The University of Texas at Austin
#1 Best Communications Colleges in Texas- Graduation Rate
- 88% A
- Most students who enroll finish their degree here
- Earnings (10yr)
- $75,121 A
- Top 5% nationally — exceptional earning power
- Net Price
- $19,857 C-
- 16% more than the typical college
- Acceptance Rate
- 27% A
- Admits roughly 27% — highly selective
Bottom line: A B overall grade — strong outcomes across the board. 24.7× return on investment — every $1 spent returns $24.7 over 20 years. Ranked #1 in Best Communications Colleges in Texas.
Every $1 spent returns $24.7 over 20 years — debt pays back in ~under a year. Net gain: $1,880,042.
What The Data Says
-
A B overall — outcomes above the typical U.S. college.
-
Graduates earn 84% more than the national college median.
-
A 88% graduation rate — 55% above the national average.
-
A top feeder school for 3 major employers.
-
Social mobility rate of 2.22% — an engine of upward economic mobility.
Economic Footprint
- World Rank
- #29
- Times Higher Education
- Employer Pipelines
- 3
- Top feeder programs
- Research Score
- 76/100
- Times Higher Education
Why The University of Texas at Austin Matters
The University of Texas at Austin is a public research university in Austin, TX ranked #29 in the world by Times Higher Education, and its outcomes are not an accident. They are driven by selective admissions, a top-tier research enterprise, a well-connected, high-opportunity alumni network, and a strong record of moving students up the income ladder. The result: graduates whose earnings land in the top 5% of all U.S. colleges.
Interpretation generated from this school's federal outcomes, research, and mobility data.
Institutional Profile
- Institution Type
- Public Research University
- Carnegie Class
- R1 · Very High Research
- Enrollment
- 42,855
- Setting
- Urban
- Primary Strengths
- Engineering, Biology & Biomedical, Business & Marketing, Communications
Why students choose The University of Texas at Austin
CollegeRanker Report Card
Graded on outcomes, against every U.S. college.
Each grade is this school's national percentile on a real outcome — earnings, value, mobility, and more.
How we grade →Admissions
Selective — admits about 27% of applicants, with a middle-50% SAT of 1250–1510. Run your numbers in the admissions predictor below.
Check your odds →Net price + aid
Students pay about $19,857 a year after grants and scholarships — 16% above the typical U.S. college. See net price by family income below.
See cost & aid →Earnings + debt
Graduates earn a median of $75,121 ten years after enrolling — 84% above the typical college, against $20,500 in median debt.
See outcomes →Mobility + social capital
Moves 2.2% of its students from the bottom income fifth to the top — top 22% nationally for mobility. High social capital (1.79 economic connectedness).
See mobility →Overview
The University of Texas at Austin is home to over 42,000 students who are drawn to its strong programs in fields like Biology, Engineering, Business, Communications, and Computer Science. With an acceptance rate of 27%, it’s a competitive environment that suits those ready to engage deeply in their studies and campus life. The vibrant city of Austin enhances this experience, offering a unique blend of cultural, professional, and recreational opportunities that appeal to students looking for both academic and personal growth.
After graduation, students can expect solid earning potential, with a median salary of around $75,121 ten years post-degree. This financial outcome reflects the value of the education received here and the demand for graduates in the job market. The affordability factor is significant as well; even with a net price of $19,857, many students find support through financial aid, helping to ease the transition into the workforce.
When it comes to the practical aspects of attending UT Austin, students typically graduate with a median debt of $20,500. This manageable debt level, combined with the strong earning potential, makes the financial landscape here more accessible. Students who tend to thrive at UT Austin are those who embrace the challenges and opportunities of a large public university, taking advantage of the resources available while actively participating in the diverse and dynamic community.
Rankings
Can I Get In?
How selective The University of Texas at Austin is — and how your numbers stack up.
Tool
Will I Be Accepted?
Enter your credentials to see your chances at this school.
