University of Texas at Austin#History

{{Main|History of the University of Texas at Austin}}

The idea of a public university in Texas was first mentioned in the 1827 constitution of the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas, which promised public education in the arts and sciences under Title 6, Article 217, but no action was taken.{{cite web |title=Sons of Dewitt County, The Constitution of Coahuila and Texas |url=http://www.tamu.edu/faculty/ccbn/dewitt/constitcoatex.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321034845/http://www.tamu.edu/faculty/ccbn/dewitt/constitcoatex.htm |archive-date=March 21, 2015 |access-date=January 31, 2015 |publisher=Wallace L. McKeehan}} After Texas gained independence from Mexico in 1836, the Constitution of the Republic emphasized Congress's duty, in Section 5 of its General Provisions, to establish a general system of education when circumstances allowed.{{cite web |title=Constitution of the Republic of Texas (1836) |url=http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/constitutions/texas1836/general_provisions |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304104954/http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/constitutions/texas1836/general_provisions |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=January 30, 2015 |publisher=Tarlton Library, Jamail Center for Legal Research, School of Law, University of Texas at Austin}}

After Texas was annexed, the Seventh Texas Legislature passed O.B. 102 on February 11, 1858, allocating $100,000 in United States bonds from the Compromise of 1850 for the University of Texas.{{cite web |year=1898 |title=The Laws of Texas, 1822–1897 Volume 4 |url=http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth6730/m1/1024/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201043224/http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth6730/m1/1024/ |archive-date=February 1, 2015 |access-date=January 30, 2015 |publisher=H.P.N Gammel of Austin}}{{cite web |year=1898 |title=The Laws of Texas, 1822–1897 Volume 4 |url=http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth6730/m1/1395/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201043230/http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth6730/m1/1395/ |archive-date=February 1, 2015 |access-date=January 30, 2015 |publisher=H.P.N Gammel of Austin}} The Civil War delayed fund repayment, leaving the university with only $16,000 by 1865.{{cite book |last=Matthews |first=Charles Ray |title=The Early Years of the Permanent University Fund from 1836 to 1937 |date=2006 |publisher=UMI (UMI Number 3284727) |page=32}} Nevertheless, the Texas Constitution of 1876 reaffirmed the mandate to establish "The University of Texas" by popular vote.{{cite web |title=Constitution of the Republic of Texas (1876) |url=http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/constitutions/texas1876/a7 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201001624/http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/constitutions/texas1876/a7 |archive-date=February 1, 2015 |access-date=January 31, 2015 |publisher=Tarlton Library, Jamail Center for Legal Research, School of Law, University of Texas at Austin}}File:Old Main Building at The University of Texas at Austin .jpg

On March 30, 1881, the Texas legislature organized the structure of the university and called for a popular vote to determine its location.{{cite web |year=1898 |title=The Laws of Texas, 1822–1897 Volume 9 |url=http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth6729/m1/173/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204003959/http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth6729/m1/173/ |archive-date=February 4, 2015 |access-date=February 2, 2015 |publisher=H.P.N Gammel of Austin}} Austin was chosen as the site with 30,913 votes, while Galveston was designated for the medical department.{{cite book |last=Lane |first=John J. |title=History of the University of Texas: Based on Facts and Records |date=1891 |publisher=Henry Hutchings, Texas State Printer |page=267}}{{cite web |date=June 18, 2018 |title=History of the UT System Board of Regents |url=https://www.utsystem.edu/board-of-regents/history-ut-system-board-regents |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720051656/https://www.utsystem.edu/board-of-regents/history-ut-system-board-regents |archive-date=July 20, 2018 |access-date=July 19, 2018 |website=The University of Texas System}} On November 17, 1882, the cornerstone of the Old Main building was laid at the original "College Hill" location, and University President Ashbel Smith expressed optimism about Texas's untapped resources.{{cite book |last=Silverthorne |first=Elizabeth |title=Ashbel Smith of Texas: Pioneer, Patriot, Statesman, 1805–1886 |date=1982 |publisher=Texas A&M University Press |page=219}} The University of Texas officially opened its doors on September 15, 1883."[https://www.newspapers.com/image/364656693/ State University Notice]". Austin American_Statesman. September 15, 1883. p. 4.

The old Main Building of the university was built in a Victorian-Gothic style and served as the central point of the campus's {{convert|40|acre|adj=on}} site, and was used for nearly all purposes. But by the 1930s, discussions arose about the need for new library space, and the Main Building was razed in 1934, despite the objections of many students and faculty. The modern-day tower and Main Building were constructed in its place.{{Cite web |last=Collections |first=Special |title=Tarlton Law Library: Exhibit – UT School of Law Buildings in Photographs: Old Main |url=https://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/ut-law-buildings/old-main |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=tarlton.law.utexas.edu |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Nicar |first=Jim |date=2019-03-08 |title=Main Building |url=https://jimnicar.com/tag/main-building/ |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=The UT History Corner |language=en}}File:UT architecture library.jpg

In 1916, a contentious dispute erupted between Texas Governor James E. Ferguson and the University of Texas over faculty appointments. Ferguson's attempt to influence these appointments led to a retaliatory veto of the university's budget, jeopardizing its operations. Subsequently, Ferguson was impeached by the Texas House of Representatives, convicted by the Senate on charges including misapplication of public funds, and removed from office.{{cite HOT|first=Ralph W.|last=Steen|title=Ferguson, James Edward|id=ffe05|date=February 24, 2016|orig-date=June 12, 2010}}

In 1921, the legislature appropriated $1.35 million to purchase land next to the main campus. However, expansion was hampered by the restriction against using state revenues to fund construction of university buildings as set forth in Article 7, Section 14 of the Constitution. With the completion of Santa Rita No. 1 well{{cite HOT|title=Santa Rita Oil Well|id=dos01|first=Julia Cauble|last=Smith|date=June 15, 2010}} and the discovery of oil on university-owned lands in 1923, the university added significantly to its Permanent University Fund. The additional income from Permanent University Fund investments allowed for bond issues in 1931 and 1947, which allowed the legislature to address funding for the university along with the Agricultural and Mechanical College (now known as Texas A&M University). With sufficient funds to finance construction on both campuses, on April 8, 1931, the Forty Second Legislature passed H.B. 368.{{cite web|title=Legislative Reference Library of Texas, HB 368, 42nd Regular Session|url=http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/scanned/sessionLaws/42-0/HB_368_CH_42.pdf|access-date=February 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202215456/http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/scanned/sessionLaws/42-0/HB_368_CH_42.pdf|archive-date=February 2, 2015|url-status=live}} which dedicated the Agricultural and Mechanical College a 1/3 interest in the Available University Fund,{{cite web|title=Texas State Education Code, Title 3, Subtitle C, Chapter 66.02|url=http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/ED/htm/ED.66.htm|access-date=February 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202225320/http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/ED/htm/ED.66.htm|archive-date=February 2, 2015|url-status=live}} the annual income from Permanent University Fund investments.

In 1929, the University of Texas was inducted into the Association of American Universities.{{cite web|title=Association of American Universities|url=http://www.aau.edu/about/article.aspx?id=5476|access-date=November 7, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120521132512/http://www.aau.edu/about/article.aspx?id=5476|archive-date=May 21, 2012}}

During World War II, the University of Texas was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission.{{cite web|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/Admin-Hist/115-8thND/115-8ND-23.html|title=U.S. Naval Administration in World War II|publisher=HyperWar Foundation|access-date=September 29, 2011|year=2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112105122/http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/Admin-Hist/115-8thND/115-8ND-23.html|archive-date=January 12, 2012|url-status=live}} Additionally, to facilitate the wartime effort, academic calendars were compressed, allowing for accelerated graduation.{{Cite web |last=Nicar |first=Jim |date=2014-06-04 |title=The University Learns of D-Day |url=https://jimnicar.com/2014/06/04/the-university-learns-of-d-day/ |access-date=2024-03-17 |website=The UT History Corner |language=en}}

After Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, Houston, Texas, area teen Marion Ford had been accepted to become one of the first Black attendees. In an interview with a reporter he announced his desire to try-out for the football team. The Ford Crisis would begin and all Black admissions at the time were rescinded until policy could be drawn up.{{Cite web |last=Price |first=Asher |title=Memo by secret memo, the University of Texas kept segregation alive into the 1960s. |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/01/memo-by-secret-memo-the-university-of-texas-kept-segregation-alive-into-the-1960s/ |access-date=March 12, 2022 |website=Mother Jones |language=en-US}}

In the fall of 1956, the first Black students entered the university's undergraduate class.{{cite web|author=Leila Ruiz|url=https://thedailytexan.com/2014/04/04/uts-first-black-students-faced-significant-discrimination-on-the-long-road-to/|title=UT's first black students faced significant discrimination on the long road to integration|newspaper=The Daily Texan|date=April 4, 2014|access-date=January 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126014138/http://www.dailytexanonline.com/news/2014/04/04/ut%E2%80%99s-first-black-students-faced-significant-discrimination-on-the-long-road-to|archive-date=January 26, 2016|url-status=live}} Black students were permitted to live in campus dorms, but were barred from campus cafeterias. The University of Texas integrated its facilities and desegregated its dormitories in 1965.Cary D. Wintz, "The Struggle for Dignity: African Americans in Twentieth-Century Texas" in Twentieth-Century Texas: A Social and Cultural History (eds. John Woodrow Storey & Mary L. Kelley. University of North Texas Press, 2008). UT, which had had an open admissions policy, adopted standardized testing for admissions in the mid-1950s, at least in part as a conscious strategy to minimize the number of Black undergraduates, given that they were no longer able to simply bar their entry after the Brown decision.{{Cite web |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/how-ut-used-standardized-testing-to-slow-integration/597814/ |title=A Secret 1950s Strategy to Keep Out Black Students |website=The Atlantic |date=September 19, 2019 |access-date=September 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190920213156/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/how-ut-used-standardized-testing-to-slow-integration/597814/ |archive-date=September 20, 2019 |url-status=live|last1=Price|first1=Asher}}

Following growth in enrollment after World War II, the university unveiled an ambitious master plan in 1960 designed for "10 years of growth" that was intended to "boost the University of Texas into the ranks of the top state universities in the nation."{{cite book |last=Tretter |first=Elliot M. |date=2016 |title=Shadows of a Sunbelt City: The Environment, Racism, and The Knowledge Economy in Austin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6563CwAAQBAJ |location=Athens, Georgia |publisher=University of Georgia Press |pages=46–50 |isbn=978-0-8203-4489-8}} In 1965, the Texas Legislature granted the university Board of Regents to use eminent domain to purchase additional properties surrounding the original {{convert|40|acre|m2}}. The university began buying parcels of land to the north, south, and east of the existing campus, particularly in the Blackland neighborhood to the east and the Brackenridge tract to the southeast, in hopes of using the land to relocate the university's intramural fields, baseball field, tennis courts, and parking lots.

On March 6, 1967, the Sixtieth Texas Legislature changed the university's official name from "The University of Texas" to "The University of Texas at Austin" to reflect the growth of the University of Texas System.{{cite web|title=Legislative Reference Library of Texas, HB 222, 60th Regular Session|url=http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/legis/BillSearch/BillDetails.cfm?legSession=60-0&billtypeDetail=HB&billNumberDetail=222&billSuffixDetail=&startRow=1&IDlist=&unClicklist=&number=100|access-date=January 31, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904030139/http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/legis/BillSearch/BillDetails.cfm?legSession=60-0&billtypeDetail=HB&billNumberDetail=222&billSuffixDetail=&startRow=1&IDlist=&unClicklist=&number=100|archive-date=September 4, 2015|url-status=live}}

File:UT-Tower-in-Orange.jpg, completed in 1937, stands 307 ft (94 m) tall and dons different colors of lighting on special occasions.]]

{{Main|University of Texas tower shooting}}

On August 1, 1966, Texas student Charles Whitman barricaded the observation deck in the tower of the Main Building. Armed with multiple firearms, he killed 14 people on campus, 11 from the observation deck and below the clocks on the tower, and three more in the tower, as well as wounding two others inside the observation deck. The massacre ended when Whitman was shot and killed by police after they breached the tower.

After the Whitman event, the observation deck was closed until 1968 and then closed again in 1975 following a series of suicide jumps during the 1970s. In 1999, after installation of security fencing and other safety precautions, the tower observation deck reopened to the public. There is a turtle pond park near the tower dedicated to those affected by the tragedy.

The first presidential library on a university campus was dedicated on May 22, 1971, with former President Johnson, Lady Bird Johnson and then-President Richard Nixon in attendance. Constructed on the eastern side of the main campus, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum is one of 13 presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration.

