Some of America’s almost-best publics still have high acceptance rates!

[Anonymous]

You do know OOS students apply tons of state schools. None of my three kids wanted to go instate and private is expensive.

Each applied around 10 OOS schools. And all three went to one. So they turned down 90 percent of OOS schools accepted.

Pretty common. Penn and Pitt are very cheap with Merit Aid so way have to admit OOS full pay. I bet they have to way over admit full pay OOS. Two kids applied both Penn and Pitt and both offered zero aid after acceptance.

JMU all three applied as a safety for OOS and all three said no. Does not make them bad.

[Anonymous]

UT Austin is impossible of state. My 2025 kid was admitted to 2 Ivies, 2 other top private schools, UNC, Michigan, and Berkeley (all OOS) and was flat out rejected from Texas. And this was for an obscure humanities major.

I know a bunch of other kids like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone noticed that some of the best (but not “very best”) public universities still have high acceptance rates in 2025?

Two of the most shocking are Illinois and Washington, some of the best research stem schools with global brands, but the acceptance rate is 40%.

UT Austin’s acceptance rate is 30%, and had many great departments across the board, most of which match or surpass UVa/UNC

Wisconsin is the most shocking of all, with a 40% acceptance rate, despite a distinguished history.

If you put any of these “A-“ publics up against privates such as Vanderbilt or Washu, they are academically competitive but the acceptance rate for the ladder two are much lower.

Not relevant for impacted majors. I know in-state kids at Rice, MIT, Princeton who were denied their major at UT McCombs or engineering. And, of course not impressive to the DCUM crowd, Emory, Rhodes, Tulane, and Vanderbilt.

On the other hand, it seems pretty easy to transfer into UT as a sophomore. Know a handful of kids outside of the auto admit who are in at UT from community college, Clemson, DePaul as a sophomore this year. Can't speak to major or school.

How did Rhodes get snuck in here? Even Tulane is a stretch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone noticed that some of the best (but not “very best”) public universities still have high acceptance rates in 2025?

Two of the most shocking are Illinois and Washington, some of the best research stem schools with global brands, but the acceptance rate is 40%.

UT Austin’s acceptance rate is 30%, and had many great departments across the board, most of which match or surpass UVa/UNC

Wisconsin is the most shocking of all, with a 40% acceptance rate, despite a distinguished history.

If you put any of these “A-“ publics up against privates such as Vanderbilt or Washu, they are academically competitive but the acceptance rate for the ladder two are much lower.

Not relevant for impacted majors. I know in-state kids at Rice, MIT, Princeton who were denied their major at UT McCombs or engineering. And, of course not impressive to the DCUM crowd, Emory, Rhodes, Tulane, and Vanderbilt.

On the other hand, it seems pretty easy to transfer into UT as a sophomore. Know a handful of kids outside of the auto admit who are in at UT from community college, Clemson, DePaul as a sophomore this year. Can't speak to major or school.

Two of those schools are not like the others.

DCUM never disappoints

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone noticed that some of the best (but not “very best”) public universities still have high acceptance rates in 2025?

Two of the most shocking are Illinois and Washington, some of the best research stem schools with global brands, but the acceptance rate is 40%.

UT Austin’s acceptance rate is 30%, and had many great departments across the board, most of which match or surpass UVa/UNC

Wisconsin is the most shocking of all, with a 40% acceptance rate, despite a distinguished history.

If you put any of these “A-“ publics up against privates such as Vanderbilt or Washu, they are academically competitive but the acceptance rate for the ladder two are much lower.

Ok, but at Illinois you must apply directly to the schools of engineering, comp sci (housed in engineering), and business. Admission rates will vary from about 7% to 20% depending on major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone noticed that some of the best (but not “very best”) public universities still have high acceptance rates in 2025?

Two of the most shocking are Illinois and Washington, some of the best research stem schools with global brands, but the acceptance rate is 40%.

UT Austin’s acceptance rate is 30%, and had many great departments across the board, most of which match or surpass UVa/UNC

Wisconsin is the most shocking of all, with a 40% acceptance rate, despite a distinguished history.

If you put any of these “A-“ publics up against privates such as Vanderbilt or Washu, they are academically competitive but the acceptance rate for the ladder two are much lower.

UT oos admit rate is about 5%. Way tougher oos admit than UVA, Michigan, or the Cal schools…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone noticed that some of the best (but not “very best”) public universities still have high acceptance rates in 2025?

Two of the most shocking are Illinois and Washington, some of the best research stem schools with global brands, but the acceptance rate is 40%.

UT Austin’s acceptance rate is 30%, and had many great departments across the board, most of which match or surpass UVa/UNC

Wisconsin is the most shocking of all, with a 40% acceptance rate, despite a distinguished history.

If you put any of these “A-“ publics up against privates such as Vanderbilt or Washu, they are academically competitive but the acceptance rate for the ladder two are much lower.

