University of Texas at Austin Continues Upward Trend with Historic Increases in Applications, Enrollment, and Graduations

Student demand and performance at The University of Texas at Austin continue to reach all-time highs, according to data collected on the 12th class day of the Fall 2024 term. The number of freshman applications increased by 10% for the second straight year, and enrollment reached a record high for the third consecutive year. This year’s four-year graduation rate, based on students who began college with remote learning during the pandemic, continued a decadelong upward trend.

• A record 72,885 students submitted freshman applications for Fall 2024, an increase of 10.2% from the previous year.
• Total enrollment rose to 53,864 students, a 1.5% increase from last year’s record.
• This year’s entering freshman class of 9,210 is the second-largest class ever.
• First-year undergraduate retention tied its all-time high of 96.7%.
• The four-year graduation rate climbed to 74.8%, surpassing the record set during the previous year, and nearly 23 percentage points higher than the 52.0% in 2013.
• Four-year graduation rates for Pell-eligible, first-generation, Black and Hispanic students continue to outpace the 10-year gains of all students.

“Opportunity, excellence and results drive demand,” said UT President Jay Hartzell. “We continue to hire great faculty, create new and unique academic opportunities for incoming students, offer a vibrant campus in a thriving city and state, and find new ways to make a first-class education more affordable. As a result, demand for The University of Texas is stronger than ever, and once students arrive, they are performing better than ever, graduating sooner, taking on less debt, launching their careers, and creating more room for additional students to come and be part of this community.”

Changes in Pell Student Graduation Rates Outpace the Pack

Since 2020, increases in UT’s four-year graduation rates for Pell-eligible students have outpaced the increase of all undergraduates. During this time, the graduation rate for all undergraduates increased by 2.6 percentage points, while the graduation rates for Pell-eligible (67.5%) increased by 3.6 percentage points.

Affordability is a driver of student performance, decreasing student time commitment to part-time jobs and increasing access to on-campus housing, where students statistically perform better.

Programs such as UT for Me — powered by Dell Scholars and Texas Advance Commitment — have contributed to significantly lowering the cost of attendance, particularly for Pell-eligible students. The average net tuition for UT undergraduate students has dropped to $4,152, 28.6% below average net tuition just four years ago and 35% of the listed cost. The University’s housing affordability scholarship, now in its second year, has made campus housing more affordable for students with the greatest financial need, awarding up to $2,300 in annual assistance to pay for UT-owned housing.

Decade-Plus of Unprecedented Gains in Graduation Rates

Fall 2024 completes a decade-plus of unprecedented gains in graduation-rate success, including dramatic increases in retention and graduation rates for students across all ethnicities and socioeconomic groups attributed to campuswide student success programs launched in 2012–2013.