A statue of Martin Luther King Jr. was unveiled on campus in 1999 and subsequently vandalized.{{cite journal |last=Slattery |first=Patrick |date=2006 |title=Deconstructing Racism One Statue at a Time: Visual Culture Wars at Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin |journal=Visual Arts Research |volume=32 |issue=2 |pages=28–31 |jstor=20715415}} By 2004, John Butler, a professor at the McCombs School of Business suggested moving it to Morehouse College, a historically black college, "a place where he is loved".

The University of Texas at Austin has experienced a wave of new construction recently with several significant buildings. On April 30, 2006, the school opened the Blanton Museum of Art.The University of Texas at Austin Visitor's Guide, 2008, p. 21 In August 2008, the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center opened, with the hotel and conference center forming part of a new gateway to the university. Also in 2008, Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium was expanded to a seating capacity of 100,119, making it the largest stadium (by capacity) in the state of Texas at the time.{{Cite web |date=2015-07-29 |title=UT Austin AT&T Executive Education Center |url=https://www.lakeflato.com/hospitality/ut-austin-att-executive-education-center |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=Lake Flato |language=en}}

On Tuesday, September 28, 2010, a shooting occurred at the Perry–Castañeda Library (PCL) where student Colton Tooley, armed with an AK-47, fired shots on his walk from Guadalupe Street to the library's front entrance. The student ascended to the sixth floor, before killing himself. No one else was injured, except for one sprained ankle suffered by a student fleeing the scene.{{Cite web |date=2010-09-28 |title=UT Austin Shooting Rampage Ends Tragically in the Library |url=https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2010/09/28/ut-austin-shooting-rampage-ends-tragically-in-the-library/ |access-date=2024-03-04 |website=American Libraries Magazine |language=en-US}}

In early 2020, following a major outbreak of the new coronavirus, the university restricted travel to Wuhan province in China, aligning with the U.S. Department of State's recommendation.{{Cite web |date=2020-01-28 |title=Chinese province placed on UT-Austin's restricted travel list after coronavirus outbreak |url=https://www.kxan.com/news/chinese-province-placed-on-ut-austins-restricted-travel-list-after-coronavirus-outbreak/ |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=KXAN Austin |language=en-US |archive-date=December 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229180720/https://www.kxan.com/news/chinese-province-placed-on-ut-austins-restricted-travel-list-after-coronavirus-outbreak/ |url-status=dead }} By March 17, 2020, then-UT President Gregory L. Fenves announced a transition to online classes for the rest of the spring semester after 49 confirmed COVID-19 cases emerged from students' travels to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, during spring break.{{Cite web |last=Proctor |first=Clare |date=2020-04-04 |title=Hundreds of UT-Austin students went to Cabo San Lucas for spring break. Nearly 50 have coronavirus. |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2020/04/03/49-ut-austin-cabo-san-lucas-spring-breakers-tests-positive-coronavirus/ |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=The Texas Tribune |language=en}} Throughout the summer, the university reported over 400 cases and its first COVID-19-related death, a custodial worker.{{Cite web |last=Justin |first=Raga |date=2020-07-30 |title=After voluntarily publishing its data, UT-Austin now has the unwelcome distinction of leading U.S. colleges in COVID-19 cases |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2020/07/30/ut-austin-coronavirus-cases/ |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=The Texas Tribune |language=en}}{{Cite news |date=2020-07-08 |title=UT Austin Custodial Staff Member Dies from COVID-19 Complications |url=https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/ut-austin-custodial-staff-member-dies-from-covid-19-complications/2402755/ |access-date=2024-03-19 |work=NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth |language=en-US}}

The fall 2020 semester consisted of a majority of online courses through platforms like Zoom. On August 6, 2020, UT Austin initiated plans for free COVID-19 tests for all students. UT Austin returned to primarily in-person classes and campus activities for the fall 2021 semester, implementing safety protocols like testing requirements and vaccination incentives to ensure a safe return amid the ongoing pandemic.{{Cite web |last=Price |first=Asher |title=Amid COVID-19 spike, UT to go virtually all virtual through January |url=https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/01/08/amid-covid-19-spike-ut-goes-virtual-through-january/6602558002/ |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=Austin American-Statesman |language=en-US}}

In 2024, after four years of test-optional admissions for undergraduate applications due to the COVID-19 pandemic, standardized testing scores were once again made a mandatory part of admissions, beginning with applications for the fall 2025 semester.{{Cite web |last=Burkhart |first=Ross |date=2024-03-11 |title=UT Austin Reinstates Standardized Test Scores in Admissions |url=https://news.utexas.edu/2024/03/11/ut-austin-reinstates-standardized-test-scores-in-admissions/ |access-date=2024-03-16 |website=UT News |language=en-US}} Jay Hartzell commented that the SAT and ACT standardized exams were "a proven differentiator that is in each student's and the University's best interest."

On April 2, 2024, the University of Texas at Austin announced additional adjustments in compliance with Senate Bill 17,{{Cite web |last=Boyette |first=Kaanita Iyer, Chris |date=2023-06-15 |title=Texas governor signs bill to ban DEI offices at state public colleges {{!}} CNN Politics |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/15/politics/greg-abbott-texas-dei-office-ban-colleges/index.html |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=CNN |language=en}} particularly in response to a letter from March 26, 2024, from Texas State Senator Brandon Creighton,{{Cite web |last=Creighton |first=Brandon |date=March 26, 2024 |title=Senator Brandon Creighton Announces Oversight on Senate Bill 17 Implementation |url=https://senate.texas.gov/press.php?id=4-20240326a&ref=1 |access-date=April 24, 2024 |website=The Texas State Senate}} which led to the layoff of approximately 60 individuals, most of whom formerly worked in DEI-related programs, and the elimination of the newly renamed Division of Campus and Community Engagement.{{Cite web |last=Alonso |first=Johanna |date=April 4, 2024 |title=UT Austin Closes Former DEI Division |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/04/04/ut-austin-closes-former-dei-division-lays-employees |website=Inside Higher Ed}} Students, faculty, staff, and outside critics denounced the university's over-compliance with the anti-DEI law, since the university had already been compliant since January 1, 2024.{{Cite web |last=Nietzel |first=Michael T. |title=University Of Texas Laying Off Staff To Comply With State's DEI Ban |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2024/04/03/university-of-texas-laying-off-staff-to-comply-with-states-dei-ban/ |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=Forbes |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2024-04-02 |title=UT Austin lays off around 60 staffers to comply with Texas DEI ban |url=https://www.kut.org/education/2024-04-02/ut-austin-dei-diversity-law-sb-17 |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=KUT Radio, Austin's NPR Station |language=en}} At a UT Austin Faculty Council meeting on April 15, 2024, in response to mounting criticism, President Jay Hartzell stated the additional changes were made in response to the threats from the Republican-led State Legislature and the University of Texas System Board of Regents, and to restore "confidence" in the university, reacting to changing tides in public opinion towards higher education amongst Republicans.{{Cite web |title=April 15, 2024, Faculty Council Meeting Transcript |url=https://utexas.app.box.com/s/xd9g3mv11qplvtaqj2bvvpyeunk4jrxh |access-date=April 24, 2024 |website=The University of Texas at Austin Faculty Council |page=15 |format=PDF}} The university's Division of Campus and Community Engagement operated the University of Texas-University Charter School, a charter school system with 23 campuses across Texas, until the closure on April 2, 2024, leading the charter school to be moved to the College of Education.{{Cite web |date=April 2, 2024 |title=Spring 2024 Organizational Restructuring |url=https://hr.utexas.edu/spring-2024-organizational-restructuring |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240402190211/https://hr.utexas.edu/spring-2024-organizational-restructuring |archive-date=April 2, 2024 |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=The University of Texas at Austin {{!}} Human Resources}}

{{main|2024 University of Texas at Austin pro-Palestinian campus protests}}

File:Protest Image UT Austin (4).jpg

On February 4, 2024, a Palestinian-American student at a pro-Palestinian protest at the campus was stabbed, receiving non-life-threatening injuries.{{Cite web |last1=Aguasvivas |first1=Arleen |last2=Chan |first2=Melissa |last3=Essamuah |first3=Zinhle |date=2024-02-07 |title=Stabbing of Palestinian American man in Texas was motivated by bias, police say |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/stabbing-palestinian-american-man-texas-motivated-bias-police-say-rcna137783 |access-date=2024-05-20 |website=NBC News |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Oladipo |first=Gloria |date=2024-02-08 |title=Stabbing of Palestinian American in Texas a hate crime, police say |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/08/texas-palestinian-american-stabbing-hate-crime |access-date=2024-05-20 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077 |oclc=60623878}} The attacker used a racial slur against the protestors and the attack was investigated as a hate crime.{{Cite web |date=2024-02-07 |title=Stabbing of Palestinian American near the University of Texas meets hate crime standard, police say |url=https://apnews.com/article/palestinian-american-stabbing-hate-crime-texas-13c90b4d69e9c75467f94a0f5b2ea88d |access-date=2024-05-20 |website=Associated Press |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2024-02-07 |title=Austin police say West Campus attack meets hate crime definition |url=https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/austin-stabbing-hate-crime-west-campus/269-1edc5391-011b-4f25-b4c8-8f038f9c3ff1 |access-date=2024-05-20 |website=KVUE |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last1=Ramkissoon |first1=Jaclyn |last2=Jones |first2=Abigail |last3=Washington |first3=Jala |last4=Huey |first4=Dalton |date=2024-02-06 |title=APD: Committee says stabbing near UT campus meets definition of hate crime |url=https://www.kxan.com/news/crime/stabbing-near-ut-campus-will-be-reviewed-by-hate-crimes-committee-apd-says/ |access-date=2024-05-20 |website=KXAN-TV |language=en-US |archive-date=July 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718090511/https://www.kxan.com/news/crime/stabbing-near-ut-campus-will-be-reviewed-by-hate-crimes-committee-apd-says/ |url-status=dead }} A month later the attacker was indicted by a grand jury on an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge but was not charged with any additional hate crime charge.{{Cite web |last=Schnitker |first=Andrew |date=2024-04-23 |title=Man indicted in UT West Campus stabbing of Palestinian American |url=https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/man-indicted-in-ut-west-campus-stabbing-of-palestinian-american/ |access-date=2024-05-20 |website=KXAN-TV |language=en-US |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520144206/https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/man-indicted-in-ut-west-campus-stabbing-of-palestinian-american/ |url-status=dead }}

File:Police officers arrest a young protester.jpg

A large student and faculty Pro-Palestinian protest occurred on April 24, 2024, demanding a ceasefire in the Gaza war and that the university divest from companies profiting from Israel's actions.{{Cite news |last1=Kepner |first1=Lily |last2=Moreno-Paz |first2=Bianca |date=April 25, 2024 |title=Live: UT-Austin professors plan protest with students, PSC calls for Hartzell's resignation |url=https://www.statesman.com/story/news/education/2024/04/25/ut-austin-professors-students-pro-palestinian-protest-campus-live-updates/73450483007/ |access-date=April 25, 2024 |work=Austin American-Statesman}} The protests occurred amidst the ongoing nationwide demonstrations on college campuses.{{Cite web |last=Bushard |first=Brian |title=Texas Troopers Arrest University Of Texas Students During Protest |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2024/04/24/texas-troopers-arrest-university-of-texas-students-during-protest/ |access-date=2024-04-24 |website=Forbes |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2024-04-24 |title=Campus protests live update: Encampments continue at Columbia as police descend on protesters at University of Texas at Austin |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/columbia-protests-live-update-encampment-continue-college-negotiates-p-rcna149111 |access-date=2024-04-24 |website=NBC News |language=en}}

