University of Oklahoma vs. The University of Texas at Austin

Both schools point you at the same fall ritual, the Cotton Bowl in Dallas split half crimson and half burnt orange during the State Fair, but they ask very different things of an applicant. Oklahoma keeps its doors open. You'd land in Norman, a college town just south of Oklahoma City where football runs the calendar and big automatic scholarships pull in out-of-state and National Merit students who'd pay a fortune elsewhere. Texas plays the long-shot flagship. It packs more than 43,000 undergraduates a few blocks from the State Capitol in Austin, a music-soaked city that doubles as a tech and government hub. Residency decides a lot here. A state law hands automatic admission to Texans near the top of their class and reserves most of the seats for them, so from outside Texas you'd fight for a sliver of the class. Sort out which side of the Red River you're applying from before you weigh anything else.

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OklahomaNorman, OK

Acceptance rate

Overall acceptance rate, plus the in-state and out-of-state admit rates the school reports separately.

OU CDS C1In-state vs. out-of-state admit rates from OU CDS C1 (Fall 2025).
77.6%acceptance rate
Applied
29,195
Admitted
22,660
Enrolled
6,229

Admit rate by residency

% admitted
In-state75.9%
5,083 admitted of 6,694 applicants
Out-of-state80.3%
16,828 admitted of 20,948 applicants
International48.2%
749 admitted of 1,553 applicants

Early action

Oklahoma offers non-binding Early Action — an earlier decision with no commitment to enroll.

Early Decision
Not offered
Early Action
Non-binding
Restrictive EA
Not offered

Standardized tests

Oklahoma is currently test-optional — you may apply without submitting scores.

SAT Accepted?

ACT Accepted?

Test Optional?

SAT Scores

4001600
25th Percentile
1160
50th Percentile
1232
75th Percentile
1310

ACT Scores

136
25th Percentile
23
50th Percentile
26
75th Percentile
28

Class rank

Where Oklahoma's enrolled first-years placed in their high school graduating class.

Top tenth of class29.7%
Top quarter of class58.3%
Top half of class89.2%

Based on the 53.7% of enrolled students who reported a class rank. Oklahoma does not publish an average GPA.

Admissions factors

How Oklahoma weighs each part of your application.

→ Importance

Rigor of High School Record

Academic GPA

Standardized Test Scores

Application Essay

Recommendations

Extracurricular Activities

Character / Personal Qualities

Talent / Ability

First Generation

Level of Applicant's Interest

Class Rank

Volunteer Work

Work Experience

Geographical Residence

State Residency

Alumni Relation

Racial / Ethnic Status

Religious Affiliation

Cost of attendance

Estimated full-time annual cost from Oklahoma's Common Data Set. Only tuition changes with residency.

2024–25 CDSOklahoma's 2025-2026 Common Data Set hasn't published this section yet, so this figure is shown from the 2024-2025 edition instead.
$33,978
In-State
$52,098
Out-of-State
In-StateOut-of-State
Tuition & Fees
$10,181$28,301
Room & Board
$15,798$15,798
Other Expenses
$7,999$7,999
Total
$33,978$52,098

What families actually pay

$0–30k~$11k
$30–48k~$11k
$48–75k~$15k
$75–110k~$19k
$110k+~$21k

Average net price — what was left to pay after grant aid — for students receiving federal financial aid, covering in-state students only.

% of undergrads with Pell grants25%

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Financial aid

Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.

Receiving Aid
39%
Avg. Package
$16,939
Avg. Need Met
65%

Popular majors

Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.

Business & Marketing
Engineering & Computing
Communication & Journalism
Health & Life Sciences
Psychology
Social Sciences
Interdisciplinary Studies
Other
Business
30%
Eng & CS
13%
Comm
8%
Health/Bio
7%
Psychology
6%
Social Sci
6%
Interdisc
6%
Other
24%

Student-faculty ratio

The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.

19:1

Student outcomes

First-years who return89%
Graduate within six years75%
Median earnings, 4 yrs after graduation~$73k
Median federal loan debt at graduation~$21k

Median yearly income of former students who received federal aid, across every major, measured four years after graduating (2017–18 and 2018–19 graduates, earnings measured 2022–2023). Debt covers federal loans of students who completed.

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Programs

Oklahoma’s most popular programs and median pay after graduation. Income data from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

Show all 33 programs

Median pay data is measured from graduates who received federal student aid.

