Applying to UT Dallas as a Freshman

Applicants are considered “first-time freshmen” if the students’ first enrollment at a college or university, excluding summer, will occur at UT Dallas within two years of graduating from high school. Applicants are still considered “first-time freshmen” if they earn college credit before high school graduation. Applicants completing coursework at a post-secondary institution after high school graduation should consult transfer admission requirements.

Admission Review Criteria

All applicants are reviewed individually and holistically. Consideration is given to factors such as:

• • Overall grades in academic coursework and trends in achievement
  • Strength of high school curriculum, including level of rigor (AP, IB, dual credit)
  • High school rank and GPA
  • SAT I or ACT test scores, if available
  • Preparation for and ability to be successful in intended major
  • Information provided in the résumé, optional essay and/or optional letters of recommendation
    • Applicant can choose from essay topic A, B, or C
    • Letters of recommendation are suggested, but not required, and limited to a maximum of three

Please note: Students who cannot enroll in their first choice of major due to capacity constraints or major-specific requirements may be offered admission to an alternate program as outlined in their acceptance letter.

Texas Top 10%

As required by Texas law, students are automatically admitted to the University as first-time freshmen if they graduate in the top 10% of their class from an accredited Texas high school and successfully earn the Distinguished Level of Achievement. Applicants must have graduated from high school during one of the two school years preceding the academic year for which they seek admission as first-time freshmen and have not attempted any higher education credits since graduation from high school. Applicants admitted because they are in the top 10% of their high school class may be required to complete additional preparatory work before enrolling in the University or complete developmental coursework to remove any deficiencies in their readiness to successfully complete college-level work prior to University graduation.

Home-schooled & GED

As required by Texas Senate Bill 1543, applicants who present evidence of obtaining a non-traditional secondary education (for example, those who were home-schooled or earned a GED in lieu of a high school diploma) will be assigned a percentile rank comparable to the average class rank of students from traditional schools who have equivalent SAT or ACT test scores.

International Freshman Applicants

Additional Requirements for International Applicants