Academics & Admissions
Is It Hard to Get Into The University of Texas at Austin? Acceptance Rate & Requirements
As a public institution in Austin, Texas, The University of Texas at Austin reviews applications selectively. The acceptance rate runs near 27%. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,395. The graduation rate is roughly 88%.
- Acceptance Rate
- 27%
- Retention Rate
- 97%
- SAT Average
- 1395
- ACT Midpoint
- 30
- SAT Range
- 1250–1510
- ACT Range
- 27–33
- Full-Time Faculty
- 84%
- Faculty Salary (mo)
- $15,819
- Student–Faculty Ratio
- 18:1
- Diversity Index
- 0.76
- First-Gen Students
- 28%
- Applicants
- 60,055
- Admitted
- 18,830
Inside the Admissions Office
School-reported Common Data Set · 2024-25
The acceptance rate tells you how hard The University of Texas at Austin is to get into. Its Common Data Set tells you what happens once you are admitted: how many students say yes, how many arrived without test scores, and whether applying early tilts the odds. 47% of admitted students go on to enroll here, making it a school more than half of admitted students choose.
- Yield Rate
- 47%
- of admits enroll
Can I Afford It?
What you'll actually pay after grants and aid — not the sticker price.
Cost & Financial Aid
How Much Does It Cost to Attend The University of Texas at Austin? Tuition, Net Price & Aid
Published tuition at The University of Texas at Austin is $44,908, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $19,857. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $12,553 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $20,500 in federal student loans.
- In-State Tuition
- $11,688
- Out-of-State
- $44,908
- Avg Net Price
- $19,857
- Median Debt
- $20,500
- Pell Grant Rate
- 26%
- Federal Loan Rate
- 27%
What Families Actually Pay
- Family Income $0–$30K
- $12,553
- Family Income $30K–$48K
- $14,297
- Family Income $48K–$75K
- $17,207
- Family Income $110K+
- $30,082
What Happens After?
Earnings, debt, and where graduates actually land.
Students Like You
Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at The University of Texas at Austin — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.
Graduate Outcomes
Is The University of Texas at Austin Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI
Ten years out, alumni of The University of Texas at Austin earn a median of $75,121, well above the national average for bachelor's degree holders.
- 6 Years After Entry
- $60,896
- 8 Years
- $68,554
- 10 Years
- $75,121
- Debt-to-Earnings
- 0.27x
- Earning > $25K
- 78%
Earnings Trajectory
Graduation by Timeframe
- 100% (4,911)
- 70%
- 100% (4,911)
- 70%
- 100% (4,911)
- 70%
- 100% (4,911)
- 70%
Where Grads Go
The University of Texas at Austin is a top feeder for:
Rank among programs feeding each employer.
Top employers of The University of Texas at Austin’s MBA graduates, by hires reported in the school’s employment report.
How The Compares
Dot right of center = above national average.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after aid, by income bracket.
The Mobility Equation
Mobility = Access x Success. How many low-income students get in, and how many reach the top 20%?
College ROI Calculator
Is The University of Texas at Austin Worth It?
A data-driven look at the return on your educational investment — using real federal data.
Yes — for most students, The University of Texas at Austin delivers a positive return. Over four years, the typical net price is $19,857/year ($79,428 total). Graduates earn $75,121 at ten years, and over a 20-year career we project $1,959,470 in total earnings — a net gain of $1,880,042 (24.7× your investment). The median debt is $20,500, which takes less than a year to pay back at typical earnings. With a 88% graduation rate, the path to that return is well-tested. This is a exceptional ROI compared to national averages.
- Total Cost (4yr)
- $79,428
- Projected 20yr Earnings
- $1,959,470
- Net Return
- $1,880,042
- ROI Multiple
- 24.7×
- Cost Per Year
- $19,857
- Median Debt
- $20,500
- Debt Payback
- Less than 1 yr
- Graduation Rate
- 88%
Does It Change Lives?
Mobility, social capital, and innovation — does it move people up?
Social Mobility
Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records
Does The University of Texas at Austin Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes
The University of Texas at Austin is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 2.22%, among the highest in the country. About 5% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 44.5% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $125,100, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.