In response, the university, under the explicit direction of President Hartzell,{{Cite tweet |number=1783657338836033541 |user=thedailytexan |title=BREAKING: UT President Jay Hartzell's messages with a state senator and the UT System Chancellor reveal he requested additional help from DPS at yesterday's protest because "our police force couldn't do it alone," according to messages obtained by The Austin American-Statesman. |author=The Daily Texan |author-link=The Daily Texan |date=April 25, 2024 |access-date=April 25, 2024}}{{Cite tweet |number=1783647439955660882 |user=RyanChandlerTV |title=It was President Hartzell himself who called in DPS to respond to the protests yesterday, UT tells me. "That was President Hartzell. That was President Hartzell. Along with his leadership team and UT System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife," Comms Director Mike Rosen said. |first=Ryan |last=Chandler |date=April 25, 2024 |access-date=April 25, 2024}} requested the assistance of the Austin Police Department (APD) and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), in coordination with Texas Governor Greg Abbott, in an attempt to quell said protests and an "occupation" of the university,{{Cite news |last1=Dey |first1=Sneha |last2=Mohamed |first2=Ikram |last3=Xia |first3=Annie |last4=Melhado |first4=William |date=April 24, 2024 |title=Police arrest more than two dozen pro-Palestine protesters on UT-Austin campus amid tense standoff |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/24/ut-austin-israel-hamas-war-palestine-student-arrests/ |access-date=April 24, 2024 |work=The Texas Tribune}}{{Cite news |last=Leija |first=Ren |date=April 24, 2024 |title=Hundreds of UT Austin students, faculty gather on campus for pro-Palestinian protest |url=https://thedailytexan.com/2024/04/24/hundreds-of-ut-austin-students-faculty-gather-on-campus-for-pro-palestinian-protest/ |work=The Daily Texan}} in contrast to free speech on campus laws praised by Abbott and the university in prior years.{{Cite news |last=Irwin |first=Lauren |date=April 24, 2024 |title=Abbott says pro-Palestine protesters at UT Austin 'belong in jail' |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/education/4619310-abbott-says-pro-palestine-protestors-at-ut-austin-belong-in-jail/ |work=The Hill}} The deployment of multiple police units led to the confirmed arrest of 57 protesters, including a photojournalist for Fox 7 Austin, with several more detained.{{Cite news |last=Velez |first=Abigail |date=April 24, 2024 |title="This was supposed to be peaceful": Dozens detained at UT Austin protest |url=https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/this-was-supposed-to-be-peaceful-dozens-detained-at-ut-austin-protest |access-date=April 24, 2024 |work=CBS Austin}}{{Cite news |author= |date=April 24, 2024 |title=At least 50 arrested at pro-Palestine protests on UT Austin campus |url=https://www.kvue.com/video/news/local/at-least-50-arrested-at-pro-palestine-protests-on-ut-austin-campus/269-826b6c92-c71f-402e-bad0-6b731d0d6a4b |access-date=April 24, 2024 |work=KVUE Austin}}{{Cite news |author= |date=April 25, 2024 |title=University of Texas Palestine protest leads to more than 30 arrests, including FOX 7 photographer |url=https://www.fox7austin.com/news/ut-texas-protest-palestine-israel-gaza-rally-college-university-campus |access-date=October 21, 2024 |work=FOX 7 Austin}}{{Cite news |last=Paul |first=Kari |date=April 24, 2024 |title=Fox journalist among dozens arrested at Texas university as protests swell |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/24/university-of-texas-austin-campus-protest |access-date=April 24, 2024 |work=The Guardian}} Charges were then dismissed against 46 protesters the next day, leading to their subsequent release,{{Cite news |last=Weber |first=Andrew |date=April 25, 2024 |title=Charges dismissed against 46 arrested during pro-Palestinian protest at UT Austin |url=https://www.kut.org/crime-justice/2024-04-25/ut-austin-palestinian-protest-charges-dismissed-israel-gaza-war |work=KUT News}}{{Cite news |last=Robertson |first=Nick |date=April 25, 2024 |title=Texas prosecutor declines to charge student protesters arrested at UT Austin |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/education/4622482-texas-student-protesters-arrests-ut-austin-israel/ |access-date=April 25, 2024 |work=The Hill}} with the charges against the remaining 11 protesters dropped on April 26, 2024.{{Cite news |last=Weber |first=Andrew |date=April 26, 2024 |title=Charges dropped against all 57 pro-Palestinian demonstrators arrested on UT campus |url=https://www.kut.org/crime-justice/2024-04-26/ut-austin-protesters-israel-gaza-war-charges-dropped-delia-garza |access-date=April 26, 2024 |work=KUT News}}

File:Police tackle a pro-Palestinian protester.jpg

This decision received sharp backlash, including from general faculty, staff, students, several Democratic legislators for the region, and First Amendment advocacy groups,{{Cite news |last=Grant |first=Matt |date=April 25, 2024 |title=Press freedom advocates want change following Austin photojournalist protest arrest |url=https://www.kxan.com/investigations/press-freedom-advocates-want-change-following-austin-photojournalist-protest-arrest/?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=t.co |access-date=April 25, 2024 |work=KXAN-TV |archive-date=April 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426021555/https://www.kxan.com/investigations/press-freedom-advocates-want-change-following-austin-photojournalist-protest-arrest/?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=t.co |url-status=dead }}{{Cite news |last=Elbein |first=Saul |date=April 25, 2024 |title=Texas Gov. Abbott faces backlash after mass arrest at UT Austin pro-Palestine protest |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4620838-texas-governor-abbott-backlash-mass-arrest-ut-austin-pro-palestine-protest/ |access-date=April 25, 2024 |work=The Hill}} including an official statement from the UT Faculty Council Executive Committee denouncing it,{{Cite news |last1=Downen |first1=Robert |last2=Mohamed |first2=Ikram |last3=Melhado |first3=William |date=April 25, 2024 |title=Faculty petition to hold no-confidence vote in UT-Austin president after protest response |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/25/ut-austin-palestine-protest-fallout/ |access-date=April 25, 2024 |work=The Texas Tribune}} in part due to the extreme, chaotic, and violent police response that ensued and alleged violations of First Amendment rights.{{Cite web |last1=Perry |first1=Nick |last2=Vertuno |first2=Jim |last3=Coronado |first3=Acacia |date=April 24, 2024 |title=Dozens arrested on California campus after students in Texas detained as Gaza war protests persist |url=https://apnews.com/article/gaza-war-campus-protests-47f4f7f0916a6493b79eede3e4d0a55d |website=AP News}}{{Cite news |last=Downen |first=Robert |date=April 25, 2024 |title=UT-Austin faculty criticizes response to pro-Palestine walkout as students plan new protest |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/25/ut-austin-palestine-protest-fallout/ |access-date=April 25, 2024 |work=The Texas Tribune}} The university additionally set new rules for protests on campus, such as banning masks and face coverings and instituting a 10 PM curfew for all protests, directly contradicting prior guidelines.{{Cite tweet |number=1783569099005501657 |user=stevanzetti |title=NEW: UT Austin released "protest rules" that say "individuals may not come to campus without authorization," which is in direct contradiction to a video they published 6 months ago that says members of the public can "come to campus at any time and engage in demonstrations." |first=Steven |last=Monacelli |date=April 25, 2024 |access-date=April 25, 2024}} Initially, the university told students and faculty that arrested protestors would no longer be allowed on campus, but retracted the statement two hours later, stating that they would be allowed "academic" access, only to then announce a change to full access for university affiliates.{{Cite news |last1=McGlinchy |first1=Audrey |last2=McGaughy |first2=Lauren |date=April 26, 2024 |title=UT Austin changes message again, says arrested students will be allowed on campus for any reason |url=https://www.kut.org/education/2024-04-26/ut-austin-protest-arrests-campus-ban |access-date=April 26, 2024 |work=KUT News}} Additionally, the university temporarily suspended the student organization that organized the protests, the Palestine Solidarity Committee.{{Cite tweet |number=1783657533573316971 |user=RyanChandlerTV |title=Breaking: UT's Palestine Solidarity Committee receives an "interim suspension," an internal memo obtained by @KXAN_News states. UT leaders say they made attempts to meet with organizers beforehand. |first=Ryan |last=Chandler |date=April 25, 2024 |access-date=April 25, 2024}} Travis County Attorney Delia Garza stated that the way that the university handled the protests put a strain on the local criminal justice system, specifically reprimanding the sending of protestors to jail for low-level charges.{{Cite news |last1=Pauda |first1=Erica |last2=Jones |first2=Abigail |last3=Schnitker |first3=Andrew |date=April 30, 2024 |title=Monday's UT protest arrest cases remain active, County Attorney says |url=https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/ut-students-made-up-less-than-half-of-monday-protest-arrests-ut-source-says/ |access-date=April 30, 2024 |work=KXAN |archive-date=May 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240502073510/https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/ut-students-made-up-less-than-half-of-monday-protest-arrests-ut-source-says/ |url-status=dead }}

A report later released by the UT Austin Committee of Counsel on Academic Freedom and Responsibility (CCAFR) on July 17, 2024, found that UT Austin administrators violated its own institutional rules in clear disregard of freedom of speech and expression protections.{{Cite news |last=McGlinchy |first=Audrey |date=July 31, 2024 |title=UT Austin committee says administrators violated own rules when handling protests |url=https://www.kut.org/education/2024-07-31/ut-austin-committee-of-counsel-on-academic-freedom-and-responsibility-report-pro-palestinian-protests |access-date=August 1, 2024 |work=KUT News}}

On April 8, 2025, the University of Texas at Austin announced the removal of its graduation requirement for "Flag" courses, including the Cultural Diversity in the United States Flag. Interim Provost David Vanden Bout stated that while the core curriculum remains required, students are no longer obligated to complete Flag courses to graduate. The decision follows increased scrutiny of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in Texas, including the passage of Senate Bill 17, which banned DEI offices at public universities.{{Cite news |last=Abrams |first=Cameron |title=UT Austin Scraps 'Flag' Courses, Including 'Cultural Diversity' Requirement |url=https://thetexan.news/issues/education/ut-austin-scraps-flag-courses-including-cultural-diversity-requirement/article_cdd2161a-1a43-401f-855e-4afead144d98.html |access-date=2025-04-09 |work=The Texan |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Isaiah |title=UT eliminates flag system requirement for classes, graduation |url=https://thedailytexan.com/2025/04/07/ut-eliminates-flag-system-requirement-for-classes-graduation/ |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=The Daily Texan}}

{{See also|List of University of Texas at Austin buildings}}

The university's property totals {{convert|1438.5|acres}}, comprising the {{convert|423.5|acres}} for the Main Campus in central Austin and the J. J. Pickle Research Campus in north Austin and the other properties throughout Texas. The main campus has 150 buildings totaling over {{convert|18000000|sqft}}.

File:LBJ Lib Museum (3).jpg]]

One of the university's most visible features is the Beaux-Arts Main Building, including a {{convert|307|ft|m|adj=on}} tower designed by Paul Philippe Cret.[https://www.utexas.edu/tours/mainbuilding/ The Main Building] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303170937/http://www.utexas.edu/tours/mainbuilding/|date=March 3, 2016 }} The University of Texas. Retrieved December 1, 2005. Completed in 1937, the Main Building is in the middle of campus. The tower usually appears illuminated in white light in the evening but is lit burnt orange for various special occasions, including athletic victories and academic accomplishments; conversely, it is darkened for solemn occasions.[https://www.utexas.edu/opa/pubs/oncampus/02oc_issues/oc020129/oc_tower.html University approves new policy for lighting The Tower] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012032946/http://www.utexas.edu/opa/pubs/oncampus/02oc_issues/oc020129/oc_tower.html|date=October 12, 2007 }} On Campus. Retrieved December 1, 2005. At the top of the tower is a carillon of 56 bells, the largest in Texas. Songs are played on weekdays by student carillonneurs,{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120829085205/http://texascarillon.com/]}} in addition to the usual pealing of Westminster Quarters every quarter-hour between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.[https://www.utexas.edu/tours/mainbuilding/news/carillon/kcfacts.html A few facts about Knicker Carillon] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304210228/http://www.utexas.edu/tours/mainbuilding/news/carillon/kcfacts.html|date=March 4, 2016 }} On Campus. Retrieved December 1, 2005. In 1998, after the installation of security and safety measures, the observation deck reopened to the public indefinitely for weekend tours.{{cite web|url=https://www.utexas.edu/universityunions/texas-union/scene/tower-tours|title=Tower tours|publisher=The Texas Union|access-date=December 1, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100924214250/http://www.utexas.edu/universityunions/texas-union/scene/tower-tours|archive-date=September 24, 2010|url-status=live}}

