions Madness regarding questionable enrollment and recruitment practices.
Let’s address and correct 23 common misconceptions about UT-Austin admissions and mistakes applicants make.
1. Completing your application early may not give you an advantage
I dedicate an entire video to this on my YouTube channel, but the summary is that applying early probably doesn’t help your chances. For Fall 2025, UT implemented a formal early action deadline of October 15, and it didn’t seem to make any difference. They deferred almost every applicant on January 15, irrespective of whether they applied on October 15 or for the December 1 regular admissions deadline. Many RD applicants also gained admission on January 15. It was also the case in previous cycles when UT used a priority deadline, and there didn’t seem to be much or any benefit to applying early or correlating it with when you received your admissions decision.
2. What if I was born outside Texas but have lived there for a long time? Can I qualify as an in-state student for residency or tuition purposes?
The State of Texas accommodates students born outside the state or country yet reside there full-time. Regardless of your citizenship status, if you have lived in Texas for more than thirty-six consecutive months and intend to graduate from a Texas high school, you should qualify as an in-state student for admissions and financial aid. You could be eligible for in-state tuition and need-based financial aid awarded by the state.
You should not fill out the international student application when you complete your Apply Texas or Common Application. That is only for students who reside full-time outside the United States. You can complete the “residency core questions” on UT’s website to determine your residency status. Contact the Graduate and International Admissions Center (GIAC) if you have doubts about your residency status.
3. UT will not consider your fall-semester senior year grades.
They are also unlikely to consider them in the case of a Waitlist or Appeal. Your class rank on the transcript submitted by the deadline is what will be considered, so your rank might change a little at the start of senior year depending on the number of students that leave or enroll at your school. If your senior grades push your rank into the top 5%, this does not qualify you for automatic admission. That also means the rigor of your senior year schedule isn’t too important. If you want a STEM major, it’s important to take calculus at some point, and it’s also okay to have a bit more chill senior year with on-level electives or an off period.
4. Does it matter if I apply to Psychology versus French in the College of Liberal Arts or biology versus physics in the College of Natural Sciences?
In some instances, yes, the specific major you choose influences your admissions chances. Majors in Fine Arts, Engineering, Computer Science, Neuroscience, Economics, Psychology, and Environmental Science are compared against one another. However, for the most part, admissions decisions are made at the college and school level. Most applicants to Liberal Arts are compared against one another. Admissions does not make distinctions based on your major choice but the college/school you select. What matters is that you select the College of Liberal Arts and not French versus History or biology versus chemistry.
5. Below-average test scores? Apply anyways!
I see many students discouraged because their test scores are below average compared to the typical admission. You should consider applying if you are within the 75%/25% admitted student range for UT and other universities. Admitted UT students score between 26 and 33 on the ACT, with the average around 29. Average means 50% of all admitted students score 29 or lower, but it is also the case that the top quarter of admitted students score higher than a 33 or a 1500 on the SAT. If your top priority is to enroll at UT by any means necessary, and your academics are a little lower than average, consider applying to slightly less selective non-STEM majors in communications, liberal arts, education, or social work.
Check out my new book Surviving the College Admissions Madness and Youtube Channel
6. Top 5% does not guarantee your first-choice major
Years ago, UT used to guarantee admission even to competitive majors like Business if you were in the top 3 or 4%. Since at least 2011, this hasn't been the case. If you are in the top 5% and want Liberal Arts, Communications, Education, or Social Work, you are guaranteed admission regardless of your SAT, resume, or essays. However, Honors programs and STEM and Business majors are highly competitive and never guaranteed.
7. UT-Austin does not superscore and now requires the SAT
Many universities will take the highest Math subscore from one date and the Reading from another and create a "super" test. Instead, UT will take the single best testing date that will most help your admissions chances. There's no disadvantage to sending all of your scores, so don't spend time debating which ones to send when your time is better spent improving your resume and essays. You cannot update your test scores if you apply by the October 15 Early Action deadline. If you intend to take the SAT in October or December, consider applying by the December 1 deadline to ensure your new scores are considered. Also, UT went test optional during COVID but began requiring it for Fall 2025 applicants. UT does not consider the PSAT or offer any scholarships for national merit semifinalists or finalists.