Not relevant for impacted majors. I know in-state kids at Rice, MIT, Princeton who were denied their major at UT McCombs or engineering. And, of course not impressive to the DCUM crowd, Emory, Rhodes, Tulane, and Vanderbilt.

On the other hand, it seems pretty easy to transfer into UT as a sophomore. Know a handful of kids outside of the auto admit who are in at UT from community college, Clemson, DePaul as a sophomore this year. Can't speak to major or school.

How did Rhodes get snuck in here? Even Tulane is a stretch.

What are you nattering on about with "snuck in"? It's an alphabetical listing of schools that auto admit kids I know who weren't admitted to their major at UT are attending. I could have added Emory and St. Andrews. Top 5%, solid SATs, decent ECs. No, not in the Ivy or MIT band but kids declining UT college of liberal arts for these other choices. Anyway, would love to know your perspective on Rhodes. I have a Harvard JD colleague with a Rhodes undergrad. My daughter's pediatrician attended Rhodes. When my kids were applying we took a hard look. Not perfect, finances a bit iffy, but good outcomes.

[Anonymous]

If you are not from Texas your chances to being admitted to UT’s Business School is slim to none. My kid was accepted to Wharton, UC Berkeley and MIT and denied at UT. 1580/36 3.9 UW

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone noticed that some of the best (but not “very best”) public universities still have high acceptance rates in 2025?

Two of the most shocking are Illinois and Washington, some of the best research stem schools with global brands, but the acceptance rate is 40%.

UT Austin’s acceptance rate is 30%, and had many great departments across the board, most of which match or surpass UVa/UNC

Wisconsin is the most shocking of all, with a 40% acceptance rate, despite a distinguished history.

If you put any of these “A-“ publics up against privates such as Vanderbilt or Washu, they are academically competitive but the acceptance rate for the ladder two are much lower.

Not relevant for impacted majors. I know in-state kids at Rice, MIT, Princeton who were denied their major at UT McCombs or engineering. And, of course not impressive to the DCUM crowd, Emory, Rhodes, Tulane, and Vanderbilt.

On the other hand, it seems pretty easy to transfer into UT as a sophomore. Know a handful of kids outside of the auto admit who are in at UT from community college, Clemson, DePaul as a sophomore this year. Can't speak to major or school.

Two of those schools are not like the others.

Agreed. Vanderbilt and Tulane are much better than the others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UT Austin is impossible of state. My 2025 kid was admitted to 2 Ivies, 2 other top private schools, UNC, Michigan, and Berkeley (all OOS) and was flat out rejected from Texas. And this was for an obscure humanities major.

I know a bunch of other kids like this.

My kid was accepted. But knowing they accept almost 50% in-state made it less attractive for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone noticed that some of the best (but not “very best”) public universities still have high acceptance rates in 2025?

Two of the most shocking are Illinois and Washington, some of the best research stem schools with global brands, but the acceptance rate is 40%.

UT Austin’s acceptance rate is 30%, and had many great departments across the board, most of which match or surpass UVa/UNC

Wisconsin is the most shocking of all, with a 40% acceptance rate, despite a distinguished history.

If you put any of these “A-“ publics up against privates such as Vanderbilt or Washu, they are academically competitive but the acceptance rate for the ladder two are much lower.

UT oos admit rate is about 5%. Way tougher oos admit than UVA, Michigan, or the Cal schools…

Who cares...their overall is over 30%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are not from Texas your chances to being admitted to UT’s Business School is slim to none. My kid was accepted to Wharton, UC Berkeley and MIT and denied at UT. 1580/36 3.9 UW

UT definitely would have been more fun than the others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are not from Texas your chances to being admitted to UT’s Business School is slim to none. My kid was accepted to Wharton, UC Berkeley and MIT and denied at UT. 1580/36 3.9 UW

UT definitely would have been more fun than the others.

Sure, but his lifestyle after UG will definitely be better at the others….

[Anonymous]

When you apply for a job no one asks whether you got in from in state or out of state. They just kind of average it out. So being one of the tiny number of people who got in from out of state doesn't make you extra special. Not that the in state kids are dumb - it is also very hard. But not the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone noticed that some of the best (but not “very best”) public universities still have high acceptance rates in 2025?

Two of the most shocking are Illinois and Washington, some of the best research stem schools with global brands, but the acceptance rate is 40%.

UT Austin’s acceptance rate is 30%, and had many great departments across the board, most of which match or surpass UVa/UNC

Wisconsin is the most shocking of all, with a 40% acceptance rate, despite a distinguished history.

If you put any of these “A-“ publics up against privates such as Vanderbilt or Washu, they are academically competitive but the acceptance rate for the ladder two are much lower.

UT oos admit rate is about 5%. Way tougher oos admit than UVA, Michigan, or the Cal schools…

Who cares...their overall is over 30%.

Don’t be an idiot. In state accounts for 80% of the admitted students. And guess what you knucklehead. 90% of those are kids in the top 6% of their Texas HS. If you are not , then you are most likely not applying to UT. OMG…

over 30% overall acceptance rate and 50% in-state. Sorry, not elite.