Whether it is their success in athletics, growing ranking in academics, infamous social scene, or vibrant location UT Austin is becoming increasingly more popular for high school students across the United States.
On the evening of January 15th, tens of thousands of Early Action applicants received an email asking them to check their UT Austin Application portal for an important update. For many students, this was the email they had been waiting on for months. Many applied under the early action deadline with expectations of an earlier decision. However, when applicants checked their portal, less than five percent actually received a decision. For every other student, their application was deferred to February 15th. This included in-state students among the top six percent in their schools class, who were already auto admit to the university.
Applicants were understandably angry, confused, and disappointed in this decision. “I was really disappointed to learn they had pushed the deadline back. I waited months for that moment and I was eager to learn of my admissions decision” Juan Pablo Fonseca ’25 said. He was among the top six percent of applicants from St. Thomas and applied for biology.
However, the context of this decision makes perfect sense. This was UT Austin’s first year offering an Early Action deadline and they had received a record number of applicants; over 90,000 compared with 73,000 in 2024, marking a 25 percent increase and a 90% increase among out of state applicants. This record application year marks a turning point in the university. It marks a shift to a more selective and competitive institution that is popular among both in-state and out of state students.
“I understand they had over 90,000 applicants” Fonseca said. “But it’s a top institution with the resources to do whatever it takes. I think it’s unacceptable on their part.” Yet, the admission department simply did not have enough time to thoroughly evaluate its applicants in their holistic review process. They were overwhelmed in a short period of time with the pressure of incredibly important decisions on their hands.
“It has been like a roller coaster” Landon Lord ’25 said. “I was very nervous but also excited to hear back on January 15th. However, I was disappointed to know that the deadline was delayed. I feel that it is a little unfair to say that they would be pushing back the deadline the day of, however I respect their choice,” Lord said.
On February 6th, UT Austin explained that they were ahead of schedule and most students would hear back with a decision by the next day, Friday February 7th. “I was relieved when I heard I would get my decision back [on Friday]” Peter Bryant ’25 said. “Although I find it a little ironic that they said they were ahead of schedule after deferring us weeks prior”
Students across the nation and Eagles across campus were shocked and confused at this decision. However, they understood that such difficulties can occur when schools become more popular competitive, and prestigious.
