Are UT-Austin Out-of-State (OOS) applicants at a disadvantage?
Phuket in the distance. Beach on Koh Yao Noi, Thailand
UT-Austin’s out-of-state (OOS) admissions rate is less than 10%.
State law requires that the University of Texas at Austin must reserve 90% of it's spaces for Texas residents. In practice, about 90% of the applicant pool is Texan, anyway. Each year, around 8% of admitted applicants come from other states and 2% from abroad.
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Historically, the admitted student profiles based on rank and test scores for Texans and non-Texans were relatively similar, with each group gaining admission at a rate of 40%. The OOS admissions rate as of Fall 2023 is around 8%.
My recommendations will not change because UT-Austin went test-optional, which I discuss here. If you choose not to submit an ACT/SAT, you still need to have most, or all A’s on the honors/AP track to be competitive, especially for majors that are in high demand.
I used to advise that the applicant pool for Texans and OOS was similar based on the applicant and admitted student numbers, but I've since revised this.
Check out this related post about establishing Texas residency through buying property.
Is admission to UT-Austin more competitive if I am not from Texas?
Yes.
In recent years, admission for out-of-state students has been more competitive than for Texas residents for a few reasons. As UT continues gaining recognition as a global leader particularly in Engineering, Business, and Computer Science, they attract more attention from students nationwide and around the world.
For Fall 2017 first-time freshmen, 48% of Texans gained admission compared with 31% OOS. Only about one in every eight non-automatically admitted Texans, however, gain admission. For Fall 2019, admissions became significantly more competitive, with only 32% of all applicants admitted and approximately 15% of OOS applicants getting in. Around 21,000 OOS and international applicants were competing for around 1,700 admissions spaces for Fall 2020 first-time freshmen.
We can expect with UT continuing to gain national and international prestige, receiving more applicants from Texans and non-Texnas, and with UT decreasing its class sizes slightly, that OOS admissions will increase in competition in future cycles. This has been the case since 2020 and especially after COVID, when UT and universities everywhere significantly increased their applicant numbers while not increasing available spaces.
Note that each major, like Computer Science, Business, Engineering, and Honors Programs, doesn’t need this 90:10 ratio and is usually more like 85:15 or 80:20 Texas/OOS students.
The admitted student profile for OOS students looks similar to admitted Texas students who rank outside of the top 6% of their high school. The middle 50% test score range for non-automatically admitted Texas residents was 28-33 on the ACT, similar to OOS-admitted students, 29-33. That means 25% of these admitted students scored higher than a 33 on the ACT.
UT-Austin separates the applicant pool based on residency, so Texans are only compared with one another, OOS against each other, and international applicants against one another. These categories are further broken down into a student's first choice college or school.
It should be noted that although 90% of enrolling UT-Austin students must come from Texas, that doesn't mean each major or honors program requires a similar representation. Consequently, there is an overrepresentation of OOS students in highly selective majors and honors.
Why is the applicant pool for OOS students more competitive?
My theory for why OOS spaces are more competitive is that the applicant pool is self-selecting. The largest feeder states to UT are unsurprisingly some of the nation's largest: California, Florida, New York, and Illinois (Chicago).
Students applying to universities nationwide tend to be high achieving and above average compared with the typical applicant from Texas, who may not be applying to any private or out-of-state universities.
UT must also be more conservative with the number of OOS students their admit because if more show up to campus than they anticipate, it could disrupt the 90/10 balance between Texans and non-Texans.
An outstanding student from a great California high school, for example, might apply not just to their state's flagship institutions but also to most selective private universities and other prestigious public universities like Washington, Michigan, Virginia, etc. OOS applicants also tend toward UT's most popular and well-recognized programs like Business, Engineering, Communications, and Computer Science.
OOS applicants are also more likely to come from college-educated families, resource-rich suburban or private schools, and high socioeconomic backgrounds who can afford to pay private or out-of-state education premiums. The average OOS applicant likely has higher test scores and better grades than the average Texas resident who comes from more varied backgrounds.
Client Outcomes and OOS Admissions Data
I take on six to eight OOS clients each year. I’ve worked with 33 non-Texas residents from Fall of 2017 to 2020. UT admissions do not care which state a student comes from, so I’ve not included that information here.
14 / 33 have gained UT admission (42%) while 19 were rejected (58%)
My average OOS client ranks in the top 10% of their class scoring around a 1480 on the SAT
Admissions rate by major:
7 / 11 gained admission to the McCombs School of Business (64%) with 2 for BHP
3 / 4 to the College of Natural Sciences (75%)
2 / 7 for Computer Science including 1 Turing (29%)
1 / 4 to the Cockrell School of Engineering (25%)
1 / 2 to the Moody College of Communications (50%)
0 / 4 to the College of Liberal Arts
0 / 1 to the School of Education
Complete list of OOS admissions offers:
Scholarship and honors in bold
Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Clemson, Case Western, Central Florida, Columbia, Colorado, U California: (Berkeley (Regents), Davis, Irvine (Regents), Los Angeles, Merced San Diego, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara), California Polytechnic, Drexel, Duke, Florida, Florida State, George Washington, Georgia, Illinois, Johns Hopkins, Maryland, Miami, Michigan Ross, MIT, NC State, Ohio State, Pace, Rice, Rutgers, SMU, South Carolina, South Florida, TCU, Texas A&M, Temple, Tulane, UNC Charlotte, UNC-Chapel Hill, UT-Dallas, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt,
If I'm OOS how should I approach my application? Should I even bother applying?
You cannot control your residency or which state you come from.
I encourage all applicants to focus only on factors that they can control. It's especially critical that OOS applicants focus on demonstrating fit for their first choice major because it is highly unlikely your second choice would be considered.
OOS applicants are not eligible for automatic admission or pathway programs like CAP and PACE. Moreover, little to any financial aid is available for OOS students. As a general rule, enrolling non-Texans are expected to pay their full cost of attendance which can exceed $50,000 annually for at least their first year.
It is possible yet difficult to establish residency after your freshman year on campus. Residency questions are outside of the scope of my expertise, but you can get started here.
The question then for many non-Texans is whether they should apply at all. If your family cannot cover most or all of your expenses, you should consider applying also to less selective Texas universities or those from other states that may be more forthcoming with financial aid and scholarships.
If UT-Austin is one of your top choices, it only costs time and $75 to apply. My advice is that you apply, complete your financial aid forms and any scholarship applications, and assess your academic and financial options during the spring of your senior year to see if UT would be a good fit and investment for your future.