The university's seven museums and seventeen libraries hold over nine million volumes, making it the seventh-largest academic library in the country.{{cite web|url=http://www.lib.utexas.edu/admin/cird/statisticaloverview2007.html|title=Statistical Overview of the Library Collections, 2007|access-date=January 25, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318025927/http://www.lib.utexas.edu/admin/cird/statisticaloverview2007.html|archive-date=March 18, 2009|url-status=live}} The University of Texas Libraries. Retrieved December 1, 2005. The holdings of the university's Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center include one of only 21 remaining complete copies of the Gutenberg Bible and the first permanent photograph, View from the Window at Le Gras, taken by Nicéphore Niépce.[http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/permanent/gutenberg/ The Gutenberg Bible at the Ransom Center] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021016174406/http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/permanent/gutenberg/ |date=October 16, 2002 }} Harry Ransom Center. Retrieved December 1, 2005. The newest museum, the {{convert|155000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} Blanton Museum of Art, is the largest university art museum in the United States and hosts approximately 17,000 works from Europe, the United States, and Latin America.{{cite web|title=Blanton Museum of Art Poised to Become Largest University Museum in the United States|url=https://www.utexas.edu/finearts/about/press/blanton-museum-art-poised-become-largest-university-museum-united-states|access-date=January 25, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628210242/http://www.utexas.edu/finearts/about/press/blanton-museum-art-poised-become-largest-university-museum-united-states|archive-date=June 28, 2011}}{{cite web|title=Blanton Museum of Art: About|url=http://blantonmuseum.org/about/|access-date=January 25, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100221060745/http://blantonmuseum.org/about/|archive-date=February 21, 2010|url-status=live}} The Perry–Castañeda Library, which houses the central University Libraries operations and the Perry–Castañeda Library Map Collection, is at the heart of campus. The Benson Latin American Collection holds the largest collection of Latin American materials among US university libraries,{{Cite web|url=https://www.pw.org/literary_places/nettie_lee_benson_latin_american_collection|title=Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection|last=Hall|first=Sid Richardson|date=December 16, 2015|website=Poets & Writers|language=en|access-date=September 12, 2019}} and maintains substantial digital collections.{{Cite journal|last=Norsworthy|first=Kent|date=September 29, 2016|title=Digital Resources: LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections, University of Texas at Austin|url=https://oxfordre.com/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199366439.001.0001/acrefore-9780199366439-e-81|journal=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Latin American History|language=en|doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780199366439.013.81|isbn=978-0-19-936643-9}}

The University of Texas at Austin has an extensive tunnel system that links the buildings on campus. Constructed {{Circa|1928}} under the supervision of UT engineering professor Carl J. Eckhardt Jr., then head of the physical plant, the tunnels have grown along with the campus.{{Cite web |last=Story |first=Wesley |date=August 7, 2017 |title=Alumnus reflects on illicit UT tunnel adventures |url=https://thedailytexan.com/2017/08/07/alumnus-reflects-on-illicit-ut-tunnel-adventures/ |access-date=October 10, 2022 |website=The Daily Texan}} They measure approximately six miles in length.{{Cite web |date=2011 |title=Tunneling for Truth: the Myth Explained |url=http://www.dailytexanonline.com/top-stories/tunneling-for-truth-the-myth-explained-1.1775531 |website=The Daily Texan}}{{dead link|date=August 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}{{Cite web |last=Tynan |date=February 12, 2006 |title=The Secret Tunnels Under UT |url=https://tynan.com/the-secret-tunnels-under-ut/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060214180355/http://www.betterthanyourboyfriend.com/the-secret-tunnels-under-ut.htm#more-115 |archive-date=February 14, 2006}} The tunnel system is used for communications and utility service. It is closed to the public and guarded by silent alarms. Since the late 1940s, the university has generated its own electricity. Today its natural gas cogeneration plant has a capacity of 123 MW. The university also operates a TRIGA nuclear reactor at the J. J. Pickle Research Campus.[http://www.me.utexas.edu/~nuclear/about.htm Nuclear Engineering Teaching Lab] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050901081054/http://www.me.utexas.edu/~nuclear/about.htm |date=September 1, 2005 }} Nuclear and Radiation Engineering Program. Retrieved February 10, 2006.Collier, Bill. Reactor draws safety questions. Austin American-Statesman. December 15, 1989.

The university continues to expand its facilities on campus. In 2010, the university opened the state-of-the-art Norman Hackerman building (on the site of the former Experimental Sciences Building) housing chemistry and biology research and teaching laboratories. In 2010, the university broke ground on the $120 million Bill & Melinda Gates Computer Science Complex and Dell Computer Science Hall and the $51 million Belo Center for New Media, both of which are now complete.{{cite web|url=http://web5.cns.utexas.edu/news/2013/03/gdc-opens/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130310034921/http://web5.cns.utexas.edu/news/2013/03/gdc-opens/|archive-date=March 10, 2013|title=Gates Computer Science Complex and Dell Hall Open|publisher=Department of Computer Science at UT Austin|date=March 4, 2013|access-date=March 22, 2013 }}{{cite web|url=http://communication.utexas.edu/features/extraordinary-investment|title=Belo Center for New Media Opens|publisher=College of Communication|date=October 20, 2012|access-date=March 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130222055052/http://communication.utexas.edu/features/extraordinary-investment|archive-date=February 22, 2013 }} The new LEED gold-certified, {{convert|110000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} Student Activity Center (SAC) opened in January 2011, housing study rooms, lounges and food vendors. The SAC was constructed as a result of a student referendum passed in 2006 which raised student fees by $65 per semester.{{cite news|url=http://www.dailytexanonline.com/content/student-activity-center-opens-business|title=Student Activity Center Opens for Business|newspaper=The Daily Texan|date=January 18, 2011|access-date=January 25, 2011}} In 2012, the Moody Foundation awarded the College of Communication $50 million, the largest endowment any communication college has received, so naming it the Moody College of Communication.

The university operates two public radio stations, KUT with news and information, and KUTX with music, via local FM broadcasts as well as live streaming audio over the Internet. The university uses CapMetro to provide bus transportation for students around the campus on the UT Shuttle system and throughout Austin, and UT students, faculty, and staff with an active UT ID card are able to ride public transportation without paying a fare.{{cite web|url=https://www.capmetro.org/ut-shuttles|title=UT Shuttles|access-date=November 5, 2023}}

File:Battle hall 2014.jpg, also known as "The Old Library", was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.]]

The university contains eighteen colleges and schools and one academic unit, each listed with its founding date:[https://web.archive.org/web/19970103032348/http://www.utexas.edu/dept/ Colleges and Academic Units] The University of Texas. Retrieved December 1, 2005.

{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Cockrell School of Engineering (1894)
• Dell Medical School (2013)
• College of Education (1905)
• College of Fine Arts (1938)
• College of Liberal Arts (1883)
• College of Natural Sciences (1883)
• College of Pharmacy (1893 in Galveston, moved to Austin 1927)
• Continuing Education (1909)
• Graduate Studies (1910)
• Jackson School of Geosciences (2005)
• LBJ School of Public Affairs (1970)
• McCombs School of Business (1922)
• Moody College of Communication (1965)
• School of Architecture (1948)
• School of Information (1948)
• School of Law (1883)
• School of Nursing (1976)
• School of Undergraduate Studies (2008)
• Steve Hicks School of Social Work (1950){{div col end}}

File:Texas Union.JPG

The University of Texas at Austin offers more than 100 undergraduate and 170 graduate degrees. In the 2009–2010 academic year, the university awarded a total of 13,215 degrees: 67.7% bachelor's degrees, 22.0% master's degrees, 6.4% doctoral degrees, and 3.9% Professional degrees.{{cite web|title=Degrees Conferred Information, 2009–2010 Academic Year|url=https://www.utexas.edu/academic/ima/sites/default/files/SHB10-11Degrees.pdf|publisher=The University of Texas Office of Institutional Research|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211003010/http://www.utexas.edu/academic/ima/sites/default/files/SHB10-11Degrees.pdf|archive-date=February 11, 2012 }}

In addition, the university has nine honors programs, eight of which span a variety of academic fields: Liberal Arts Honors, the Business Honors Program, the Turing Scholars Program in Computer Science, Engineering Honors, the Dean's Scholars Program in Natural Sciences, the Health Science Scholars Program in Natural Sciences, the Polymathic Scholars Program in Natural Sciences, and the Undergraduate Nursing Honors Program in School of Nursing. The ninth is the Plan II Honors Program, a rigorous interdisciplinary program that is a major in and of itself.{{cite web|url=http://liberalarts.utexas.edu/plan2/about/|title=UT College of Liberal Arts|website=liberalarts.utexas.edu|access-date=July 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814095646/http://liberalarts.utexas.edu/plan2/about/|archive-date=August 14, 2017|url-status=live}} Many Plan II students pursue a second major, often participating in another department's honors program in addition to Plan II.{{cite web|url=https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/plan2/admission/application/other-honors.php|title=UT College of Liberal Arts|website=liberalarts.utexas.edu|access-date=July 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802135259/http://liberalarts.utexas.edu/plan2/admission/application/other-honors.php|archive-date=August 2, 2017|url-status=live}} The university also offers programs such as the Freshman Research Initiative and Texas Interdisciplinary Plan.{{cite web|url=https://www.utexas.edu/tip/|title=TIP Scholars|publisher=Utexas.edu|access-date=January 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130417205440/http://www.utexas.edu/tip/|archive-date=April 17, 2013|url-status=live}}

{{Infobox U.S. college admissions

|year = 2021

|admit rate = 28.8

|admit rate change = -11.6

|yield rate = 47.7

|yield rate change = +2.2

|SAT Total = 1230–1480
(among 56% of FTFs)

|SAT Total change =

|ACT = 29–34
(among 26% of FTFs)

|ACT change =

|float = right

|ref = {{cite web|url=https://utexas.app.box.com/s/h79j1xzkkerlycekcifawxnuyz8945v2 |title=University of Texas at Austin Common Data Set 2021–2022|publisher=University of Texas at Austin |access-date=2022-11-26}}

|change ref ={{cite web |url=https://utexas.app.box.com/v/CDS2016|title=University of Texas at Austin Common Data Set 2016–2017|publisher=University of Texas at Austin|access-date=2022-11-26}}

}}

The University of Texas at Austin encourages applicants to submit SAT/ACT scores, but it is not required.{{cite web |title=Standardized Testing Policy FAQs |url=https://admissions.utexas.edu/standardized-testing-policy-FAQ |website=admissions.utexas.edu |publisher=The University of Texas at Austin |access-date=29 December 2022}} However, for students applying for admission from fall 2025 onwards, submission of SAT/ACT scores is mandatory as part of their undergraduate admission application.{{cite web |title=Frequently Asked Questions |url=https://admissions.utexas.edu/apply/frequently-asked-questions/ |website=admissions.utexas.edu |publisher=The University of Texas at Austin |access-date=23 March 2024}} As of 2011, the university was one of the most selective universities in the region. Relative to other universities in the state of Texas, UT Austin was second to Rice University in selectivity according to a Business Journal study weighing acceptance rates and the mid-range of the SAT and ACT. The University of Texas at Austin was ranked as the 18th most selective in the South.{{cite web|last=Thomas|first=G. Scott|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/on-numbers/scott-thomas/2011/12/vanderbilt-duke-sit-atop-souths.html?appSession=661298019421031|title=The colleges in the South with the toughest admission standards – The Business Journals|publisher=Bizjournals.com|access-date=December 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216175329/http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/on-numbers/scott-thomas/2011/12/vanderbilt-duke-sit-atop-souths.html?appSession=661298019421031|archive-date=December 16, 2014|url-status=live}}

As a state public university, UT Austin was subject to Texas House Bill 588, which guaranteed Texas high school seniors graduating in the top 10% of their class admission to any public Texas university. A new state law granting UT Austin (but no other state university) a partial exemption from the top 10% rule, Senate Bill 175, was passed by the 81st Legislature in 2009. It modified this admissions policy by limiting automatically admitted freshmen to 75% of the entering in-state freshman class, starting in 2011. The university will admit the top one percent, the top two percent and so forth until the cap is reached; the university currently admits the top 6%.{{cite web|title=The University of Texas at Austin to Automatically Admit Top 8 Percent of High School Graduates for 2011|url=https://www.utexas.edu/news/2009/09/16/top8_percent/|access-date=April 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419073139/http://www.utexas.edu/news/2009/09/16/top8_percent/|archive-date=April 19, 2010}} Furthermore, students admitted under Texas House Bill 588 are not guaranteed their choice of college or major, but rather only guaranteed admission to the university as a whole. Many colleges, such as the Cockrell School of Engineering, have secondary requirements that must be met for admission.{{cite web|title=Admission: Undergraduate Admission|url=http://registrar.utexas.edu/catalogs/gi09-10/ch02/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527133759/http://registrar.utexas.edu/catalogs/gi09-10/ch02/|archive-date=May 27, 2010 }}

