Auto Admit for Class of 2016

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>Does anybody know what percent of your high school class gets auto admission for the class of 2016 at UT Austin? I read somewhere that it is 9%, but wasn't sure, because it was 10% two years ago, and 8% last year. </p>

<p>Also, is class %/rank the ONLY factor that determines admission, as long as you have the required SAT score?
Is there ANY reason that UT would not auto admit you if you meet the class % and SAT criteria?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>“Yes, it’s true that there are many different approaches to how an individual High School or ISD calculates and reports GPA across the state and the nation. Additionally, curriculum, programs, course availability, and grading patterns vary. For this reason it’s difficult to use GPA as a constant measurement to compare students across an applicant pool. Rather than recalculate GPA, the University of Texas at Austin uses rank in class (which is a function of GPA) within our freshman admissions process. This variable tells us how a student compares to his/her peers within their own high school. Although the idea of a uniform GPA is compelling on its surface, the devil is always in the details and sometimes the debate surrounding these details can look worse than the illness. Ultimately it becomes a discussion of what to count and what not to counts, what to weight and what not to weight.” - Michael Orr, Associate Director of Admissions at UT Austin</p>

<p>UT Austin has determined that it will automatically admit all eligible 2012 summer/fall freshman applicants who rank within the top 9% of their high school graduating classes, with remaining spaces to be filled through holistic review.</p>

<p>A good number of schools in the northeast don’t rank at all, though. My kids’ high school doesn’t weight grades, either, so their GPA looks lower than that of students from other schools. Of course, they can’t be admitted with the 9% rule, so I guess UT will just look at their overall records. My oldest son got in, but his siblings will have a harder time, I think (they already say they want to apply, anyway, though!).</p>

<p>What exactly constitutes “eligibility”, though? Is the auto admission policy for ut a purely quantitative process?, with no regard to quality of ec’s, essays, etc.?</p>

<p>Automatic admission to UT doesn’t have anything to do with admission to your desired major. That’s where holistic review and “the quality of ec’s, essays, etc.” comes into play. </p>

<p>Holistic review [Application</a> Review | Be a Longhorn](<a href=“http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/freshmen/after-you-apply/review]Application”>Review & Decision Process – University of Texas Admissions)</p>

<p>Majors [Selecting</a> a Major | Be a Longhorn](<a href=“http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/freshmen/before/majors]Selecting”>http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/freshmen/before/majors)</p>

<p>Are you an auto admit, avm12345? If “yes,” congrats! Don’t forget this:</p>

<p>"Although you may be tempted to rush through the process of applying for admission, remember that the quality of the items you submit can make a difference, even if you qualify for automatic admission. </p>

<p>“UT Austin uses holistic review to make many admission decisions—even final decisions about majors for some applicants who qualify for automatic admission. During review, we consider every item submitted by an applicant and compare the complete application of each applicant to others in that same group. So the quality of your application may be the thing that makes you stand out from the crowd—and that results in your getting the decision you’re looking for.”</p>

<p>See [Hints</a> & Tips | Be a Longhorn](<a href=“http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/freshmen/before/tips]Hints”>http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/freshmen/before/tips)</p>

<p>avm12345, yes, it is a purely quantitative decision for state residents. ECs, etc., don’t matter. BUT that applies to admission to the University only. Getting into some schools, such as engineering or business, is much harder, and all of the other factors are also considered.</p>

<p>Thanks for the clarification.
So you can be admitted to the university, but not your desired major? What happens in that scenario? Can you switch to the desired major when classes start?
Also, is premed/biology in the college of natural sciences a very sought after and competitive major for admission at UT?</p>

<p>Also, assuming an application to UT is sent in early october/late september, when and how long does it take for UT to tell you that you have been accepted if you are an auto admit, and do they tell you if you are admitted to honors at the same time?
If you apply to one of the honors programs, can you be rejected from honors but still be accepted to your major in the regular program?</p>

<p>Yes. You can be rejected from honors but still be accepted into the major in the regular program: A friend of mine (biomed engineering) had the same exact situation. It was really weird though; she was #9 at a high school that UT knows is the hardest in Austin (it’s #47 in the nation). So, maybe it was her essays: try really hard on your essays.</p>

<p>avm, as an auto admit, you’ll get an admission back really quickly, I think 1-2 weeks max. However, that’s just your assurance you are “in.” It’s not your placement into a major. You may wait a short or long time for an answer on that one, and tropicbreeze is correct, you can be denied honors but still admitted to the major. From last year’s admission cycle, I don’t recall any reporting an honors admission to the CNS earlier than mid-December; but I could be mistaken.</p>

<p>You go to a Texas ranking HS, right? Just want to make sure, as this entire discussion is premised on that fact. You really need to work through the Be a Longhorn site yourself, from beginning to end. And then, make it a priority to meet with your counselor ASAP to confirm your rank, the process your school wants you to follow re: transcripts and teacher rec letters, whether your school will be having a dedicated “UT admission workshop” or similar, etc.</p>

<p>Hook 'em!</p>