I want to go to UT Austin badly but realistically I wont get in. I want to do either business or engineering. I was looking at the CAP program and I read that after doing the program your guaranteed admission ONLY into the liberal arts college. How risky is it to do the program? I can’t tell if I should do it or not because I don’t want to waste a year only to not get in.
The most recent CAP data on the UT Austin admissions website shows that less than 40 percent of those who participated in CAP (fall 2013) made it to Austin by fall 2014. That is the latest data available.
As you state, they were guaranteed COLA not any other school.
People do make it into other majors but the odds are lower than 40 percent.
Whether that is worth it is something only you can decide. A lot depends on what other schools you can get into.
If I were choosing between UT Cap and A&M for business and engineering, I’d go to A&M in a second for instance.
Where else are you likely to get in?
I did CAP and I recently just got accepted in McCombs!
CAP only guarantees acceptance into College of Liberal Arts or Undergraduate studies with a min 3.2 GPA and 30 hours. If you want to get into COLA, 3.2 is SUPER EASY to maintain, but for business or engineering you will definitely need a higher gpa than that & finish the pre reqs.
For McCombs the pre reqs you need to finish in order to be considered are Micro&Macro Econ & Calc 1&2. A lot of my friends wanted to transfer into McCombs or Cockrell but their GPA didn’t cut it and now they’re stuck in COLA. It honestly is just up to how badly you want it and how hard you work for it.
You can message me if you have any additional questions, I’d be happy to answer them!!
UT2019 is correct. If you want to get into McCombs or Cockrell I believe your GPA better be 3.8 or higher, and 3.8 may not be safe.
May I ask as a future cap student at UTA looking to transfer to McCombs, what should my resume consists of? I’m referring to the GPA and extracurricular activities.
@CapPlease Have you read through the transfer thread to see qualifications of those who got in versus those who did not? That would be a good start.
@Capplease Just get a 3.8+ gpa and write good essays! McCombs is basically GPA cutoff and it usually is around 3.8 every year, changes depending on how many applicants they get. I was a CAP student at UTA and had a 3.875 gpa and I got in McCombs! Aim for a 4.0 or a high 3.8 and you should be fine! Study hard and don’t forget there are pre req classes you need to take!
If you have any questions you can message me, I’d be happy to answer!
I was an external, non-cap transfer, and had basically nonexistent extracurricular. What got me into McCombs was definitely my GPA, which was 4.0, and likely my essays.
Like @UT2019 said, make sure to take the pre-req classes. I almost had a heart attack when I found out there were required classes and thought I didn’t take any of them. I think they were micro and macroeconomics. And calculus I and II.
@UT2019 I’m going to be a Cap Student at UTA and the Cap counselor, Steve Latos, said no one got in from Cap so thank you for giving me hope again! And also how many Cap students give up on the program throughout the course of the year?
@Rr29864 I did CAP at UTA too! I had the WORST CAP COUNSELOR… Steve Latos replaced him because everyone complained so much about the previous one. My CAP counselor lacked knowledge of the CAP program, told me I would fail my classes and tried to make me stay at UTA. It was the absolute worst. The only way to make sure you have the correct info is do your own research and contact the CAP people at UT.
I think about 100 people out of 300ish people opted out of CAP because their GPA was not high enough or they realized they could not afford UT!
I’m a Freshman in engineering and personally I would not have chosen to do the CAP Program if I was offered it. I think that it’s a very risky thing to do especially for Engineering or Business. For me it was a matter of these reasons:
- It wouldn't be a "normal" freshman year knowing that I would be (hopefully) transferring the next year. I would be leaving friends that I made and would basically be starting a whole new life at a different school. I also wouldn't be getting the same level of school spirit that I would at some other school - football games, etc.
- I would be so stressed about keeping my GPA high enough to not only transfer into the university (remember that if you don't get that 3.2 you're screwed) but also the program of my choice. I feel like that would make it hard to go out and have a good time.
Even though I love UT, those factors were enough to scare me away from CAP. I could see myself having more fun at another big school similar to UT. Don’t count yourself out of getting in though - I thought I wasn’t going to get in and it happened for me.
@UT2019 How difficult did you find it to receive a 3.8 gpa at UTA? I am currently here at UTA as a cap student and I took all AP classes in HS (I did not use any hours here at UTA) so I am feeling very confident so far in these basic core classes. Almost a little too confident, and I feel like this must be too good to be true? What was your experience like?
@longhorn2020 Core classes were super easy to me too. It just depends what courses you take! If you are just in basic core classes than you’re good!