For others who go through the traditional application process, selectivity is deemed "more selective" according to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and by U.S. News & World Report.{{cite web|url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/university-of-texas-austin-3658|title=University of Texas-Austin|magazine=U.S. News & World Report|access-date=August 11, 2020|archive-date=September 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908040718/http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/university-of-texas-austin-3658}}{{cite web |title=Carnegie Classifications Institution Lookup |url=https://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/view_institution.php?unit_id=228778 |publisher=Center for Postsecondary Education |website=carnegieclassifications.iu.edu |access-date=July 19, 2020 |archive-date=July 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720032431/https://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/view_institution.php?unit_id=228778 }} For fall 2023, 66,109 applied and 19,253 were accepted (29.1%), and of those accepted, 48.8% enrolled.{{cite web|title=The University of Texas at Austin 2023 Common Data Set, Part C|url=https://reports.utexas.edu/common-data-set/interactive|publisher=The University of Texas at Austin}} Among freshman students who enrolled for fall 2024, the average SAT English reading and writing score was 680, with the 25th percentile at 630 and the 75th percentile at 730, while the average SAT Math score was 690, with the 25th percentile at 610 and the 75th percentile at 760.{{cite web|title=UT Austin SAT Scores: Full Breakdown| date=February 26, 2025| url=https://nextadmit.com/blog/ut-austin-sat-scores/|publisher=NextAdmit|access-date=March 2, 2025}} In terms of class rank, 74.4% of enrolled freshmen were in the top 10% of their high school classes and 91.7% ranked in the top quarter. In the 2020–2021 academic year, 79 freshman students were National Merit Scholars.{{cite web|url=https://www.nationalmerit.org/s/1758/images/gid2/editor_documents/annual_report.pdf|title=National Merit Scholarship Corporation 2019–20 Annual Report|publisher=National Merit Scholarship Corporation|access-date=2022-12-07}}

{{clear}}

{{Infobox US university ranking

| USNWR_NU = 30 (tie)

| Wamo_NU = 98

| WSJ_NU = 41

| Forbes_NU = 46

| THE_W = 50

| USNWR_W = 56 (tie)

| QS_W = 66

| ARWU_W= 45

}}

The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) was ranked 30th among all universities in the U.S. and 7th among public universities according to U.S. News & World Report{{'}}s 2025 rankings. Internationally, UT Austin was tied for 56th in the 2024 "Best Global Universities" ranking by U.S. News & World Report, 45th in the world by Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) in 2024, 52nd worldwide by Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2024), and 66th globally by QS World University Rankings (2025).{{Cite web |title=QS 2025 Rankings |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/world-university-rankings?page=2}} UT Austin was also ranked 35th in the world by the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) in 2024.{{cite web |title=World University Rankings 2024 {{!}} Global 2000 List |url=https://cwur.org/2024.php |date=May 13, 2024 |website=Center for World University Rankings |access-date=August 21, 2024 }}

The University of Texas at Austin is considered to be a "Public Ivy"—a public university that provides an Ivy League collegiate experience at a public school price, having been ranked in virtually every list of "Public Ivies" since Richard Moll coined the term in his 1985 book Public Ivies: A Guide to America's best public undergraduate colleges and universities. The seven other "Public Ivy" universities, according to Moll, were the College of William & Mary, Miami University, the University of California, the University of Michigan, the University of North Carolina, the University of Vermont, and the University of Virginia.Richard Moll in his book Public Ivys: A Guide to America's best public undergraduate colleges and universities (1985)

The Accounting and Latin American History programs are consistently ranked top in the nation by the U.S. News & World Report college rankings, most recently in their 2023 and 2021 editions, respectively.[https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/business-accounting][https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-humanities-schools/latin-american-history-rankings US News Rankings] More than 50 other science, humanities, and professional programs rank in the top 25 nationally.[https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities 2023 Best National Universities | US News Rankings] The College of Pharmacy is listed as the third-best in the nation and The School of Information (iSchool) is sixth-best in Library and Information Sciences. Among other rankings, the School of Social Work is 7th, the Jackson School of Geosciences is 8th for Earth Sciences, the Cockrell School of Engineering is tied for 10th-best (with the undergraduate engineering program tied for 11th-best in the country), the Nursing School is tied for 13th, the University of Texas School of Law is 15th, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs is 7th, and the McCombs School of Business is tied for 16th-best (with the undergraduate business program tied for 5th-best in the country).

File:ROBOT_LONGHORN-1024x683.png]]

The University of Texas School of Architecture was ranked second among national undergraduate programs in 2012.{{cite news|url=http://archrecord.construction.com/features/Americas_Best_Architecture_Schools/2012/schools-2.asp|title=America's Best Architecture Schools|publisher=DesignIntelligence|access-date=April 1, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421144323/http://archrecord.construction.com/features/Americas_Best_Architecture_Schools/2012/schools-2.asp|archive-date=April 21, 2012|url-status=live}}

A 2005 Bloomberg survey ranked the school 5th among all business schools and first among public business schools for the largest number of alumni who are S&P 500 CEOs.{{cite web|title=The University of Texas at Austin ranks No. 1 as source of new Fortune 1000 CEOs|url=https://www.utexas.edu/opa/news/2005/04/business13.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081118084427/http://www.utexas.edu/opa/news/2005/04/business13.html|archive-date=November 18, 2008 }} Similarly, a 2005 USA Today report ranked the university as "the number one source of new Fortune 1000 CEOs".{{cite web|url=http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/news/pressreleases/ceos_04.05.asp|title=McCombs & UT Austin Rank No. 1 as Source of New Fortune 1000 CEOs|access-date=April 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629052705/http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/news/pressreleases/ceos_04.05.asp|archive-date=June 29, 2011 }} A "payback" analysis published by SmartMoney in 2011 comparing graduates' salaries to tuition costs concluded the school was the second-best value of all colleges in the nation, behind only Georgia Tech.{{cite web|url=http://www.smartmoney.com/borrow/student-loans/which-colleges-help-their-grads-get-top-salaries|title=Workplace Issues – Travel Advice – Credit Advice|publisher=Smartmoney.com|date=October 18, 2011|access-date=July 10, 2013}} A 2013 College Database study found that UT Austin was 22nd in the nation in terms of increased lifetime earnings by graduates.{{cite web|last= Schraeder|first=Jordan|url=http://alcalde.texasexes.org/2013/06/a-ut-degree-yes-its-worth-it/|title=A UT Degree: Yes, It's Worth It|work=The Alcalde|date=June 21, 2013|access-date=August 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906211828/http://alcalde.texasexes.org/2013/06/a-ut-degree-yes-its-worth-it/|archive-date=September 6, 2015|url-status=live}}

File:UT at Austin EERc.jpg

UT Austin is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity." For the 2014–2015 cycle, the university was awarded over $580 million in sponsored projects,{{cite web|url=https://www.utexas.edu/about/facts-and-figures|title=Facts & Figures – The University of Texas at Austin|website=Utexas.edu|access-date=July 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170715061549/https://www.utexas.edu/about/facts-and-figures|archive-date=July 15, 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=President Powers Delivers 2010 State of the University Address|url=https://www.utexas.edu/news/2010/09/15/powers_2010address/|access-date=September 15, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100919161235/http://www.utexas.edu/news/2010/09/15/powers_2010address/|archive-date=September 19, 2010}} and has earned more than 300 patents since 2003.{{cite web|title=OTC Statistics|url=http://www.otc.utexas.edu/Statistics.jsp|access-date=April 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106140353/http://www.otc.utexas.edu/Statistics.jsp|archive-date=January 6, 2010|url-status=live}} The University of Texas at Austin houses the Office of Technology Commercialization, a technology transfer center which serves as the bridge between laboratory research and commercial development. In 2009, the university created nine new start-up companies to commercialize technology developed at the university and has created 46 start-ups in the past seven years. License agreements generated $10.9 million in revenue for the university in 2009. In January 2020, the University of Texas Austin's Texas Innovation Center was established to provide support for startups.[https://texasinnovationcenter.utexas.edu/about/ Texas Innovation Center – About]

Research at UT Austin is largely focused in the engineering and physical sciences,{{cite web|title=The Top American Research Universities 2009|url=http://mup.asu.edu/research2009.pdf|access-date=August 23, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100601070708/http://mup.asu.edu/research2009.pdf|archive-date=June 1, 2010 }} and the university is a world-leading research institution in fields such as computer science.{{cite web|title=The 20 Most-Cited Institutions in Computer Science, 1998–2008|url=http://sciencewatch.com/inter/ins/08/08octTOP20COM/|access-date=August 23, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101106211645/http://sciencewatch.com/inter/ins/08/08octTOP20COM/|archive-date=November 6, 2010|url-status=live}} Energy is a major research thrust, with federally funded projects on biofuels,{{cite web|title=University of Texas at Austin biologists, engineers in $25 million project to develop jet fuel from algal oil|date=May 4, 2009 |url=https://news.utexas.edu/2009/05/04/university-of-texas-at-austin-biologists-and-engineers-in-25-million-project-to-develop-jet-fuel-from-algal-oil/|access-date=August 27, 2023}} battery and solar cell technology, and geological carbon dioxide storage,{{cite web|title=Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) Awards|url=http://www.er.doe.gov/bes/EFRC.html|access-date=November 7, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091113151336/http://www.er.doe.gov/bes/efrc.html|archive-date=November 13, 2009 }} water purification membranes, among others. In 2009, the University of Texas founded the Energy Institute, led by former Under Secretary for Science Raymond L. Orbach, to organize and advance multi-disciplinary energy research.{{cite web|title=Director of New Energy Institute Named At The University of Texas at Austin|url=https://www.utexas.edu/news/2009/07/14/orbach_energy_institute/|access-date=November 7, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091003233418/http://www.utexas.edu/news/2009/07/14/orbach_energy_institute/|archive-date=October 3, 2009}} In addition to its own medical school, it houses medical programs associated with other campuses and allied health professional programs, as well as major research programs in pharmacy, biomedical engineering, neuroscience, and others.

In 2010, the University of Texas at Austin opened the $100 million Dell Pediatric Research Institute to increase medical research at the university and establish a medical research complex, and associated medical school, in Austin.{{cite web|title=Seton, UT lay foundations for Austin medical school|url=http://dpri.utexas.edu/news/seton-ut-lay-foundations-for-austin-medical-school|access-date=August 23, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100626012949/http://dpri.utexas.edu/news/seton-ut-lay-foundations-for-austin-medical-school|archive-date=June 26, 2010|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Dell Pediatric Research Institute Opens at Mueller, Brings New Focus To Children's Health Research at The University of Texas at Austin|url=https://www.utexas.edu/news/2010/04/23/dpri_opening/|access-date=August 23, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610055923/http://www.utexas.edu/news/2010/04/23/dpri_opening/|archive-date=June 10, 2010}}

The university operates several major auxiliary research centers. The world's third-largest telescope, the Hobby–Eberly Telescope, and three other large telescopes are part of the university's McDonald Observatory, {{convert|450|mi}} west of Austin.{{cite web|title=McDonald Observatory|url=http://www.as.utexas.edu/mcdonald/mcdonald.html|access-date=August 23, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100607232740/http://www.as.utexas.edu/mcdonald/mcdonald.html|archive-date=June 7, 2010|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Hobby–Eberly Telescope|url=http://hetdex.org/hetdex/het.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121191333/http://hetdex.org/hetdex/het.php|archive-date=November 21, 2008|access-date=August 23, 2010 }} The university manages nearly {{convert|300|acre}} of biological field laboratories, including the Brackenridge Field Laboratory in Austin. The Center for Agile Technology focuses on software development challenges.{{cite web|url=http://www.cat.utexas.edu/about.html|title=About CAT|publisher=Center for Agile Technology|access-date=October 23, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111141650/http://www.cat.utexas.edu/about.html|archive-date=January 11, 2012}} The J.J. Pickle Research Campus (PRC) is home to the Texas Advanced Computing Center which operates a series of supercomputers, such as Ranger (from 2008 to 2013{{cite web|title=The Beast in the Background|url=http://www.tacc.utexas.edu/research/users/features/alcalde.php|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070811230410/http://www.tacc.utexas.edu/research/users/features/alcalde.php|archive-date=August 11, 2007|access-date=November 7, 2009 }}), Stampede (2013–2017{{cite web|url=https://www.tacc.utexas.edu/systems/stampede|title=Stampede – Texas Advanced Computing Center|website=www.tacc.utexas.edu|access-date=January 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331091513/https://www.tacc.utexas.edu/systems/stampede|archive-date=March 31, 2019|url-status=live}}), Stampede2 (since 2017{{cite web|url=https://www.tacc.utexas.edu/systems/stampede2|title=Stampede2 – Texas Advanced Computing Center|website=www.tacc.utexas.edu|access-date=January 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190123040741/https://www.tacc.utexas.edu/systems/stampede2|archive-date=January 23, 2019|url-status=live}}), and Frontera (since 2019).{{cite web |last1=University of Texas at Austin |title=Texas Boosts U.S. Science with Fastest Academic Supercomputer in the World |url=https://www.tacc.utexas.edu/systems/frontera |access-date=September 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904161056/https://www.tacc.utexas.edu/systems/frontera |archive-date=September 4, 2019 |url-status=live }} The Pickle campus also hosts the Microelectronics Research Center which houses micro- and nanoelectronics research and features a {{convert|15000|sqfoot}} cleanroom for device fabrication.

Founded in 1946, the university's Applied Research Laboratories at the PRC has developed or tested the vast majority of the Navy's high-frequency sonar equipment. In 2007, the Navy granted it a research contract funded up to $928 million over ten years.{{cite web|title=ARL:UT About Us|url=http://www.arlut.utexas.edu/about/index.html|access-date=November 7, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090827124124/http://www.arlut.utexas.edu/about/index.html|archive-date=August 27, 2009}}{{cite web|title=The University of Texas at Austin Research Unit Receives Navy Contract That Could Reach $928 Million|url=https://www.utexas.edu/news/2007/09/27/arl/|access-date=November 7, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628211117/http://www.utexas.edu/news/2007/09/27/arl/|archive-date=June 28, 2011}} The Institute for Advanced Technology, founded in 1990 and located in the West Pickle Research Building, supports the U.S. Army with basic and applied research in several fields.

The Center for Transportation Research is a nationally recognized research institution focusing on transportation research, education, and public service. Established in 1963 as the Center for Highway Research, its projects address virtually all aspects of transportation, including economics, multimodal systems, traffic congestion relief, transportation policy, materials, structures, transit, environmental impacts, driver behavior, land use, geometric design, accessibility, and pavements.{{cite web|title=Center for Transportation Research|url=https://www.utexas.edu/research/ctr/about/index.html|access-date=January 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111218210703/http://www.utexas.edu/research/ctr/about/index.html|archive-date=December 18, 2011}}

In 2013, the University of Texas at Austin announced the naming of the O'Donnell Building for Applied Computational Engineering and Sciences. The O'Donnell Foundation of Dallas, headed by Peter O'Donnell and his wife, Edith Jones O'Donnell, has given more than $135 million to the university between 1983 and 2013. University president William C. Powers declared the O'Donnells "among the greatest supporters of the University of Texas in its 130-year history. Their transformative generosity is based on the belief in our power to change society for the better."{{cite news|last=Miller|first=Robert|url=http://www.dallasnews.com/business/columnists/robert-miller/20130226-ut-austin-to-name-a-building-after-dallas-peter-and-edith-odonnell.ece|title=UT-Austin to name a building after Dallas' Peter and Edith O'Donnell|date=February 26, 2013|newspaper=Dallas Morning News|access-date=September 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621052158/http://www.dallasnews.com/business/columnists/robert-miller/20130226-ut-austin-to-name-a-building-after-dallas-peter-and-edith-odonnell.ece|archive-date=June 21, 2013|url-status=live}} In 2008, O'Donnell pledged $18 million to finance the hiring of university faculty members undertaking research in mathematics, computers, and multiple scientific disciplines; his pledge was matched by W. A. "Tex" Moncrief Jr., an oilman and philanthropist from Fort Worth.{{cite web|url=http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/news/story.jhtml?id=300400006|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130917031317/http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/news/story.jhtml?id=300400006|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 17, 2013|title=University of Texas Donor Reveals Himself as Source of More Than $135 Million in Gifts|date=July 9, 2010|publisher=foundationcenter.org|access-date=September 15, 2013}}

In addition, UT Austin and Amazon established a new science hub in 2023.[https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2023/04/18/amazon-establishes-new-science-hub-at-university-of-texas/?sh=257026b97c76 "Amazon Establishes New Science Hub at University of Texas"]

[https://thedailytexan.com/2023/07/31/ut-researchers-awarded-funding-from-new-ut-austin-amazon-science-hub/ "UT Researchers Awarded Funding from New UT Austin Amazon Science Hub"]

The University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute is located on the Gulf coast in Port Aransas. Established in 1941, UTMSI was the first permanent marine research facility in the state of Texas and has since contributed significantly to our understanding of marine ecosystems. Research at the Marine Science Institute ranges from locally-important work on mariculture and estuarine ecosystems to the investigation of global issues in marine science, from the Arctic to the tropics.

File:University of Texas at Austin August 2019 19 (Norman Hackerman Building).jpg

{{Main|Permanent University Fund}}

The University of Texas System is entitled to at least 30% of the distributions from the Permanent University Fund (PUF), with over $33 billion in assets as of year-end 2021.{{Cite web|title=2021-12 PUF Semi-Annual Report|url=https://www.utimco.org/media/3689/2021-12-puf-semi-annual.pdf}}[http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/txconst/sections/cn000700-001800.html As required by the Texas Constitution] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051123143431/http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/txconst/sections/cn000700-001800.html|date=November 23, 2005 }} The University of Texas System gets two-thirds of the Available University Fund (the name of the annual distribution of PUF's income), and the Texas A&M University System gets the other third. A regental policy[https://www.utsystem.edu/OGC/RegentalPolicies/AUFspend.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050922012448/http://www.utsystem.edu/OGC/RegentalPolicies/AUFspend.htm|date=September 22, 2005}} requires at least 45 percent of UT System's share of this money go to the University of Texas at Austin for "program enrichment". By taking two-thirds and multiplying it by 45 percent, UT gets 30 percent, which is the minimum amount of AUF income that can be distributed to the school under current policies. The Regents, however, can decide to allocate additional amounts to the university. Also, the majority of the University of Texas system share of the AUF is used for its debt service bonds, some of which were issued for the benefit of the Austin campus.[https://www.utsystem.edu/CONT/REPORTS/LARs/AUFLAR-102704.pdf] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051101111529/http://www.utsystem.edu/CONT/REPORTS/LARs/AUFLAR-102704.pdf|date=November 1, 2005}} The Regents can change the 45 percent minimum of the University of Texas System share that goes to the Austin campus at any time, although doing so might be difficult politically.

Proceeds from lands appropriated in 1839 and 1876, as well as oil monies, comprise the majority of PUF. At one time, the PUF was the chief source of income for Texas' two university systems, the University of Texas System and the Texas A&M University System; today, however, its revenues account for less than 10 percent of the universities' annual budgets. This has challenged the universities to increase sponsored research and private donations. Privately funded endowments contribute over $2 billion to the university's total endowment.

The University of Texas System also has about $22 billion of assets in its General Endowment Fund.{{Cite web|title=2021 GEF Audited Financial Statements|url=https://www.utimco.org/media/3647/2021-gef-audited-financial-statements.pdf}}

For fall 2023, the university enrolled 42,444 undergraduate students and 10,638 postgraduate students, bringing the total student count to 53,082. Out-of-state students accounted for 9.4% of the undergraduate student body, and international students comprised 9.6% of the total student body.

For fall 2015, the undergraduate student body was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.{{Cite web |title=ISSS_Fall21_Snapshot_8.5x11.pdf {{!}} Powered by Box |url=https://utexas.app.box.com/s/iqxv2kcpciy6106jvuvm8ss1aimgta88 |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=utexas.app.box.com |language=en-US}} In 2022, the three most popular undergraduate majors were Biology/Biological Sciences, Psychology, and Computer and Information Sciences. For graduate studies, the top choices were Business Administration and Management, Accounting, and Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods.{{cite web |title=Top Majors and Programs – Most Popular Degrees 2022 |url=https://www.collegeraptor.com/colleges/majors/The-University-of-Texas-at-Austin-TX--228778 |website=collegeraptor.com |publisher=Collegeraptor |access-date=23 March 2024}}

The campus has fourteen residence halls, the newest of which opened in spring 2007. As of 2024, there are a total of fifteen on-campus residence halls, with eight located in North Campus and seven in South Campus.{{cite web |title=Residence Hall Locations |url=https://housing.utexas.edu/housing/residence-halls/residence-hall-locations |website=housing.utexas.edu |publisher=The University of Texas at Austin |access-date=27 March 2024}} Residence Hall Rates for the 2024–25 fall and spring terms vary across eleven different rates, ranging from the lowest rate of $13,504 to the highest rate of $20,447, each corresponding to different room types.{{cite web |title=Residence Hall Rates |url=https://housing.utexas.edu/housing/residence-halls/residence-hall-rates |website=housing.utexas.edu |publisher=The University of Texas at Austin |access-date=27 March 2024}} On-campus housing can hold more than 7,100 students.[https://www.utexas.edu/student/housing/pdfs/reshall_masterplan_100405.pdf Residence Hall Master Plan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304133448/http://www.utexas.edu/student/housing/pdfs/reshall_masterplan_100405.pdf |date=March 4, 2016 }} The University of Texas Division of Housing and Food. Retrieved February 5, 2007. Jester Center is the largest residence hall with its capacity of 2,945.[https://www.utexas.edu/student/housing/?site=1&scode=4&id=140 Residence Halls at a Glance] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617042224/http://www.utexas.edu/student/housing/?site=1&scode=4&id=140 |date=June 17, 2016 }} The University of Texas Division of Housing and Food. Retrieved December 2, 2005. Academic enrollment exceeds the on-campus housing capacity; as a result, most students must live in private residence halls, housing cooperatives, apartments, or with Greek organizations and other off-campus residences. University Housing and Dining, which already has the largest market share of 7,000 of the estimated 27,000 beds in the campus area, plans to expand to 9,000 beds.{{cite news|last=Ward|first=Justin|url=http://www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2006/08/03/TopStories/Ut.Residences.To.Expand-2143178.shtml?norewrite200608032103&sourcedomain=www.dailytexanonline.com|title=University of Texas residences to expand|newspaper=The Daily Texan|date=August 3, 2006|access-date=August 3, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930205828/http://www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2006/08/03/TopStories/Ut.Residences.To.Expand-2143178.shtml?norewrite200608032103&sourcedomain=www.dailytexanonline.com|archive-date=September 30, 2007}}

{{See also|List of fraternities and sororities at University of Texas at Austin}}

The University of Texas at Austin is home to an active Greek community. Approximately 14 percent of undergraduate students are in fraternities or sororities.{{cite web|author=|title=Sorority and Fraternity Community|url=http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/glie/comm.php|work=GLIE Website|publisher=UT Austin Dean of Students|access-date=November 4, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111031042334/http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/glie/comm.php|archive-date=October 31, 2011}} With more than 65 national chapters, the university's Greek community is one of the nation's largest. These chapters are under the authority of one of the school's six Greek council communities, Interfraternity Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council, Texas Asian Pan-Hellenic Council, Latino Pan-Hellenic Council, Multicultural Greek Council and University Panhellenic Council.{{cite web|url=http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/gle/comm.php|title=Greek communities|author=The University of Texas Office of the Dean of Students|access-date=December 2, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051115184705/http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/gle/comm.php|archive-date=November 15, 2005 }} Other registered student organizations also name themselves with Greek letters and are called affiliates. They are not a part of one of the six councils but have all of the same privileges and responsibilities of any other organization.{{cite web|title=Sorority & Fraternity Information Guide 2007–2008|work=The University of Texas Office of the Dean of Students|url=http://www.txcn.com/sharedcontent/dws/txcn/austin/stories/041508kvuefratagreement-cb.68426ca3.html|format=PDF|access-date=April 18, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717120230/http://www.txcn.com/sharedcontent/dws/txcn/austin/stories/041508kvuefratagreement-cb.68426ca3.html|archive-date=July 17, 2011}} Most Greek houses are west of the Drag in the West Campus neighborhood.

{{See also|Texas Student Media}}

Students express their opinions in and out of class through periodicals including Study Breaks magazine, Longhorn Life, The Daily Texan (the most award-winning daily college newspaper in the United States),{{cite web|url=https://www.utexas.edu/student/registrar/catalogs/gicurrent/ch5/ch5g.html|title=Student Publications|access-date=August 5, 2007|work=University of Texas at Austin }}{{dead link|date=May 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} and the Texas Travesty. Over the airwaves students' voices are heard through Texas Student Television (K29HW-D) and KVRX Radio.

The Computer Writing and Research Lab of the university's Department of Rhetoric and Writing also hosts the Blogora, a blog for "connecting rhetoric, rhetorical methods and theories, and rhetoricians with public life" by the Rhetoric Society of America.{{cite web|url=http://rsa.cwrl.utexas.edu/|title=The Blogora – The Blog of The Rhetoric Society of America|access-date=August 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801140923/http://rsa.cwrl.utexas.edu/|archive-date=August 1, 2015}}

File:Bevo 30.jpg]]

Traditions at the University of Texas are perpetuated through several school symbols and mediums. At athletic events, students frequently sing "Texas Fight", the university's fight song{{Cite web |title=History of School and Fight Songs |website=The University of Texas Longhorn Band|url=http://lhb.music.utexas.edu/history/songs_index.html|access-date=October 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615172507/http://lhb.music.utexas.edu/history/songs_index.html|archive-date=June 15, 2006}} while displaying the Hook 'em Horns hand gesture{{Cite web|title= Hook 'em Horns|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/hook-em-horns|access-date=October 29, 2021|website=Handbook of Texas |publisher=TSHA |first1=Andrew |last1=Roush |date= April 11, 2017 }}—the gesture mimicking the horns of the school's mascot, Bevo the Texas Longhorn.