- Mobility Rate
- 2.22%
- Bottom 20% → Top 20%
- Success Rate
- 44.5%
- If bottom 20% get in
- From Bottom 20%
- 5.0%
- Share of students
- Parent Median Income
- $169,967
- today's $ (2015 cohort data)
Research & Teaching
Data: Times Higher Education World University Rankings
How Research-Intensive Is The University of Texas at Austin? World Rank, Teaching & Citations
Times Higher Education places The University of Texas at Austin at #29 worldwide, a mark of serious research standing. Its profile spans a research score of 76/100, teaching at 70/100, and citation impact of 90/100, reflecting both the volume of research output and how often that work is cited by scholars elsewhere.
- World Rank
- #29
- Teaching
- 69.5
- Research
- 76.1
- Citations
- 89.6
- International
- 38.8
Innovation & Knowledge Creation
Patents, inventors, and research influence · Opportunity Insights & Times Higher Education
- Research Score
- 76/100
- Times Higher Ed
- Academic Influence
- 90/100
- Citation impact (THE)
- Industry Engagement
- 58/100
- Knowledge transfer (THE)
Institutional Finances
Data: NCES IPEDS
- Investment Income
- $-422,856,640
Top Programs
The fields The University of Texas at Austin awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.
- Engineering 10% $105,420 early-career
- Biology & Biomedical 10% $45,922 early-career
- Business & Marketing 9% $90,849 early-career
- Communications 9% $54,673 early-career
- Computer Science & IT 8% $94,530 early-career
- Social Sciences 8% $64,445 early-career
- Health Professions 5% $76,749 early-career
- Psychology 4% $34,733 early-career
Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.
Top Careers
Where these majors tend to lead — common career paths for The University of Texas at Austin's most popular programs, ranked by median pay with our proprietary scorecard insights.
- CChief Executive Officer$189,520 · 3% growthAdaptable 64
- C+IT Manager$169,510 · 15% growthAdaptable 52
- C+Marketing Manager$156,580 · 8% growthAdaptable 64
- C+Cloud Architect$142,000 · 15% growthAdaptable 52
- B-Site Reliability Engineer$140,000 · 20% growthAdaptable 52
- CAdvertising Manager$138,730 · 6% growthAdaptable 64
- CSolutions Architect$138,000 · 12% growthAdaptable 52
- CHR Manager$136,350 · 5% growthAdaptable 64
Frequently Asked Questions
Is It Hard to Get Into The University of Texas at Austin? Acceptance Rate & Requirements
As a public institution in Austin, Texas, The University of Texas at Austin reviews applications selectively. The acceptance rate runs near 27%. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,395. The graduation rate is roughly 88%.
How Much Does It Cost to Attend The University of Texas at Austin? Tuition, Net Price & Aid
Published tuition at The University of Texas at Austin is $44,908, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $19,857. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $12,553 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $20,500 in federal student loans.
Is The University of Texas at Austin Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI
Ten years out, alumni of The University of Texas at Austin earn a median of $75,121, well above the national average for bachelor's degree holders.
Does The University of Texas at Austin Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes
The University of Texas at Austin is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 2.22%, among the highest in the country. About 5% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 44.5% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $125,100, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.
How Connected Is The University of Texas at Austin? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks
Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at The University of Texas at Austin. Its economic connectedness score is 1.79, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (-0.00), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 11% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.
How Research-Intensive Is The University of Texas at Austin? World Rank, Teaching & Citations
Times Higher Education places The University of Texas at Austin at #29 worldwide, a mark of serious research standing. Its profile spans a research score of 76/100, teaching at 70/100, and citation impact of 90/100, reflecting both the volume of research output and how often that work is cited by scholars elsewhere.
Does The University of Texas at Austin offer Early Decision?
No. The University of Texas at Austin does not report a binding Early Decision plan (2024-25 Common Data Set).
What percentage of admitted students enroll at The University of Texas at Austin?
