College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

The University of Texas at Austin

TXLarge public institution · Overall rank #9 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

A national university ranked #9 with mobility in the 99th percentile.

Who it’s a good fit for

The University of Texas at Austin is a public university in Austin, Texas, where the degree mix is led by Biological Sciences and Engineering. Mobility is among the highest we track, and most graduates are estimated to go into jobs rather than on to further study.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them, and the typical graduate earns above the median at comparable schools. The model attributes more of that to the factors it measures—field of study, enrollment and the local labor market—than to what it cannot explain.

Students who arrive with Pell Grants finish below the rate for the entering cohort as a whole. The lowest income band averages a net price well below the published cost, while the highest band pays close to it.

The admission rate is below the median for comparable institutions. A student drawn to the largest programs should also know that the best-paid ones are in engineering and computing.

UT Austin at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
26.6%
Six-year completion[2]
88.9%
Four-year earnings[3]
$79,115

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$17,207
Median student debt[4]
$20,500
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$26,632

UT Austin rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

The University of Texas at Austin is a public university in Austin, Texas, enrolling 42,855 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits near the very top of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (99th percentile).

The university admits 26.6% of applicants, a rate far below the 78.1% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Of students who start full time, 96.7% return for a second year, against a peer median of 83.1%.

The six-year graduation rate is 88.9%, well above the peer median of 65.0%. An estimated 18.6% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, and the six-year rate counts only the first-time, full-time cohort.

The four show a clear shape: mobility is the strongest (99th percentile), with access (95th percentile) and return (94th percentile) close behind. Affordability is the weakest pillar (60th percentile), and sits well apart from the other three.

The page that follows works through what each of those pillars means for a family weighing the cost.

Azimuth ranks The University of Texas at Austin #9 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions. The university's strongest pillar is mobility, in the 99th percentile.

Access follows at the 95th percentile, and return at the 94th percentile. Affordability is the weakest pillar, in the 60th percentile.

At The University of Texas at Austin, the middle 50% of submitted SAT scores fell between 1,250 and 1,510, and the middle 50% of ACT scores between 27 and 33. Undergraduates receiving Pell Grants make up 25.9% of the student body.

Azimuth ranks the university #68 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. The share of Pell recipients who complete within six years is 80.1%, a rate that sits 8.8 percentage points below the entering cohort's overall rate (88.9%).

Azimuth ranks the university #13 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $15,052 more than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

UT Austin rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#9
Texas#2
South#2

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 99
Access & reach
National percentile: 95
Affordability
National percentile: 60
Return on investment
National percentile: 94

Top-ranked majors

  1. Petroleum Engineering#1
  2. Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences#1
  3. Management Information Systems and Services#2

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / UT Austin briefing

UT Austin cost & financial aid[6][7]

The University of Texas at Austin publishes a cost of attendance of $31,247. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported out-of-state tuition and fees of $44,816 and on-campus food and housing of $15,420.

For aid recipients, the average net price—what students pay after grants and scholarships—is $19,857. That is $4,223 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Financial aid reduces the published cost by $11,390 on average. Azimuth ranks the university #566 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 60th percentile.

The University of Texas at Austin publishes a cost of attendance of $31,247, with in-state tuition at $11,688 and out-of-state tuition at $44,908. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $12,553.

For families in the $48,001–$75,000 band, it is $17,207, and for families earning over $110,000, it is $30,082. Azimuth ranks the university #566 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Financial aid reduces the sticker price by an average of $11,390, bringing the across all aid recipients to $19,857. The university's average net price is $4,223 above the median at comparable institutions (same type and size), which is $15,634.

In-state tuition is $11,688, and room and board is $14,828. The median federal student debt at completion is $20,500.

The median debt at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $20,076, which is above the university's figure. About 81.7% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $26,632. The median four-year earnings for graduates is $79,115.

If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment on the median federal debt is $233.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$17,207

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at UT Austin

Among undergraduates at The University of Texas at Austin, 81.7% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. For borrowers who complete a degree, the median federal debt is $20,500.

That median sits above the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size). Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, carries a median of $26,632.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 36% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $20,429 in cumulative principal per borrower. This included 35% with federal loans averaging $18,210 and 2% with private loans averaging $31,027.

Graduates of The University of Texas at Austin earn about $15,052 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome in the 92nd percentile nationally. The median earnings four years after completion reach $79,115, which places in the 88th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios derived from the university's program mix suggest a typical earnings level of $79,115, with a downside scenario of $55,545 and an upside scenario of $125,462. Borrowers finish with a median federal debt of $20,500, which is above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment is $233.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $26,632. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $233.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$20,500
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$26,632

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$233/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$338/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / UT Austin briefing

UT Austin career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

The University of Texas at Austin reports median earnings of $79,115 four years after completion. That institution-wide figure is a starting point; results for particular fields can differ.