File:Smokey the Canon.jpg fire Smokey the Cannon during a football game.]]

The University of Texas is also represented by the Texas Cowboys, who maintain Smokey, the university's replica 1,200-pound Civil War artillery cannon.{{Cite web |title=Traditions: Smokey the Cannon |url=https://texassports.com/sports/2013/7/28/traditions_0728135646 |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=University of Texas Athletics |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Dukes |first=Chris |date=2020-03-18 |title=Texas Longhorns: The History of Smokey the Cannon |url=https://www.si.com/college/texas/football/texas-longhorns-the-history-of-smokey-the-cannon |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=Sports Illustrated Texas Longhorns News, Analysis and More |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Smokey The Cannon |url=http://www.texascowboys.org/smokey-the-cannon |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=Texas Cowboys |language=en-US}}

{{Main|Texas Longhorns}}

The University of Texas offers a wide variety of varsity and intramural sports programs.

File:Texas entry 2007 Red River Shootout.jpg playing against Oklahoma in the 2007 Red River Rivalry]]

The university's men's and women's athletics teams are nicknamed the Longhorns. Texas has won 50 total national championships,{{cite web|url=http://www.texassports.com/trads/national-championships.html|title=National Championship|publisher=texassports.com|date=April 1, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514170137/http://www.texassports.com/trads/national-championships.html|archive-date=May 14, 2013 }} 42 of which are NCAA national championships.{{cite web|url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/champs_records_book/summaries/combined.pdf|title=Summary: Championships History |access-date=December 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531045646/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/champs_records_book/summaries/combined.pdf|archive-date=May 31, 2011}}

The football team experienced its greatest success under coach Darrell Royal, winning three national championships in 1963, 1969, and 1970. It won a fourth title under head coach Mack Brown in 2005 after a 41–38 victory over previously undefeated Southern California in the 2006 Rose Bowl.

The university's baseball team has made more trips to the College World Series (35) than any other school, and won championships in 1949, 1950, 1975, 1983, 2002, and 2005.{{cite web|url=http://texassports.com/news/2014/6/7/BB_0607145640.aspx?path=baseball|title=Texas Longhorns Athletics – Baseball defeats Houston, 4–0, for record 35th trip to the College World Series|date=June 7, 2014 |publisher=Texassports.com|access-date=December 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141031230441/http://texassports.com/news/2014/6/7/BB_0607145640.aspx?path=baseball|archive-date=October 31, 2014|url-status=live}}

The Texas Longhorns men's basketball has qualified for the NCAA Final Four three times and achieved 28 conference championships and 38 total appearances in the NCAA tournament.{{cite web | url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/texas/men/ | title=Texas Longhorns Men's Basketball Index }}

Rick Barnes led the Texas Longhorns men's basketball from 1998 to 2015. Under his leadership, the team achieved 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Final Four appearance in 2003.https://www.statesman.com/story/sports/college/basketball/2024/03/23/rick-barnes-texas-basketball-coach-record-ncaa-tournament-tennessee-vols-march-madness/73068690007/Rick_Barnes{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Shaka Smart coached the Texas Longhorns men's basketball from 2015 to 2021. While at UT Austin, Smart's teams made 3 NCAA Tournament appearances.{{cite web | url=https://texassports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/shaka-smart/1303 | title=Shaka Smart - Men's Basketball Coach }}

Additionally, the university's men's and women's swimming and diving teams lay claim to sixteen NCAA Division I titles, with the men's team having 13 of those titles, more than any other Division 1 team.[http://www.texassports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=20&url_article_id=1733&change_well_id=2 Texas Longhorns Official Athletic Site] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071110093033/http://texassports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=20&url_article_id=1733&change_well_id=2|date=November 10, 2007 }} The swim team was first developed under Coach Tex Robertson.{{cite web|url=http://www.tsdhof.org/bio-Tex%20Robertson.html|title=Biography – Tex Robertson|access-date=May 24, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129163045/http://www.tsdhof.org/bio-Tex%20Robertson.html|archive-date=November 29, 2010}}

On June 12, 2020, UT student-athletes banded together with their #WeAreOne statement on Twitter. Among the list of changes included: renaming certain campus buildings, replacing statues, starting outreach programs, and replacing "The Eyes of Texas". UT Interim President Jay Hartzell released a statement on July 13, 2020, announcing the changes to be implemented in light of these demands from UT student-athletes. Hartzell said the university would make a multi-million dollar investment to programs that recruit, retain and support Black students; rename the Robert L. Moore Building as the Physics, Math and Astronomy Building; honor Heman M. Sweatt in numerous ways, including placing a statue of Sweatt near the entrance of  T.S. Painter Hall; honor the Precursors, the first Black undergraduates to attend the University of Texas at Austin, by commissioning a new monument on the East Mall; erect a statue for Julius Whittier, the Longhorns' first Black football letterman, at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium; and more. However, one of the most controversial topics on the list – replacing "The Eyes of Texas" as UT's alma mater – remained untouched.{{Cite web|last=Livengood|first=Paul|title=University of Texas announces numerous changes among student-athletes requests, keeps 'The Eyes of Texas'|url=https://www.kvue.com/article/sports/ncaa/longhorns/texas-longhorns-ut-austin-changes-athletes-eyes-of-texas-stays/269-85fd1b0c-c5dd-4d7e-818f-ec5750d3f8ea|access-date=July 20, 2020|website=KVUE|date=July 13, 2020|language=en-US}}

• Further information: Horns Illustrated, print and digital university athletics publication.

{{Main|List of University of Texas at Austin faculty}}

In the fall of 2016, the school employed 3,128 full-time faculty members, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 18.86 to 1. These include{{cite web|url=https://utexas.app.box.com/v/SHB16-17Complete|title=Box|website=utexas.app.box.com|access-date=July 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022073455/https://utexas.app.box.com/v/SHB16-17Complete|archive-date=October 22, 2018|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Top 200 Institutions: National Academy Members|url=http://mup.asu.edu/research_data.html|access-date=August 13, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111031204542/http://mup.asu.edu/research_data.html|archive-date=October 31, 2011}} winners of the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, the National Medal of Science, the National Medal of Technology, the Turing Award, the Primetime Emmy Award, and other various awards.{{cite web|title=Facts & Rankings, College of Natural Sciences|url=http://cns.utexas.edu/about-the-college/facts-rankings|access-date=November 7, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090823044529/http://cns.utexas.edu/about-the-college/facts-rankings|archive-date=August 23, 2009|url-status=live}} Nine Nobel Laureates are or have been affiliated with the University of Texas at Austin. Research expenditures for the university exceeded $679.8 million in fiscal year 2018.{{cite web |title=Table 20. Higher education R&D expenditures, ranked by FY 2018 R&D expenditures: FYs 2009–18 |url=https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/herd/2018/html/herd18-dt-tab020.html |website=ncsesdata.nsf.gov |publisher=National Science Foundation |access-date=July 20, 2020}}{{cite web|title=UT System Research Expenditures|url=https://www.utsystem.edu/sites/default/files/documents/publication/2018/fast-facts-september-2018/fast-facts-09-2018.pdf|access-date=March 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215065810/https://www.utsystem.edu/sites/default/files/documents/publication/2018/fast-facts-september-2018/fast-facts-09-2018.pdf|archive-date=December 15, 2018}}

{{Main|List of University of Texas at Austin alumni}}

Texas Exes is the official University of Texas alumni organization. The Alcalde, founded in 1913 and pronounced "all-call-day", is the university's alumni magazine.

At least 15 graduates have served in the U.S. Senate or U.S. House of Representatives, including Lloyd Bentsen, who served in both Houses.{{cite web|url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B000401|title=Bentsen bio|publisher=U.S. Congress|access-date=July 30, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080731195713/http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B000401|archive-date=July 31, 2008|url-status=live}} Presidential cabinet members include former U.S. Secretaries of State Rex Tillerson, and James Baker,{{cite web|url=http://www.bakerbotts.com/lawyers/detail.aspx?id=a1789334-3f27-48d5-b844-211455e4beff|title=Baker bio|publisher=Baker Botts LLP|access-date=July 30, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528213810/http://www.bakerbotts.com/lawyers/detail.aspx?id=a1789334-3f27-48d5-b844-211455e4beff|archive-date=May 28, 2008}} former U.S. Secretary of Education William J. Bennett, and former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans. Former First Lady Laura Bush and daughter Jenna both graduated from Texas,{{cite news|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/firstlady/flbio.html|title=L. Bush bio|publisher=The White House|access-date=July 30, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214000101/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/firstlady/flbio.html|archive-date=February 14, 2009|url-status=live}} as well as former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson and her eldest daughter Lynda.

In foreign governments, the university has been represented by Fernando Belaúnde Terry (42nd President of Peru) and by Abdullah al-Tariki (co-founder of OPEC). Additionally, the Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority, Salam Fayyad, graduated from the university with a PhD in economics. Tom C. Clark served as United States Attorney General from 1945 to 1949 and as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1949 to 1967.

Alumni in academia include the Nobel Prize-winning immunologist James P. Allison, and the Nobel Prize-winning hematologist E. Donnall Thomas. Additional alumni include 26th president of The College of William & Mary Gene Nichol, the 10th president of Boston University Robert A. Brown,{{cite web|url=http://www.bu.edu/president/biography/|title=Brown bio|publisher=Boston University|access-date=August 1, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011033707/http://www.bu.edu/president/biography/|archive-date=October 11, 2017|url-status=live}} and the 8th president of the University of Southern California John R. Hubbard. The university also graduated Alan Bean, the fourth man to walk on the Moon.

Alumni who have served as business leaders include former Secretary of State and former ExxonMobil Corporation CEO Rex Tillerson, Dell founder and CEO Michael Dell, Morton Meyerson (name sake of the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center) and Gary C. Kelly, a former Southwest Airlines CEO.

In literature and journalism, the school boasts over 25 Pulitzer Prizes credited to alumni and faculty members,{{cite web|url=https://journalism100.utexas.edu/pulitzer/|title=Pulitzer Prize Awardees; Moody College of Communication|publisher=Moody.utexas.edu|access-date=November 22, 2023|archive-date=July 7, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240707045349/http://journalism100.utexas.edu/pulitzer/|url-status=dead}} including Gail Caldwell and Ben Sargent. Walter Cronkite, the former CBS Evening News anchor once called the most trusted man in America, attended the University of Texas at Austin, as did CNN anchor Betty Nguyen. Alumnus J. M. Coetzee also received the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature. Novelist Raymond Benson was the official author of James Bond novels between 1996 and 2002, the only American to be commissioned to pen them. Donna Alvermann, a distinguished research professor at the University of Georgia, department of education also graduated from the University of Texas, as did Wallace Clift and Jean Dalby Clift, authors of several books in the fields of psychology of religion and spiritual growth. Notable alumni authors also include Kovid Gupta, author of several bestselling books, Ruth Cowan Nash, America's first woman war correspondent, and Alireza Jafarzadeh, author of "The Iran Threat: President Ahmadinejad and the Coming Nuclear Crisis" and television commentator.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} Although expelled from the university, former student and The Daily Texan writer John Patric went on to become a noted writer for National Geographic, Reader's Digest, and author of 1940s best-seller Why Japan was Strong.{{cite book|last=Patric|first=John|title=Yankee Hobo in the Orient|edition=8th|location=Florence, OR|publisher=John Patric|year=1945|lccn=47003382|oclc=2044145}}{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

University of Texas at Austin alumni also include 112 Fulbright Scholars,{{cite web |url=https://reports.utexas.edu/ |title=UT Austin by the Numbers |publisher=University of Texas at Austin |access-date=August 22, 2020 }} 31 Rhodes Scholars, 28 Truman Scholars,{{cite web|url=https://www.utexas.edu/cola/progs/lahonors/scholarships/national/truman.php|title=UT College of Liberal Arts|publisher=University of Texas at Austin|access-date=October 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708141636/https://www.utexas.edu/cola/progs/lahonors/scholarships/national/truman.php|archive-date=July 8, 2015|url-status=live}} 23 Marshall Scholars, and nine astronauts.{{cite web|url=http://www.engr.utexas.edu/features/spaceweek2011|title=Contributions in Space: Past and Present – Cockrell School of Engineering|publisher=Engr.utexas.edu|access-date=December 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141202075631/http://www.engr.utexas.edu/features/spaceweek2011|archive-date=December 2, 2014|url-status=live}}

