So off a waitlist?
@sybylla Im not sure. Some people are saying it was a secret waitlist.
UT"s admission system is pretty disappointing in that it rewards just the top of the individual classes rather than other factors.
That being said, if you get CAP’ed, you can appeal and try to get into UT. I think this is generally an under-rated strategy because you usually hear that “no one out of the Top 6% got in”. Really, most of these kids don’t want to or don’t try to get in, so as long as you have the stats and truly show that you belong at UT, I think you will have a solid chance.
@tchit87, how do you truly show that you belong at UT ?
My daughter will apply soon, interested to learn more …
@InTX216 for me I did not appeal and I got admission. I was capped before and had already committed to another school but UT sent me an email saying I got admission. I was also applying for a competitive major (electrical and computer engineering. i think UT has a secret waitlist and it all comes down to your essay and extracurriculars
@gojags1409 Hi, I’m a current senior who is barely out of the top 6% (my exact percentile is 6.0307) and I’m also applying for ECE at UT. I know the chances of getting in are tough as an ECE major at UT so I was wondering if you had any advice since you were able to get in. (Congrats btw)
My experience is that sports team captains and club presidents have better shots in getting in when combined with great test scores. It doesn’t hurt to go to a high school that has a history of graduating students with lots of involvement at UT.
@nickO123 I spoke to UT admissions in early September and was told top 6% is considered .0609 and below. So if you are .0603, you are an auto admit. On your application portal, you can request a class rank letter from your HS counselor. As soon as he/she sends that letter, you will be admitted. (Assuming you are in TX)
Auto-admit means nothing if you can’t get into the major you want. UT Austin only make decision in January and this year will be a bit late.
My high school only ranks top 5%. But this year some unranked (lower GPA than top 5%) also received auto-admit because our first quartile weighted GPAs are very close, between 5.084 and 5.092 there are 67 students. And they are all 4.0 unweighted. Last year August SAT alone, 19 students from our high school got full score and my 1580 was considered “low”.
UT Austin auto admit me to CNS, my second choice. I may consider UT Dallas Bio engineering if UTD gives me full ride. UT Austin Biomedical engineer is very hard to get in but ironically their ranking is not very impressive.
Most ECs means nothing to UT Austin unless you can tie in with your essay. Last year one of our distinguished seniors (rank #4, not 4%) with full SAT score and debate team chair got accepted to McCombs but rejected in her first choice (Accounting). She declined the offer and went to UofMichigan (Ann Arbor) with full ride. It is sad to see our flagship university in Texas drive away good students after the local schools spent the effort educating them. These students will flourish in other states and won’t come back contributing to this state.
My high school is in suburbs but our students are not ultra rich, without full ride or scholarships there is no way to pay for private colleges or out of state colleges.
U of Michigan 4 year graduation rate is 77%, 6 year is 91.2%. UT Austin’s goal is a sad 70%, and last year they “celebrated” 72% graduation rate. The main reason has to do with the auto-admit. Students from non-competitive high schools suffer tremendously in UT Austin, The high drop out rate wastes a lot of tax payers money. Many labs and project classes cost far more than the few thousands dollars tuition.
@KaYoung2025 hi there, I noticed you had said that one of your seniors “got accepted to McCombs but rejected in her first choice (Accounting)”, but I am a little confused. Don’t we apply to McCombs as undecided and then declare what we want during our 2nd year? How did she get rejected from Accounting if you apply undecided? I’m kind of confused with all the processes and everything, so I would really appreciate it if someone could clarify for me! 
@amaraag I agree that the comment did not make sense because for McCombs, everyone is admitted undeclared their 1st year, so not getting “accounting” does not make sense at all.
It is true though that even if you are automatically admitted, that is no guarantee that you will get your 1st choice major. Last year my son was auto admit with good test scores (1410), excellent rigor (14 AP classes and 7 elective STEM classes) and fantastic extracurriculars including a 2x Worlds Robotics team and he did not get his 1st or 2nd choice major despite the fact that he got the major he wanted at other (more highly ranked) engineering schools. He is a freshman at the University of Michigan this year studying his first choice, mechanical engineering.