8. UT-Austin doesn't consider the type or competitiveness of high school you attend
I hear students and sometimes parents say, “My school is number one in the district!" or number 50 nationwide. The University of Texas doesn't care. They only look at your class rank. Except for students from underserved urban and rural communities where few of their peers attend college, reviewers aren't concerned with how academically successful your peers are. On the other hand, UT overwhelmingly enrolls students who come from the suburbs, attend private schools, and have parents with advanced degrees. Students in high-resource environments have access to many more opportunities and tend to have stronger resumes. So, attending a highly competitive school accompanies access to more opportunities and higher-quality classes.
There are a lot of competitive high schools. Considering that around 100 schools are responsible for half of the enrolling UT students, your competitive public or private high school is one among dozens. Admissions doesn’t care whether it is a top-ten Texas high school or is public or private.
Since state law constrains UT policies, and the university must balance its obligations to all Texas residents, it would not be equitable to give preference to students who attend resource-rich high schools. They take into account adversity at urban and rural schools with fewer resources for reasons articulated in section III of this book.
Moreover, if you are in the second quarter of a competitive high school, if I’m being super honest and direct, what indicates entitlement to a seat at the university alongside the best students from across Texas? UT wants students who excel in their environments. Your rank is a more reliable predictor of who will succeed on campus. They prefer to take the top 10 percent of students from one of the many dozens of elite high schools than average students in those same environments.
9. A related question I receive is: Does UT admit only a certain number of students from a given high school?
No. Some elite universities might have informal quota systems capping the number of students they take from a given high school, but I also doubt this is the case. It’s mostly coincidence that some universities take a consistent number of students from each school in subsequent cycles.
Just as UT doesn’t concern itself with how competitive your school is, they also don’t compare your application directly against others in your class. Some high schools regularly admit as many as 70 percent of their applicants, even in highly competitive years. One year, fifteen of the seventeen seniors in one of my private schools were admitted to UT. Another school got in nine out of ten; the tenth received the waitlist. Past performance from your school bears little correlation to future success, so I caution students and families from looking at your school’s previous senior class admissions outcomes to forecast your admissions chances.
10. For most applicants, your second choice major doesn't matter
Unless you're applying to Engineering where you should select two engineering disciplines, your second choice rarely comes into play. Some applicants who select Fine Arts as a second choice may be invited to audition. The second choice major is an anachronism, and there has been discussions for years for removing it. Nowadays, it is mostly used so students can apply to multiple honors programs, or a first choice that differs from their honors desires.
11. UT only looks at your class rank, not your weighted or unweighted GPA
There is no perfect way to evaluate the transcript, and UT only looks at your class rank. This goes for all Texas public universities, and the policy ties back to the automatic admissions law. For non-ranking students, UT has internal algorithms and data that can pinpoint your rank within a percentage point or two.
Do you attend a non-ranking school? Check out this post.
12. UT does not consider AP exams for regular admission
By state law, UT regular admissions cannot consider AP exams for regular admission. This is so as not to burden students who may not have reasonable access to testing centers or AP coursework. Many rural schools do not have AP. However, you can still self-report AP scores on the Common App since honors programs do consider them. You do not need to submit an official AP score report from the College Board. You only need to submit the official report when you enroll at UT to claim credit at the summer orientation.
Check out my new book Surviving the College Admissions Madness and Youtube Channel
13. You can submit your supporting documents a week after the deadline
Many applicants see the early action October 15 or regular decision December 1 deadlines and assume everything must be submitted and documents received by the official deadline. Students can update their scores by December 31, so those December SAT/ACT dates usually qualify. There is also an "internal deadline" where students can send in documents by October 23 for EA applicants and December 11 for regular decision applicants. The same goes for transfers who must apply by March 1 but have until March 10 to send their transcripts and other documents. The only non-negotiable deadline is that the Common App must be received by midnight of the deadline. Still, don’t wait until the last minute to apply because there are always long delays with document processing. It will be almost impossible to call UT around the deadlines.
14. Some students may find out early, but almost everyone hears back at the same time in February
Starting in 2013, UT began notifying some exceptional or high financial need applicants of their favorable decision. In some years, more than half of all admitted students heard back in December or January, but there often wasn’t any rhyme or reason why some heard back early and others didn’t. During Fall 2025, UT barely admitted anyone early, and deferred around 95% of all applicants on January 15. Almost all applicants were admitted or denied on February 7. Honors decisions are rolled out from February until March 1. Not hearing back early does not mean you’ve been denied.