Read earnings alongside retention and completion. Earnings among completers do not include every student who entered the institution, while the lower and higher planning estimates describe modeled mixes of program outcomes rather than observed salary percentiles.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$12,240
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$2,812
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$15,052

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / UT Austin briefing

UT Austin acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

The University of Texas at Austin admitted 26.6% of applicants, a rate well below the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 90,690 applicants, 20,154 admitted students, and 9,900 enrolled first-year students.

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
26.6%
Approximate lower endpoint
1250
Reported average
1395
Approximate upper endpoint
1510

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / UT Austin briefing

What are the largest majors at UT Austin?[12]

The largest program records at The University of Texas at Austin, by reported degrees awarded, are: Biology, General (671 awards); Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (506 awards); Psychology, General (461 awards); Computer and Information Sciences, General (456 awards); Finance and Financial Management Services (407 awards). These counts describe degree output in the source reporting period, not current enrollment or unique people.

Among those larger programs, reported median earnings four years after completion include Biology, General at $66,264; Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication at $80,221; Psychology, General at $56,821. Program size and earnings answer different questions; the largest program need not have the highest earnings.

Keep individual program records separate from broader degree categories and from records for other reporting periods. Those views can describe different parts of the university’s academic mix.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Biology, General 671 degrees awarded
$66,264
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication 506 degrees awarded
$80,221
Psychology, General 461 degrees awarded
$56,821
Computer and Information Sciences, General 456 degrees awarded
$155,168
Finance and Financial Management Services 407 degrees awarded
$132,075
Mathematics 358 degrees awarded
$88,434

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / UT Austin briefing

How does UT Austin serve students from different backgrounds?

Azimuth places The University of Texas at Austin in the 99th percentile for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 88.9%, while Pell recipients complete at 80.1% — below the overall rate by 8.8 percentage points.

Graduates earn about $15,052 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that lands in the 92nd percentile nationally.

Azimuth places the access pillar of The University of Texas at Austin in the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The public university admits 26.6% of applicants, well below the peer median of 78.1%, and enrolls 42,855 undergraduates.

Pell Grant recipients account for 25.9% of the undergraduate body, and an estimated 18.6% arrive as transfers or part-time students.

06 / UT Austin briefing

What colleges are similar to UT Austin?[15]

The comparisons for The University of Texas at Austin cover higher reported admission rates, similar admissions profiles, higher reported earnings at similar cost, lower reported cost with similar earnings and options in the same state or region. The similar-schools brief keeps these questions in separate groups, with related institutional profiles shown as another comparison.

Each group has its own candidate list and ordering. A high position within one group is not a rank against all the schools in the other groups, and a school can appear more than once for different reasons. Check the source definition and earnings period for the comparison you choose.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with UT Austin.

Admissions peerTrinity University25.9% admitted
Comparison with UT Austin
MeasureUT AustinTrinity University
Peer earnings · 4 years$79,115$67,249-$11,866 vs UT Austin
Average annual net price$19,857$23,464+$3,607 vs UT Austin · higher cost
Admission rate26.6%25.9%
Higher-admission alternativeTexas A&M University-College Station57.4% admitted
Comparison with UT Austin
MeasureUT AustinTexas A&M University-College Station
Peer earnings · 4 years$79,115$76,234-$2,881 vs UT Austin
Average annual net price$19,857$21,315+$1,458 vs UT Austin · higher cost
Admission rate26.6%57.4%
Explore Texas A&M University-College Station →
Nearby alternativeTexas A&M University-College StationNearby option · TX
Comparison with UT Austin
MeasureUT AustinTexas A&M University-College Station
Peer earnings · 4 years$79,115$76,234-$2,881 vs UT Austin
Average annual net price$19,857$21,315+$1,458 vs UT Austin · higher cost
Admission rate26.6%57.4%
Explore Texas A&M University-College Station →
Higher-earnings alternativeUniversity of Virginia-Main Campus$91,448 earnings
Comparison with UT Austin
MeasureUT AustinUniversity of Virginia-Main Campus
Peer earnings · 4 years$79,115$91,448+$12,333 vs UT Austin
Average annual net price$19,857$21,565+$1,708 vs UT Austin · higher cost
Admission rate26.6%16.8%
Explore University of Virginia-Main Campus →
Lower-cost alternativeCUNY Hunter College$2,984 average net price
Comparison with UT Austin
MeasureUT AustinCUNY Hunter College
Peer earnings · 4 years$79,115$73,236-$5,879 vs UT Austin
Average annual net price$19,857$2,984-$16,873 vs UT Austin · lower cost
Admission rate26.6%53.8%
Explore CUNY Hunter College →
Similar profileThe University of Texas at ArlingtonMatched across several measures
Comparison with UT Austin
MeasureUT AustinThe University of Texas at Arlington
Peer earnings · 4 years$79,115$79,176+$61 vs UT Austin
Average annual net price$19,857$13,951-$5,906 vs UT Austin · lower cost
Admission rate26.6%79.9%
Explore The University of Texas at Arlington →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings