Is UT Austin or Texas A&M harder to get into?

UT Austin is typically considered harder to get into overall. It draws a larger national and out-of-state applicant pool, many of its colleges and majors are highly selective, and even strong in-state applicants can be denied from their first-choice program. Texas A&M is also competitive, especially for engineering and certain majors, but in most cases it is viewed as somewhat more accessible than UT Austin.

For students aiming at very high-demand academic programs, UT Austin is usually the tougher hurdle. Admission there is not just about getting into the university, because popular colleges like Business, Engineering, and Computer Science can be especially difficult. A student who is competitive for Texas A&M overall may still find UT Austin, or a specific UT major, notably harder.

Texas A&M can still be challenging for applicants who want a large flagship experience with strong school spirit, a huge campus, and respected STEM options. It enrolls a very large class, and for many Texas students it offers a more attainable path than UT Austin while still being a major public university. That said, A&M admissions can become more selective depending on the program and the applicant’s academic profile.

If your question is simply which school is harder to get into in broad terms, the answer is UT Austin. The one caveat is that specific major choice matters a lot at both schools, so the gap can feel much bigger if you are applying to one of UT’s most in-demand programs.