How difficult is it to get into UT Austin vs UC Berkeley for undergraduate admissions?

UC Berkeley is harder to get into for most undergraduate applicants, though UT Austin can be unusually tough in a few specific situations. Berkeley reviews applicants from one pool without Texas-style residency rules, while UT Austin gives a major advantage to Texas residents through automatic admission for top in-state students and also has especially competitive entry to certain majors.

One big differentiator is how state policy shapes the applicant pool. UT Austin must admit a large share of its class from high-performing Texas students under the state’s automatic admission system, so in-state applicants with very strong class rank can have a clearer path than they would at Berkeley. For out-of-state and international students, though, UT Austin can feel much tighter because fewer seats remain after in-state priorities are met.

Another difference is major-level selectivity. At UT Austin, admission difficulty can swing a lot depending on what you apply for, with programs like business, engineering, and computer science often far tougher than the university overall. Berkeley is also highly selective by college or program, but its overall reputation and applicant demand make the baseline level of competition extremely high across the board.

A third factor is applicant volume and national draw. Berkeley attracts a massive number of applicants from California, the rest of the U.S., and abroad, and it is widely seen as one of the most selective public universities in the country. UT Austin is also elite and very competitive, but its admissions process is more shaped by Texas residency policy than Berkeley’s is by state rules.

So for a broad, general comparison, Berkeley is the tougher admit overall. The main exception is that an out-of-state applicant to UT Austin, especially in a capped major, may face odds that are every bit as difficult and sometimes feel even tighter in practice.