About 47% of admitted students choose to enroll at The University of Texas at Austin — its yield rate (2024-25 Common Data Set). Yield reflects how often a school wins when applicants weigh competing offers.
Compare The University of Texas at Austin
- vs University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- vs Texas A&M University-College Station
- vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- vs Stanford University
- vs Babson College
- vs Bentley University
- vs Carnegie Mellon University
- vs Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
- vs University of Pennsylvania
- vs Princeton University
- vs Cornell University
- vs Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
- vs Santa Clara University
- vs Western Governors University
- vs Stevens Institute of Technology
- vs Boston College
- vs Georgetown University
- vs Columbia University in the City of New York
- vs Lehigh University
- vs Harvard University
- vs University of Notre Dame
- vs Yale University
- vs Villanova University
- vs University of Southern California
Show all 99 comparisons →
- vs Southern New Hampshire University
- vs Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- vs Duke University
- vs University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
- vs Dartmouth College
- vs Northeastern University
- vs Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
- vs Brown University
- vs University of Maryland-College Park
- vs Colorado School of Mines
- vs University of Virginia-Main Campus
- vs University of Chicago
- vs Washington and Lee University
- vs New York University
- vs Vanderbilt University
- vs Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
- vs Northwestern University
- vs University of California-Berkeley
- vs George Washington University
- vs Bucknell University
- vs Rice University
- vs Purdue University-Main Campus
- vs Boston University
- vs Lafayette College
- vs University of Wisconsin-Madison
- vs Johns Hopkins University
- vs Rutgers University-New Brunswick
- vs College of the Holy Cross
- vs Washington University in St Louis
- vs Williams College
- vs Worcester Polytechnic Institute
- vs Case Western Reserve University
- vs Trinity College
- vs University of Florida
- vs Brigham Young University
- vs Fairfield University
- vs Bryant University
- vs Providence College
- vs Fordham University
- vs Tufts University
- vs Drexel University
- vs Union College
- vs Colgate University
- vs University of San Francisco
- vs University of California-San Diego
- vs Wellesley College
- vs Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia
- vs Clarkson University
- vs Binghamton University
- vs California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
- vs Bowdoin College
- vs Michigan State University
- vs University of California-Los Angeles
- vs Syracuse University
- vs University of Georgia
- vs Emory University
- vs University of Central Florida
- vs George Mason University
- vs New Jersey Institute of Technology
- vs University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
- vs Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
- vs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- vs Barnard College
- vs Pepperdine University
- vs Quinnipiac University
- vs Davidson College
- vs Ohio State University-Main Campus
- vs Clemson University
- vs Swarthmore College
- vs University of Connecticut
- vs Colby College
- vs Loyola University Maryland
- vs University of Massachusetts-Amherst
- vs University of Portland
- vs Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach
Similar Schools
Schools with similar outcomes, selectivity, and student profiles to The University of Texas at Austin.
- University of Wisconsin-MadisonMadison, WI · Close peer89% grad $73,792 earn 45% acceptWhy: similar earnings · similar grad rate · similar size
- University of California-IrvineIrvine, CA · Close peer86% grad $80,735 earn 29% acceptWhy: similar earnings · similar selectivity · similar grad rate
- University of California-San DiegoLa Jolla, CA · Close peer87% grad $84,943 earn 27% acceptWhy: similar selectivity · similar grad rate · similar size
- University of California-Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CA · Close peer84% grad $74,915 earn 33% acceptWhy: similar earnings · similar selectivity · similar grad rate
- University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignChampaign, IL · Close peer85% grad $81,054 earn 42% acceptWhy: similar earnings · similar grad rate · similar size
- University of Washington-Seattle CampusSeattle, WA · Close peer84% grad $78,466 earn 39% acceptWhy: similar earnings · similar grad rate · similar size
Social Capital
Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas
How Connected Is The University of Texas at Austin? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks
Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at The University of Texas at Austin. Its economic connectedness score is 1.79, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (-0.00), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 11% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.
Research Note