Several musicians and entertainers attended the university. Janis Joplin, the American singer posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame who received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, attended the university,{{cite news|url=http://www.officialjanis.com/bio.html|title=Janis Joplin bio|publisher=Janis Joplin Estate|access-date=June 19, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611160228/http://www.officialjanis.com/bio.html|archive-date=June 11, 2008}} as did February 1955 Playboy Playmate of the Month and Golden Globe recipient Jayne Mansfield.{{cite web|url=http://www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Mansfield__Jayne.html|title=Jayne Mansfield|publisher=Pennsylvania State University|access-date=May 7, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617012938/http://www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Mansfield__Jayne.html|archive-date=June 17, 2009|url-status=live}} Composer Harold Morris is a 1910 graduate. Noted film director, cinematographer, writer, and editor Robert Rodriguez is a Longhorn, as are actors Eli Wallach and Matthew McConaughey, the latter of which now teaches a class at the university.{{cite web|last=Samuels|first=Alexandra|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/college/2016/07/01/its-true-matthew-mcconaughey-is-teaching-a-film-class-at-u-of-texas/37419303/|title=It's true: Matthew McConaughey is teaching a film class at U. of Texas|website=USA TODAY|access-date=January 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190117014836/https://www.usatoday.com/story/college/2016/07/01/its-true-matthew-mcconaughey-is-teaching-a-film-class-at-u-of-texas/37419303/|archive-date=January 17, 2019|url-status=live}} Founding members of psychedelic rock band The Bright Light Social Hour Jackie O'Brien and Curtis Roush both received master's degrees from the university in 2009 while completing their debut self-titled album.{{cite web|url=https://qromag.com/the-bright-light-social-hour-the-tontons/ |title=The Bright Light Social Hour and The Tontons |publisher=qromag.com |date=2014-02-22 |accessdate=2024-10-17}}

Kendall Ross Bean completed his Master of Music Degree in Piano Performance in 1982. As a master piano rebuilder and concert pianist, Bean first performed on a piano he rebuilt in one of the first classical music videos to be broadcast across the United States on the A&E Network which in 1985 had 18 million cable viewers. This broadcast coincided with MTV emerging as a medium for record production companies to use music videos to promote the albums of Rock and Pop stars. The novelty of a classical music video featuring a solo pianist and the inside view of piano hammers hitting strings, contrasted to the high production rock music videos caught media attention from coast to coast. The video was titled: Kendall Ross Bean: Chopin Polonaise in A Flat.

Karen Earle Lile, niece of Tony Terran, received her Bachelor of Arts Degree with Highest Honors in English in 1982. She is the Art Director/Executive Producer for the USPS Building Bridges Special Postal Cancellation Series and a Talk Show host for Sail Sport Talk on Sports Byline USA, a record producer{{cite journal |title=One-of-a-Kind Recording Project Fills Fantasy Studios: Karen Lile, an independent executive producer and co-owner of Piano Finders brings together Grammy winners and top producers for one special benefit album |journal=Music Trades Magazine |date=December 2018 |volume=Published continuously since 1890 |issue=The Global Issue |pages=40–42}}{{cite news |last1=Witt |first1=Fred |title=2 Weeks Inside Studio D, of Fantasy Studios |url=https://kcsm.org/jazz91/blog/2-weeks-inside-studio-d-of-fantasy-studios/ |access-date=18 Dec 2020 |publisher=KCSM Jazz News |date=18 Feb 2019 |archive-date=October 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014084301/https://kcsm.org/jazz91/blog/2-weeks-inside-studio-d-of-fantasy-studios/ }}

at Fantasy Studios and the historian who discovered the provenance of the Lost Lennon piano,{{cite news |last1=Gregorian |first1=Dareh |title=LENNON'S PAL WANTS $1.6M FOR 'LOST' PIANO |url=https://nypost.com/2000/05/28/lennons-pal-wants-1-6m-for-lost-piano/ |access-date=5 September 2023 |publisher=New York Post |date=28 May 2000}} afterwards known as the Lennon-Ono-Green-Warhol piano.{{cite news |last1=Fusek |first1=Maggie |title=Lennon, Ono, Warhol Linked To Lost Baldwin by Bay Area Experts: The story behind the iconic Lennon-Ono-Green-Warhol piano valued over $3 million and how a Walnut Creek-based pair proved its authenticity. |url=https://patch.com/california/walnutcreek/lennon-ono-warhol-linked-lost-baldwin-bay-area-experts |access-date=4 September 2023 |publisher=Patch |date=2 September 2023}}

Robert Rodriguez dropped out of the university after two years to pursue his career in Hollywood, but completed his degree from the Radio-Television-Film department on May 23, 2009. Rodriguez also gave the keynote address at the university-wide commencement ceremony. Radio-Television-Film alumni Mark Dennis and Ben Foster took their award-winning feature film, Strings, to the American film festival circuit in 2011. Web and television actress Felicia Day and film actress Renée Zellweger attended the university. Day graduated with degrees in music performance (violin) and mathematics, while Zellweger graduated with a BA in English. Writer and recording artist Phillip Sandifer graduated with a degree in history. Michael "Burnie" Burns is an actor, writer, film director and film producer who graduated with a degree in computer science.{{cite web|last=McKinzie|first=Weldon|url=http://vega.tr.txstate.edu/node/4801|title=Burnie Burns Kicks Off Mass Comm Week|publisher=The University Star|date=October 18, 2011|access-date=January 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202124517/http://vega.tr.txstate.edu/node/4801|archive-date=February 2, 2014}} He, along with graduate Matt Hullum, also founded the Austin-based production company Rooster Teeth, that produces many hit shows, including the award-winning Internet series, Red vs. Blue. Farrah Fawcett, one of the original Charlie's Angels, left after her junior year to pursue a modeling career. Actor Owen Wilson and writer/director Wes Anderson attended the university, where they wrote Bottle Rocket together, which became Anderson's first feature film. Writer and producer Charles Olivier is a Longhorn. So too are filmmakers and actors Mark Duplass and his brother Jay Duplass, key contributors to the mumblecore film genre. Another notable writer, Rob Thomas graduated with a BA in history in 1987 and later wrote the young adult novel Rats Saw God and created the series Veronica Mars. Illustrator, writer and alum Felicia Bond{{cite web|title=Felicia Bond|author=|url=http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/11820/Felicia_Bond/index.aspx|access-date=April 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140402042446/http://harpercollins.com/authors/11820/Felicia_Bond/index.aspx|archive-date=April 2, 2014}} is best known for her illustrations in the If You Give... children's books series, starting with If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Taiwanese singer-songwriter, producer, actress Cindy Yen (birth name Cindy Wu) graduated with double degrees in music (piano performance) and broadcast journalism in 2008. Noted composer and arranger Jack Cooper received his D.M.A. in 1999 from the University of Texas at Austin in composition and has gone on to teach in higher education and become known internationally through the music publishing industry. Actor Trevante Rhodes competed as a sprinter for the Longhorns and graduated with a BS in Applied Learning and Development in 2012. In 2016, he starred as Chiron in the Academy Award- and Golden Globe-winning film Moonlight.

Many alumni have found success in professional sports. Legendary pro football coach Tom Landry attended the university as an industrial engineering major but interrupted his education after a semester to serve in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. Following the war, he returned to the university and played fullback and defensive back on the Longhorns' bowl-game winners on New Year's Day of 1948 and 1949. Seven-time Cy Young Award-winner Roger Clemens entered the MLB after helping the Longhorns win the 1983 College World Series.{{cite web|url=http://www.rogerclemensonline.com/bio1.htm|title=Clemens bio|access-date=July 30, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080708194518/http://www.rogerclemensonline.com/bio1.htm|archive-date=July 8, 2008 }} NBA MVP and four-time scoring champion Kevin Durant entered the 2007 NBA draft and was selected second overall behind Greg Oden, after sweeping National Player of the Year honors, becoming the first freshman to win any of the awards. After becoming the first freshman in school history to lead Texas in scoring and being named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Daniel Gibson entered the 2006 NBA draft and was selected in the second round by the Cleveland Cavaliers. In his one year at Texas, golfer Jordan Spieth led the University of Texas Golf club to the NCAA Men's Golf Championship in 2012 and went on to win The Masters Tournament three years after leaving the university.{{cite web|url=http://www.jordanspiethgolf.com/article/the-university-of-texas-honors-longhorn-jordan-spieth|title=The University of Texas Honors Longhorn Jordan Spieth|publisher=PERFECT SENSE|access-date=October 11, 2018|first=Joe|last=Fern|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012134723/http://www.jordanspiethgolf.com/article/the-university-of-texas-honors-longhorn-jordan-spieth|archive-date=October 12, 2018|url-status=live}} Several Olympic medalists have also attended the school, including 2008 Summer Olympics athletes Ian Crocker (swimming world record holder and two-time Olympic gold medalist) and 4 × 400 m relay defending Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards.{{cite web|url=http://swimming.teamusa.org/athlete/athlete/856|title=Crocker bio|access-date=July 30, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080730061802/http://swimming.teamusa.org/athlete/athlete/856|archive-date=July 30, 2008}}{{cite web|url=http://www.sanyarichards.net/flash.html|title=Richards bio|access-date=July 30, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723143428/http://www.sanyarichards.net/flash.html|archive-date=July 23, 2008 }} Mary Lou Retton (the first female gymnast outside Eastern Europe to win the Olympic all-around title, five-time Olympic medalist, and 1984 Sports Illustrated Sportswoman of the Year) also attended the university.{{cite web|url=http://womenshistory.about.com/od/olympics/p/mary_lou_retton.htm|title=Retton bio|work=About.com Education |access-date=July 30, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080823000121/http://womenshistory.about.com/od/olympics/p/mary_lou_retton.htm|archive-date=August 23, 2008|url-status=live}} Garrett Weber-Gale, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and world record-holder in two events, was a swimmer for the school. Also an alumnus is Dr. Robert Cade, the inventor of the sports drink Gatorade. In big, global philanthropy, the university is honored by Darren Walker, president of Ford Foundation. 2022 and 2024 Masters Tournament champion, Scottie Scheffler, attended the university, where he was an All-American Golfer for the Longhorns.

Other notable alumni include prominent businessman Red McCombs, Diane Pamela Wood, the first female chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, chemist Donna J. Nelson, and neuroscientist Tara Spires-Jones. Also an alumnus is Admiral William H. McRaven, credited for organizing and executing Operation Neptune's Spear, the special ops raid that led to the death of Osama bin Laden.{{cite news|title=Adm. William McRaven: The terrorist hunter on whose shoulders Osama bin Laden raid rested|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=May 4, 2011|access-date=August 27, 2023|first=Craig|last=Whitlock|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/adm-william-mcraven-the-terrorist-hunter-on-whose-shoulders-osama-bin-laden-raid-rested/2011/05/04/AFsEv4rF_story.html}} Oveta Culp Hobby, the first woman to earn the rank of a colonel in the United States Army, first commanding officer and director of the Women's Army Corps, first secretary of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare attended the university as well. Erika Thompson is a well-known beekeeper.

File:Greg Abbott 2015.jpg|Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas

File:James P. Allison EM1B5525 (46207775441).jpg|James P. Allison, Nobel Prize-winning immunologist

File:JamesBaker.jpeg|James Baker, former White House Chief of Staff and Secretary of State

File:LloydBentsen.jpg|Lloyd Bentsen, Secretary of the Treasury

File:Official portrait of Associate Justice Tom C. Clark, Supreme Court of the United States (cropped).jpg|Tom C. Clark, Attorney General and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court

File:J. M. Coetzee Nov 2023 headshot.jpg|J. M. Coetzee, novelist and Nobel laureate

File:Kevin_Durant_(Wizards_v._Warriors,_1-24-2019)_(cropped).jpg|Kevin Durant, 14-time NBA All-Star

File:Matthew McConaughey - Goldene Kamera 2014 - Berlin.jpg|Matthew McConaughey, Academy Award-winning actor

File:Jordan Spieth after winning the 2015 U.S. Open.png|Jordan Spieth, professional golfer

File:Edward Donnall "Don" Thomas.jpg|E. Donnall Thomas, Nobel Prize-winning hematologist

File:Rex Tillerson official portrait.jpg|Rex Tillerson, Secretary of State

File:Neil_deGrasse_Tyson_in_June_2017_(cropped).jpg|Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist

File:Owen_Wilson_Cannes_2011.jpg|Owen Wilson, actor

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