Texas A&M University vs. The University of Texas at Austin

The Corps of Cadets still drills in maroon at Texas A&M, and that tells you most of what separates these two flagships. A&M runs on engineering and agriculture out in College Station, a land-grant giant where the Aggie identity, the Corps, and the traditions pull you into something bigger than yourself. UT Austin drops you a few blocks from the Texas State Capitol, with the Tower lit burnt orange and downtown music a short walk away. Pick your strengths: A&M points you hardest at engineering, while UT spreads its best programs across the natural sciences, engineering, business at McCombs, and communication. Both schools fill most of their seats through Texas class-rank law, so out of state you face long odds at either. They split on testing too. A&M stays test-optional; UT brought back a required SAT or ACT. For deep engineering inside the Aggie fold, point yourself at College Station.

Want to compare other schools? Open the interactive comparison tool →

Texas A&MCollege Station, TX

Acceptance rate

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

Texas A&M CDSIn-state vs. out-of-state admit rates from Texas A&M CDS (Fall 2025).
51.7%acceptance rate
Applied
62,967
Admitted
32,531
Enrolled
12,484

Admit rate by residency

% admitted
In-state54.2%
26,620 admitted of 49,156 applicants
Out-of-state41.3%
4,489 admitted of 10,882 applicants
International48.5%
1,422 admitted of 2,929 applicants

Early admissions

Texas A&M does not offer an Early Decision or Early Action plan; all applicants apply through Regular Decision.

Early Decision
Not offered
Early Action
Not offered
Restrictive EA
Not offered

Standardized tests

Texas A&M is currently test-optional — you may apply without submitting scores.

SAT Accepted?

ACT Accepted?

Test Optional?

SAT Scores

4001600
25th Percentile
1160
50th Percentile
1280
75th Percentile
1390

ACT Scores

136
25th Percentile
24
50th Percentile
28
75th Percentile
32

Class rank

Where Texas A&M's enrolled first-years placed in their high school graduating class.

Top tenth of class71.56%
Top quarter of class93.14%
Top half of class98.62%

Based on the 72.15% of enrolled students who reported a class rank. Texas A&M does not publish an average GPA.

Admissions factors

How Texas A&M 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 Texas A&M's Common Data Set. Only tuition changes with residency.

$31,626
In-State
$59,617
Out-of-State
In-StateOut-of-State
Tuition & Fees
$12,856$40,847
Room & Board
$12,944$12,944
Other Expenses
$5,826$5,826
Total
$31,626$59,617

What families actually pay

$0–30k~$13k
$30–48k~$13k
$48–75k~$17k
$75–110k~$27k
$110k+~$31k

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 grants19.6%

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Financial aid

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

Receiving Aid
40%
Avg. Package
$20,717
Avg. Need Met
71%

Popular majors

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

Engineering
Agriculture & Life Sciences
Social Sciences & Communication
Business
Sciences & Computing
Health Professions
Other
Engineering
22.9%
Ag & Life Sci
20.1%
Social Sci
14.4%
Business
13.9%
Sciences
7.2%
Health
6.5%
Other
15%

Student-faculty ratio

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

20:1

Student outcomes

First-years who return95%
Graduate within six years85%
Median earnings, 4 yrs after graduation~$76k
Median federal loan debt at graduation~$18k

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

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

Show all 36 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
55%
In Fraternities
N/A
In Sororities
N/A

Place

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

Setting
Midsize city
Location
College Station, TX

Average temperature

Monthly high and low, °F
6241J
6645F
7352M
7958A
8666M
9273J
9575J
9775A
9170S
8260O
7150N
6343D
Precipitation a year
42 in
Days at 90°F or above
117
Days below 32°F
16

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, COLLEGE STN, TX US station, 2.6 mi from campus

Enrollment by gender

53%
47%
Male
32,976
Female
29,055

Student diversity

Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.

White50.2%
Hispanic26.3%
Asian and Pacific Islander14.8%
Other5.9%
Black2.6%
Native American<1%
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%

Writing your Texas A&M or UT Austin application essay?

Paste your draft and get specific, line-by-line feedback on what is and isn't landing — scored against the rubrics admissions readers use.

Get essay feedback

Texas A&M vs. UT Austin: frequently asked questions

UT Austin is the tougher admit by a wide margin, taking about 26.6% of applicants against roughly 51.7% at Texas A&M, so A&M lets in nearly twice the share. Out-of-state applicants face longer odds than those numbers suggest at both schools, because Texas's automatic-admission laws hand most of each class to in-state students. Only about 9% of UT first-years and 5% of A&M first-years arrive from outside Texas.

They split on this one. Texas A&M went test-optional, so scores help your case without being required, and among A&M students who do submit, the middle 50% land at 1160–1390 on the SAT and 24–32 on the ACT. UT Austin brought back a testing requirement for Fall 2025 applicants, which makes the SAT or ACT mandatory there, though UT publishes no admitted-student score range in its Common Data Set.

Both campuses run deep in STEM, but they slice it differently. Texas A&M leans hardest into engineering, its single largest area at about 23% of degrees, sitting atop a substantial agriculture and applied-sciences base. UT Austin spreads its strength wider, with natural sciences at about 18% of degrees and engineering and computing at about 17%, while biological and life sciences top the list as its most popular field at about 13%. A&M suits an engineering-first culture, whereas UT pairs a top CS and natural-sciences environment with a tech city.

Texas A&M carries the lower out-of-state sticker at about $40,847 in tuition and fees, under UT Austin's $44,908, yet UT covers more demonstrated need, meeting about 80% on average versus 71% at A&M. Roughly 40% of first-years at each school draw need-based aid, with average packages near $20,717 at A&M and $20,219 at UT, so the gap shrinks after aid for higher-need families. In-state tuition runs close, about $12,856 at A&M and $11,688 at UT.

Texas A&M wins on size, enrolling about 62,031 undergraduates against UT Austin's 43,165, which ranks it among the largest universities in the country. Class scale lands in the same neighborhood, a 20:1 student-faculty ratio at A&M and 18:1 at UT. Retention and graduation stay high across both: A&M holds 95% of first-years and graduates 85% within six years, while UT reaches 96.7% and 88.9%.

Source: Texas A&M University Common Data Set 2025-2026. Figures transcribed 2026-06-07. Esslo aggregates publicly reported data and is not affiliated with Texas A&M. Banner photo by Donnie Ray Jones, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).

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).