How tough is UT Austin out-of-state acceptance, and app tips?

As a high-school junior from out of state, I'm really drawn to UT Austin as one of my top choices. I know their acceptance rate for in-state students, but can anyone give me some insight into how selective they are for out-of-state students? I'm a bit worried if my chances are slim - any suggestions for how to increase my chances?

UT Austin is indeed more selective for out-of-state applicants compared to in-state applicants. As a public institution, UT Austin is committed first and foremost to educating Texas residents, which is reflected in the Texas state law requiring public universities to admit a specific percentage of Texas high school students (top 6% as of now at UT Austin; top 10% at most other public institutions). However, they do of course also accept many out-of-state students each year.

The breakdown of the acceptance rates at UT Austin from the 2023-2024 application cycle are as follows:

- Overall rate: 29.12%

- In-state rate: 40.97%

- Out-of-state rate: 11.76%

The acceptance rate for in-state applicants is almost 4x the rate for out-of-state applicants, which may be discouraging. But don't give up hope! First, consider the broader context for these numbers: beyond the 6% rule, UT Austin admissions officers are also more familiar with the context of in-state students' high school educations.

As an out-of-state applicant, focus on crafting a thoughtful application that showcases your development throughout high school and your strengths and unique talents in each component, from your transcript to your activities list to your essays, so that UT Austin admissions officers get a concrete sense of what you'd bring to their campus community. Make sure they can see what you have to offer that nobody else, whether from Texas or not, does.

The application essays in particular are a great way to demonstrate your abilities beyond just grades and test scores. If you're looking for tips on how to tackle UT Austin's essays, you're in luck, because CollegeVine's blog has a post which breaks each prompt down in detail: https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-write-the-ut-austin-essays

Or, if you're trying to get a sense of how the more quantifiable aspects of your profile stack up at UT Austin, I'd check out CollegeVine's free chancing engine, which accounts for your grades, course rigor, test scores, extracurriculars, and so on to provide you with personalized odds of acceptance at UT Austin (and hundreds of other colleges around the country): https://www.collegevine.com/admissions-calculator/. This tool will also give you suggestions for how to increase your chances, for example by taking more rigorous courses senior year or earning a leadership position in one of your extracurriculars.

Finally, you might consider applying Early Action (deadline of October 15th), as early admissions rounds typically have higher acceptance rates that the regular decision round, as applying early shows a great deal of enthusiasm for the school. Just make sure you'll be able to put together the strongest application possible in time to meet the EA deadline.

In short, while UT Austin's out-of-state acceptance is definitely competitive, you can improve your chances by presenting a compelling application and being aware of the relevant deadlines. Good luck!