How does admissions selectivity compare between Virginia Tech and UT Austin?

UT Austin is generally more selective than Virginia Tech for undergraduate admission, especially for applicants from outside Texas and for high-demand majors such as computer science, engineering, and business. Its Texas automatic-admission policy also means that a substantial portion of the class is filled by top-ranked in-state students, making the remaining spaces particularly competitive. Virginia Tech is selective as well, but it is typically more attainable overall for a well-qualified applicant, particularly outside its most capacity-constrained programs.

Texas residency matters a great deal at UT Austin: eligible Texas students may receive automatic admission to the university, although that does not guarantee admission to a first-choice major. Virginia Tech may be a more realistic target for students with solid rigor, grades, and preparation who are drawn to a large public university with strong engineering, science, architecture, agriculture, and business offerings. Admission can still be quite competitive by college or major, with engineering and computing-related pathways drawing especially deep applicant pools.