I just got my decision back from UT Austin this morning, and was unfortunately denied admission from the CS department. To be honest, I’m pretty devastated right now (that rejection sensitive dysphoria is really kicking in), but I’m not giving up without fight, because I think I have genuine grounds for an appeal.
On my application, I marked myself as an “out-of-state” for my residency. However, since submitting my application in December, I have since discovered that I may qualify for in-state tuition and admissions consideration through a very specific Texas law (not going to say which for personal reasons). We have the supplemental documentation to prove that I could be considered an in-state Texas resident through the requirements of this act. Initially, we didn’t contact the university (before my decision was released) about this information. However, I think it might be relevant grounds for an appeal.
Should I go through with it? If so, is there any advice on what else I should include in my appeal? There’s some additional extenuating circumstances I feel like I could emphasize to the admissions committee that, while mentioned in my original application, require a lot more additional context.
Yes, I would definitely try to appeal this. OOS vs In-State distinction, in my opinion, has a LARGE effect on the results of your application. Especially since you can provide documentation that you are considered as “In-state.”
I will note that they say that most appeals don’t change the outcome, but its certainly worth a shot.
Would you recommend I include any other information in my appeal to make myself seem a stronger applicant? Or should I just discuss/explain the residency classification? I have additional ties to Texas, beyond the tuition exemption, such as a) living in TX for 5+ years non consecutively b) attending 10th-11th of high school in TX at a school with its own bucket of extenuating circumstances that I believe has strong bearing on my strength as CS applicant.
It depends on whether you’ve listed that before. Per UT’s appeal prompt, they are looking for any “new information (not already included in your original application) that should be considered by the appeals committee, and why. This new, significant and/or compelling information can be related to your academic performance, extracurricular activities or a description of the extenuating circumstances.”
TLDR, if you did not include this information in your original application, I’d say to include it. Otherwise, UT already has reviewed that stuff.
If they grant you residency, then you can ask admissions for a review.
Note - it’s unlikely to change the admission decision for CS.
You needn’t be devastated. UT is a hard get. CS is a really hard get. And you can study CS anywhere - literally.
So explain your situation in a simple, concise and understandable matter - but have Plan B ready. The reality is you’ll need it.
f you’ve submitted the Residency Core Questions and have been classified as a non-Texas resident after review of the form, you have the option to appeal your residency determination. You must do so before the 12th class day of the semester.
To appeal, email the Residency Appeals Committee at residency@austin.utexas.edu stating why you should be considered a Texas resident. Be sure to provide any additional information you can offer in support of your case. The committee will review the information you submit and make a determination. The decision of the Residency Appeals Committee is final.
Thanks for the suggestions. Currently, before we make an appeal, I will be completing the residency core questions, since I haven’t done that. If it’s determined I am not a resident, we will first make a residency appeal, because under the specific law for admissions consideration/tuition exemption, I should be considered an in-state applicant, instead of out-of-state, when I initially applied. Then, I will write my appeal to the university.
Any other additional tips and suggestions of what to include in this letter/essay of appeal would be helpful!
(Side note but, funny thing is, if I had been able to graduate from my Texas high school, I would’ve probably gotten automatic admission to at least my 2nd choice major, which would’ve been fine with me).
The standard “We regret that we are not able to offer you admission”.
I’m hoping if I get them to appeal my residency, I’ll at least be re-considered in the pool of Texas applicants, since the out of state acceptance rate is frankly a joke (sub 10% apparently, due to Texas law about preferencing instaters?)
I would have Plan B ready. This is not going to work.
The bigger question is why are you appealing now? You knew you were considered a non resident when you applied. If you truly are a resident like you say (you qualify for), you wouldn’t be asking now because odds are better as a resident and costs are much lower.
Good luck but don’t get your hopes up.
Do have plan b. UT isn’t the only large flagship out there.
But talk to the office of residency. That’s got to be step one.
If you were rejected entirely, it’s very hard to say whether being an instate resident will gain you admission…without knowing what your application looked like.
Initially, when I submitted the application, my family and I were under the impression that I couldn’t be considered a Texas in state applicant. Later, as my family was researching potential avenues of financial aid (through the state VA benefits for dependents of active duty military) if I did get in, we discovered a stipulation in the “Hazelwood Act” which would allow me to considered for in-state tuition rates and admissions consideration. At the time, we were under the impression that this information would only be relevant if I was accepted, and applying for financial aid. However, since getting my application back and researching into the appeal process (just to see if I had grounds for an appeal, I wasn’t initially planning on doing one) and the finer details of the law, we found out that yes I could’ve been considered a Texas resident the whole time.
I always knew that proving residency status anywhere, even in the state I’m a legal ”from” (WA) would be a difficult part of my application, especially as a military kid. I’m only appealing now, because, knowing that I could’ve been considered in-state resident for admissions purposes, that’s pretty massive “new” information that I feel the university should know, even if we only just realized it…from the rejection.
Again, I don’t know if it would’ve changed my decision. I’m not pinning my hopes on UT or anything, and can make peace with that. Once we’re able to get all our ducks (and supporting docs) in a row, I’ll be able to send off the appeal soon with relatively minimal stress. I just wanted to consult online to see what others thought, like how to go about this. I just think it’s worth shot