15. Applying for honors does not effect your regular admissions chances
For the most part, regular and honors admissions are separate processes. Each honors program evaluates its applicants. Students sometimes think that if they apply to honors, it somehow disqualifies them for regular admissions. I’m unsure where this belief comes from and why it persists, but it isn’t grounded in reality. If you want to apply to honors, give it a try. It only costs you the time it requires to complete the honors application. However, most UT Honors programs, especially for STEM majors, are extraordinarily similar to the admissions rates and student profiles of the most selective universities like Stanford, MIT, and Princeton.
16. There is no magic admissions formula
There is no alchemy of rank and test score that will guarantee admission or scholarships. All competitive applicants will have strong academics, and most decisions come down to the review score assigned by the Office of Admissions. Since you never know your own scores or the scores of everyone else competing for your first-choice college/school, you cannot divine your chances nor determine why some people get in while others don't.
Check out my new book Surviving the College Admissions Madness and Youtube Channel
17. UT does not consider demonstrated interest
Some universities give admissions preferences for students who visit their campus, attend information sessions and recruiting events, or sign up for mailing lists. UT records this information in its recruiting software Slate, or whichever CRM tool they use nowadays, but they do not assign preferential treatment when reviewing applications. This information is not included in a student’s application. If you want to visit campus to learn more about admissions and resources, go for it. If you are considering attending an event because you think it will improve your chances of admission, don’t hesitate to do so. I recently informed an out-of-state prospect that UT doesn’t consider demonstrated interest. She was happy I had saved her family plane tickets and hotel rooms.
18. Top 5.09% guarantees admission
That's right! If you're truly on the border, you're in. If you're 5.1% or higher, you will not qualify. If this is the case for you, contact your assigned counselor and see what they think.
19. Out of state admissions is substantially more competitive than for Texas residents
For Fall 2025, UT received a record number of out-of-state applications. The admissions rate was around 5%. One reason is that 90% of enrolling students must be Texas residents. In general, flagship public universities like Michigan, the UC system, Washington Seattle, UNC, UVA, and others are more competitive for out-of-state students. Public universities receive some of their budget from taxpayers, so their first obligation is to their residents.
You can read more about OOS admissions in this post.
20. Trust the essay process!
I see this especially with outstanding academic students. Assuming UT is a safety, they submit last-minute, error-ridden, cliche essays. Take the editing process seriously, work through a few drafts with one or two trusted editors, and argue convincingly why you deserve your first-choice major. Many applicants fail to address any of their resume experiences, misunderstanding that the essays must be entirely unrelated to the resume. Instead, the essays provide an opportunity to contextualize how and why you’ve committed yourself to your varied experiences. Discussing why you’re a good fit for your first-choice major is impossible without developing some of your resume experiences.
14. UT doesn't preference AP, IB, or Distinguished Achievement graduation plan
Younger students, especially, ask which UT they prefer if their school offers AP and IB. Really, it doesn't matter. Universities want to see that you're taking the most rigorous courses and performing well in them. A curriculum may come into play only if you're applying for a STEM major but not taking AP Calculus or advanced sciences; that may be a red flag to your reviewer. Pursuing dual credit might affect your rank depending on how your school awards bonus points or not and if they weight it the same or different as AP and IB.
22. Build a relationship with your assigned admissions representative
Although UT admissions counselors do not review their assigned territory, having a friend on the inside never hurts. Even though my former territory had more than 3,000 applicants yearly, less than 30 would regularly contact me. I personally invited some to recruiting events or recommended them for scholarships. At UT, it is less important, but for smaller, private, or out-of-state universities, these connections can be invaluable.
You can find your assigned counselor here. Reach out and say hello!
23. Consult information only from trusted sources
Anytime a sentence begins with "My friend's mom told me that..." or "I read on College Confidential that..." or “Is this claim on TikTok true?” you should be highly suspicious. It isn't that people purposefully mislead; it's just that many half truths and speculations out there often miss the point. If you ever have a question about admissions to UT and elsewhere, research the question from verified sources or ask their Office of Admissions or your assigned counselor directly. However, channels and blogs like mine are popular because official university representatives are constrained by formal communication policies restricting what they can or cannot share. Frontline counselors also may not actually know much about their university’s admissions process.