How to Get Into the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD)

What makes UTD's admission process distinct

The University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas, or UTD) is a public research university in Richardson, Texas, popular with students aiming at engineering, computer science, and business. Its admission process has two features you should understand before you apply: it runs through a Texas application system, and Texas state law sets an automatic-admission pathway.

Unlike many private universities that use only the Common App, UTD accepts applications through both ApplyTexas (the shared application for Texas public universities) and the Common App. You choose one; UTD states it has no preference between the two.

The second feature is uniquely Texan: students who finish in the top 10% of an accredited Texas high school and earn the Distinguished Level of Achievement receive automatic admission, subject to the official conditions. Everyone else is read individually through holistic review. Confirm all current criteria on the official UT Dallas admission website.

• Application systems: ApplyTexas or Common App (no preference)
• Automatic admission pathway exists for qualifying Texas students
• All non-automatic applicants get individualized holistic review

Texas Top 10% automatic admission — who qualifies

Texas law provides automatic (assured) admission to a student who graduates in the top 10% of their class from an accredited Texas public or private high school. For UT Dallas, the published criteria also require earning the Distinguished Level of Achievement under the Texas Foundation High School Program.

There are conditions attached — for example, the student generally must apply within a set window after graduation and must not have completed college coursework since finishing high school. These details matter, and they can change, so read the exact rule on UTD's official criteria page rather than relying on a summary.

This pathway applies to Texas high school graduates. If you attend high school outside Texas — including international applicants — you are reviewed holistically rather than through the top-10% rule.

• Top 10% of an accredited Texas high school class
• Plus the Distinguished Level of Achievement
• Application-timing and no-prior-college-coursework conditions apply — verify on the official UTD site

How holistic review works for everyone else

If you are not automatically admitted, UT Dallas reviews your application individually. Published review factors include your overall grades in academic coursework and trends in achievement, the strength and rigor of your high school curriculum (AP, IB, dual credit), and your class rank and GPA.

UTD lets you strengthen your file with optional materials: an essay response, a resume, up to three letters of recommendation, and standardized test scores. These are described as encouraged, not required. Because test policy and optional-material rules can shift year to year, check the current criteria page before deciding what to submit.

UTD also looks at the alignment between your preparation and your intended major — a signal that if you are aiming at a math-heavy program such as computer science or engineering, a strong record in calculus-track math and science helps.

• Grades, rigor, achievement trends, rank and GPA
• Optional: essay, resume, up to three recommendation letters, test scores
• Preparation-to-major alignment matters for STEM programs

The AES scholarship — why it changes the money math

UT Dallas's Academic Excellence Scholarship (AES) is worth understanding early because of one unusual feature: your completed admission application is your AES application. There is no separate scholarship form to fill out — every completed UTD application is considered.

What makes AES especially notable for out-of-state and international students is that recipients at any award level qualify for in-state tuition and fee rates, regardless of residency. For a non-Texan, that can meaningfully change the cost of attendance. Scholarship amounts, renewal terms, and exact benefits are set by the university and can change, so treat this as a process to explore on the official page, not a fixed number.

• Your admission application doubles as the AES application — no separate form
• Recipients at any level qualify for in-state tuition and fee rates
• Amounts and renewal rules are set by UTD — verify current terms on the official site

Deadlines, fees, and required documents

UT Dallas publishes a non-refundable application fee (recently listed at $75) and specific document requirements. You must submit official high school transcripts showing coursework and grades from ninth grade through at least the end of eleventh grade, and final transcripts once you graduate.

Scholarship consideration is time-sensitive. UTD publishes a December 1 priority application deadline by which a completed application should be on file for early review for both admission and the AES scholarship; a later regular deadline (recently May 1) also applies. Because deadlines and fees change each cycle, confirm the exact dates and amounts on the official UT Dallas deadlines-and-fees page before you submit.

Apply early. A completed file — application, fee or fee waiver, transcripts, and test scores if you send them — reviewed well before the priority date gives you the strongest position for both admission and scholarship consideration.

• Application fee recently listed at $75 (non-refundable) — verify current amount
• Official transcripts from grade 9 through at least end of grade 11
• Scholarship priority deadline December 1 (regular deadline recently May 1) — confirm current dates on the official site

A practical application checklist

Start by choosing your system — ApplyTexas or Common App — and creating an account. Enter your intended major honestly; for STEM-heavy majors, make sure your math and science record supports it.

Gather your transcripts and decide whether you will send SAT or ACT scores and any optional materials. If you are a Texas top-10% graduate with the Distinguished Level of Achievement, confirm you meet every automatic-admission condition. If not, treat the essay, resume, and recommendation letters as genuine chances to add context.

Finally, submit a complete file ahead of the scholarship priority date so you are considered for both admission and AES. International applicants should also review UTD's separate international-applicant requirements, including English-proficiency and credential documentation.

• Pick ApplyTexas or Common App and enter an honest, well-supported major
• Send transcripts; decide on optional test scores, essay, resume, recommendations
• Complete your file before the scholarship priority date; international applicants check extra requirements