I’m curious as to why UT Austin has this seemingly weird state law. Also, do other Public Unis in Texas have this law. I applied, but haven’t received a decision. I expect to get rejected, but was wondering why you guys have this law in the first place. Thanks for your time!
The University of Texas is a public state university. Their first priority is to educate residents of Texas since it is their tax dollars that partially fund the school. Out of staters are welcome to provide some geographic diversity and especially to provide their out of state tuition dollars.
It is not weird at all.
@TomSrOfBoston I guess it’s strange to me. I’m from Michigan where U of M is about 50% OOS, and it’s public. I guess I just assumed that other top tier public schools had the same practices as U of M. Do other states have these laws?
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North Carolina and Virginia do, at least for UNC Chapel Hill and UVa.
California limits OOS students at the UCs.
Can you post which Texas state law you are referring?
I believe 10% OOS is only a profile. https://admissions.utexas.edu/explore/freshman-profile.
Automatic Admission
Texas law offers eligible freshman applicants automatic admission to public colleges and universities. The initial legislation, passed into law in 1997, offered automatic admission to eligible students in the top 10 percent of their high school class.
In 2009, the law was modified for The University of Texas at Austin. Under the new law, the university must automatically admit enough students to fill 75 percent of available Texas resident spaces. Each fall, the university notifies Texas school officials of the class rank that current high school juniors need to attain by the end of their junior year in order to be automatically admitted.
Summer/Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 applicants: Top 7%
Summer/Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 applicants: Top 7%
Summer/Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 applicants: Top 6%
Sounds like someone should make a table. …
Texas 90 10
UNC 82 18
UVA 67 33
Wow, it will be top 6%?? That’s tough.
Three generations of my family have gone to UT. None of the next generation will be graduating from the University! (My son started but fell ill. His two siblings and three cousins don’t have the stats to get in, even though they’re bright, talented kids.)
Yea you guys are pretty lucky to have those laws, UT Austin is pretty nice. I’ll probably be attending Penn State in the fall, and I believe their percentages are around 70% In State and 30% OOS and International, which I always thought was pretty reasonable.
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There is no law in PA re instate/out of state. that’s just how the enrolment works out. 30% is high considering there is minimal financial aid for OOS students.
@texaggie It is for UT Austin only right now since they are the only ones using the exception to the top 10 percent rule (limiting auto admits to 75 percent of the class) Basically the legislature saying you can accept instate people outside top 6 percent but you can’t increase the OOS and international student enrollment at the expense of top 10 percent kids.
(j) A general academic teaching institution that elects to offer admission under Subsection (a-1) for an academic year may not offer admission to first-time undergraduate students who are not residents of this state for that academic year in excess of the number required to fill 10 percent of the institution’s enrollment capacity designated for first-time undergraduate students for that academic year.
http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/ED/htm/ED.51.htm#U