Not Auto-admit? 5 Tips to Get into UT Austin!
Does your student dream of becoming a Longhorn, but they're not sure how to improve their admissions chances? In 2025, UT Austin saw a 24.4% increase in freshmen applicants and more than 90,000 applications in a single cycle. If your student attends a Texas high school and falls outside the top 5% of their graduating class—or if they aren’t a Texas resident—then they have a much lower chance of acceptance. This is because 75% of accepted applicants to UT Austin need to be Texas students within the top 5% of their graduating class. The remaining 25% of accepted students will be made up of students who are outside the top 5%, out-of-state students, and international applicants.
Overall, we estimate that Texas students outside the top 5% have a less than 10% chance of acceptance to UT Austin. But don’t fret! Here are 5 of our best strategies to help your student improve their chances of acceptance to UT Austin this coming fall.
1. Apply Early Action (EA)
Meeting the October 15th EA deadline is crucial for competitive majors where there are only a certain number of slots available as it ensures your application will be reviewed before those applying for regular decision. Additionally, if you're applying for Honors programs, some require or highly recommend you meet this deadline for consideration.
B2A snapshot: Last year 100% of B2A students outside the top 5% who were accepted to UT Austin applied EA.
2. Achieve a competitive SAT or ACT score
In 2024, UT Austin reinstated their test required policy, and their reported SAT and ACT ranges have continued to rise since. Currently, the middle 50% of admitted students reported SAT scores between 1320-1530 and ACT scores of 29-34. To be competitive for majors like Business, Computer Science, and Engineering, students should aim for 1550+ SAT and 35+ ACT. Be sure to come up with a solid test preparation plan if you haven’t already done so and check out B2A’s test preparation services, including our recently launched On-Demand course!
B2A snapshot: The average scores for students in B2A’s Class of 2026 who were outside the top 5% admitted to UT Austin were 1510 for the SAT and 34 for the ACT. At least 25% of admitted B2A students qualified for National Merit Semifinalist.
3. Choose a strategic first-choice major
It is important to be strategic with major choice since non-auto admit applicants are not guaranteed to be reviewed for their second-choice major. If you are interested in competitive majors such as Finance within the McCombs School of Business or Computer Science within the College of Natural Sciences, you should consider applying to a less competitive major that relates to these fields instead.
B2A snapshot: For the Class of 2025, a B2A student ranked in the top 25% of their graduating class followed our recommendation to choose a less competitive major related to Computer Science and was admitted to Health Informatics.
4. Demonstrate passion for UT Austin and alignment with the university’s values
A great way to stand out from other applicants is to show how good of a fit your student is for UT Austin by reflecting their values in essays, particularly those shared in their mission statement. Looking at UT Austin’s mission and values, it is quite clear that they look for students who are knowledge seekers, leaders, and students with community-oriented mindsets.
B2A snapshot: Admitted B2A students outside the top 5% have consistently demonstrated these qualities in their supplemental essays and activities. For example, an admitted applicant who volunteered by transcribing documents for the Smithsonian wrote about their interest in contributing to the Harry Ransom Center and pursuing the Museum Studies Bridging Disciplines Program.
5. Craft a theme
The most memorable applicants develop a strong application theme that mixes their passions and skills they’ve gained to improve the world around them. Show what your goals are for expanding upon the work you've already been doing to impact your community!
B2A snapshot: A B2A student outside the top 5% admitted to UT Austin’s Public Health program built their application theme around helping people manage chronic illnesses with low-cost methods. The student wrote about their experience with their school’s HOSA chapter, their independent research project on accessible heart disease diagnostics, and their personal experience designing a diet and exercise plan for their grandmother after she was diagnosed with diabetes.
As UT Austin continues to become a top choice for students across the country, we encourage students to consider these 5 tips when working on their applications this fall.
If UT Austin is your dream school, our B2A team can help you polish and improve your application to increase your admissions chances.
Reach out today to schedule a College Admissions Session (CAS) with one of our professional admissions counselors or enroll in our fall Gateway Program for help with UT Austin and 4-9 additional applications!
