The University of Texas at Austin, or UT Austin, has become an extremely popular university for students around the country, and globally, not simply in Texas. As a Texas state school, though, the university prioritizes applicants who are residents of the state. As a result, there are far more applicants, and especially out-of-state applicants, than UT Austin can admit. In this post, we’re going to break down what you need to do if you recently received a waitlist offer from UT Austin, and what else you need to do to close out your college admissions experience strong.
In the 2023-2024 Common Data Set, UT Austin reported that they received an astonishing 66,109 first-year applications for fall 2023. From that pool, 9,385, or 14.2%, were offered a spot in the class. What they didn’t have that year, or for many years prior, though, was a waitlist.
But in the spring of 2024, UT Austin quietly announced that they were bringing back the practice of allowing some students who were not offered a spot in the first-year class to join a waitlist.
Since we haven’t seen this new policy in action yet, it’s hard to tell exactly how the waitlist will work. UT Austin has, however, given us foundation guidance to go on, and it’s imperative that you understand it. In a moment we’ll break apart the guidance UT Austin has given. First, though, let’s look further back into the UT Austin data to see if there is anything that can be learned from when they had a waitlist in the past.
The last time that UT Austin reported having a waitlist was for fall 2021 admission. However, that year is a little confusing. Yes, they say they have a waitlist, but they also say that they put zero people onto it. If you’re puzzled, you aren’t alone. Same goes for fall 2020 admission. They say they had a list, but no one was put onto it.
We had to look all of the way back to the 2015-2016 application cycle to find a waitlist that they actually let anyone onto. For fall 2016 admission, UT Austin offer 1,281 of 47,511 applicants a spot on the waitlist (the total number of applicants, compared to 2023-2024, really highlights the surge in applications top colleges have been receiving lately). Of those 1,281, 1,007 accepted a spot on the waitlist and 374, or 37%, were eventually admitted.
Given the information they’ve released so far, which we will dig into in a moment, we don’t expect the UT Austin waitlist to be this skimpy in 2025 — not do we expect them to accept such a high percentage of waitlisted applicants.
Understanding the New UT Austin Waitlist
According to an announcement by UT Austin, applicants who are not offered a spot in the first year class will be eligible to join a waitlist. Students are also eligible to join the waitlist if they were admitted to the university, but would like to be considered for a different major. This does not put their existing acceptance in jeopardy.
Please note that it is possible that all rejected students will have access to this option, as the way they have worded things doesn’t suggest that only a select group will be given the option to join.
If this is the case, the waitlist for UT Austin may have thousands, or even tens of thousands, of students on it. Even in its shortest likely form, the chance of getting in off of the UT Austin waitlist is likely to be very low. But we love pulling things off against low odds, so let’s roll the dice.
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If you were not offered a place at UT Austin, or you want to be admitted to a different major than the one you were admitted to, there are three steps that you absolutely need to take if you want to get in. We break them down below.
Step 1: Join the Waitlist and Update the University
Normally we break joining the waitlist and updating the university into two separate steps because they are tackled separately. For the new UT Austin waitlist system, though, it all needs to happen at once.
To join the UT Austin waitlist, you’ll need to submit the form available here. On it, you can pick whether you want to be considered for the same major you applied for initially, a different one, or for a wider array of programs should a space open up. In most situations, it makes sense to stay true to your initial major selection as your application was framed around that interest. If you try switching to a potentially less-competitive major simply to increase your chances of getting in, it may actually weaken your application.
A sudden major shift that isn’t congruent with your interests simply doesn’t make sense to the admissions office. However, there may be an opportunity to shift your major within your stated area of interest such that you would be considered for a larger program than the one you were originally aiming for.
Once you’ve specified your prospective major, you’ll “have the option,” they say, “to share any academic updates in 200 words or less.” This is the only update that you’ll be able to send to UT Austin, so it is very important. They absolutely do not want additional materials like letters of recommendations, updated resumes, or letters of continued interest (LOCI), so these 200 words are it.
To make the most of the 200 words, you’re going to keep it simple, be direct, and not spend time on fluff.
Start your update with one short sentence stating your name, your area of strongest interest within the prospective major you’ve selected, and that you hope they will take your updates into consideration should a space in the class open up.
Next, you’re quickly jumping into updates. We recommend making each update a micro-paragraph, with one or two sentences separated by a line-break. Breaking them out like this visually makes it easier to digest and remember. Ideally, you will include 3-5 updates that are relevant to what you want to study, or that highlight long-term extracurriculars. This could include awards, honors, recognitions, new leadership positions, an internship, or a research opportunity. The options are broad, but one thing isn’t: this must be new information. UT Austin does not want an update full of stuff they already know.
Finally, you’ll close with one more sentence thanking them for their time and consideration.
That’s it. Short, sweet, and simple is your best route to impact when it comes to the UT Austin update.
Step 2: Confirm with a College
You may hear back from UT Austin about the waitlist as late as July, so you absolutely cannot be betting on it to work out — especially when most colleges require deposits in May to confirm your spot. So, you need to pick a school that you got into and commit to attend by enrolling and placing the deposit. This deposit is most often non-refundable, but that’s the price of playing the waitlist lottery.
If this step feels disappointing or frustrating, we get it. Maybe you have a second-choice school that’s also a dream option, but if you don’t you still need to stomach it. And remember, transferring is an option (and we can help).
Step 3: Enjoy Senior Year
Once you’re all set up with the UT Austin waitlist and confirmed with a college you were accepted by for fall, it’s time to give yourself a break. It’s good to check your email regularly, and keep your socials low-profile in case the admissions team checks in on you, but you also need to live your life. Senior spring is an exciting time, so keep your grades up, keep excelling, and also have fun.
UT Austin bringing back the waitlist is big news, but we also can’t know exactly how it’s going to play out given that they haven’t used a waitlist for years. Waitlists are always unpredictable, but this is a whole new level. Having expert help may well prove to be crucial, so don’t act brashly. If you want to get into UT Austin, you need to be strategic.
Every year we help strong students get into outstanding schools, even off of the waitlist. Contact us to learn how.