Source: College Scorecard (2026) · IPEDS (2023-24) · ABET

Campus life

On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.

2024–25 CDSOklahoma's 2025-2026 Common Data Set hasn't published this section yet, so this figure is shown from the 2024-2025 edition instead.
First-Years On Campus
90%
In Fraternities
27%
In Sororities
32%

Place

How the federal government classifies the area around the campus, and what a normal year of weather looks like there.

Setting
Midsize suburb
Location
Norman, OK

Average temperature

Monthly high and low, °F
5028J
5431F
6340M
7148A
7958M
8767J
9371J
9270A
8462S
7450O
6239N
5231D
Snow a year
4 in
Precipitation a year
38 in
Days at 90°F or above
69
Days below 32°F
77

Thirty-year averages, measured at the nearest weather station rather than on campus — they describe the area, not the campus.

Source: IPEDS (HD2024) · NOAA 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NORMAN 3SSE, OK US station, 2.0 mi from campus

Enrollment by gender

47%
53%
Male
11,853
Female
13,201

Student diversity

Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.

White54.1%
Hispanic15.4%
Other14.7%
Asian and Pacific Islander7.2%
Black5.3%
Native American3.4%
UT AustinAustin, TX

Acceptance rate

Overall acceptance rate, plus the in-state and out-of-state admit rates the school reports separately.

UT Austin CDSIn-state vs. out-of-state admit rates from UT Austin CDS (Fall 2025).
22.2%acceptance rate
Applied
90,690
Admitted
20,154
Enrolled
9,900

Admit rate by residency

% admitted
In-state35.9%
16,828 admitted of 46,879 applicants
Out-of-state7.5%
2,653 admitted of 35,268 applicants
International7.9%
673 admitted of 8,543 applicants

Early action

UT Austin offers non-binding Early Action — an earlier decision with no commitment to enroll.

Fall 2027 datesEarly Action is published on UT Austin's own Fall 2027 dates page. UT Austin's 2025-2026 Common Data Set, which is cited for its other figures, does not report it.
Early Decision
Not offered
Early Action
Non-binding
Restrictive EA
Not offered

Standardized tests

UT Austin requires the SAT or ACT, starting with Fall 2025 applicants.

SAT Accepted?

ACT Accepted?

Test Optional?

Score ranges not published yet

UT Austin reinstated its SAT/ACT requirement starting with Fall 2025 applicants. Its most recent admitted class applied test-free, so published SAT and ACT score ranges aren't available yet.

Class rank

UT Austin does not report this.

Not reported

Admissions factors

How UT Austin weighs each part of your application.

→ Importance

Rigor of High School Record

Academic GPA

Standardized Test Scores

Application Essay

Recommendations

Extracurricular Activities

Character / Personal Qualities

Talent / Ability

First Generation

Level of Applicant's Interest

Class Rank

Volunteer Work

Work Experience

Geographical Residence

State Residency

Alumni Relation

Racial / Ethnic Status

Religious Affiliation

Cost of attendance

Estimated full-time annual cost from UT Austin's Common Data Set. Only tuition changes with residency.

$33,306
In-State
$66,466
Out-of-State
In-StateOut-of-State
Tuition & Fees
$11,656$44,816
Room & Board
$15,420$15,420
Other Expenses
$6,230$6,230
Total
$33,306$66,466

What families actually pay

$0–30k~$13k
$30–48k~$14k
$48–75k~$17k
$75–110k~$24k
$110k+~$30k

Average net price — what was left to pay after grant aid — for students receiving federal financial aid, covering in-state students only.

% of undergrads with Pell grants25.9%

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Financial aid

Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.

Receiving Aid
40%
Avg. Package
$20,765
Avg. Need Met
71.3%

Popular majors

Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.

Natural Sciences
Engineering & Computing
Social Sciences
Liberal Arts & Humanities
Business
Communication
Health Professions
Other
Sciences
17.8%
Eng. & CS
17.3%
Social Sci.
14.8%
Liberal Arts
13.7%
Business
11.1%
Comm.
10.5%
Health
5.8%
Other
9%

Student-faculty ratio

The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.

22:1

Student outcomes

First-years who return97.1%
Graduate within six years89.2%
Median earnings, 4 yrs after graduation~$79k
Median federal loan debt at graduation~$21k

Median yearly income of former students who received federal aid, across every major, measured four years after graduating (2017–18 and 2018–19 graduates, earnings measured 2022–2023). Debt covers federal loans of students who completed.

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Programs

UT Austin’s most popular programs and median pay after graduation. Income data from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

  • Biology

    744 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$66kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$20k median debt
  • Psychology

    537 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$57kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$19k median debt
  • Computer & Information Sciences

    525 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$155kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$21k median debt
  • Finance

    417 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$132kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$21k median debt
  • Economics

    383 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$89kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$20k median debt
Show all 35 programs

Median pay data is measured from graduates who received federal student aid.

Source: College Scorecard (2026) · IPEDS (2023-24) · ABET

Campus life

On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.

First-Years On Campus
61%
In Fraternities
13%
In Sororities
17%

Place

How the federal government classifies the area around the campus, and what a normal year of weather looks like there.

Setting
Large city
Location
Austin, TX

Average temperature

Monthly high and low, °F
6342J
6746F
7352M
8059A
8767M
9373J
9775J
9875A
9170S
8361O
7251N
6443D
Snow a year
0 in
Precipitation a year
36 in
Days at 90°F or above
123
Days below 32°F
12

Thirty-year averages, measured at the nearest weather station rather than on campus — they describe the area, not the campus.

Source: IPEDS (HD2024) · NOAA 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, AUSTIN-CAMP MABRY, TX US station, 2.9 mi from campus

Enrollment by gender

43%
57%
Male
18,819
Female
25,448

Student diversity

Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.

White29.4%
Hispanic28.6%
Asian and Pacific Islander26.3%
Other10.9%
Black4.6%
Native American<1%

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Oklahoma vs. UT Austin: frequently asked questions

UT Austin is far more selective, admitting about 26.6% of applicants against 76.6% at Oklahoma. The gap widens for non-residents: a Texas law grants automatic admission to in-state students near the top of their class, so only about 9% of UT's enrolled first-years come from outside Texas, versus 51% at OU. Out-of-state students draw a more accessible read at Oklahoma, where roughly 80% of non-resident applicants are admitted.

Both run strong business programs, and the fit splits on scale and focus. Business and marketing is Oklahoma's single largest field at about 29% of degrees, so the school leans heavily that way. UT Austin houses business at about 12% of degrees inside a much broader university, drawing from a far larger applicant pool. Texas is the harder admit; Oklahoma gives a business-minded student a more direct path in.

Texas residents in the top 6% of their graduating class win automatic admission to UT Austin, though not always to their first-choice major; everyone else, including all out-of-state applicants, goes through holistic review. Oklahoma runs no class-rank auto-admit law. OU reviews applications holistically and lists state residency only as a 'considered' factor, which is part of why its overall admit rate sits near 77%.

Oklahoma carries the lower out-of-state sticker, about $28,301 in tuition and fees versus $44,908 at UT Austin. OU also leans on large automatic merit scholarships tied to GPA and test scores, which can erase much of a non-resident's tuition. UT Austin meets more demonstrated need on average, roughly 80% to OU's 66%, with an average aid package near $20,219 against $16,189, so a high-need Texan can see that gap close.

They split here. UT Austin reinstated an SAT or ACT requirement starting with Fall 2025 applicants, so scores are now mandatory, though it publishes no admitted-student score range. Oklahoma stays test-optional and lets you decide whether scores are considered; submitting strong ones can qualify you for OU's automatic merit aid, where enrolled first-years posted a middle-50% SAT of 1160–1320.

UT Austin is nearly twice the size, enrolling about 43,165 undergraduates to Oklahoma's 23,351, both at the same 18-to-1 student-faculty ratio. Oklahoma houses about 90% of students on campus, against 64% at UT Austin, so Norman feels more like a contained college town while Austin spills into a major city around it.

Source: University of Oklahoma Common Data Set 2025-2026. Figures transcribed 2026-06-25. In-State Tuition & Fees, Out-of-State Tuition & Fees, % of First-Years Living On Campus, % of Undergraduate Men in Fraternities, and % of Undergraduate Women in Sororities are from the 2024-2025 edition. Esslo aggregates publicly reported data and is not affiliated with Oklahoma. Banner photo by Nicholas Benson, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5).

Source: The University of Texas at Austin Common Data Set 2025-2026. Figures transcribed 2026-06-25. Esslo aggregates publicly reported data and is not affiliated with UT Austin. Banner photo by Daderot, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0).