Public higher education in Texas, and at UT, is still a great value. Our tuition is eighth among our 12-member national comparison group. The average amount of student debt is relatively low, and we continue to be listed as a good value by Kiplinger's and other publications.

—William Powers Jr.

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Tuition Costs

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Fall/Spring 2011-12 Tuition Costs

The tuition charged is in part dependent on the amount of state support received by the institution. In the early 1970s the state paid for nearly 85 percent of the cost of running the educational side of The University of Texas at Austin.

Today, the state-appropriated fraction of the total budget for UT Austin is below 20 percent. The growing gap between what it costs to run the university and what the state is able to contribute has been covered in part by private donations, efficiency and other actions taken by the university.

However, if the university is to maintain delivery of the quality of education for which it has become known, it determined it had to ask the students attending the university to pay for an increasing share of that gap.

The University of Texas at Austin’s tuition places it well below tuition at comparable universities, and the university continues to be a nationally recognized great value in higher education.

Undergraduate Student Costs

Flat Tuition Rates for Full-time UT Undergraduates
2011-12 Long Session (One Semester Only)

 
Resident
Early Nonresident (Entered Spring 2004 or Earlier)
Intermediate Nonresident (Entered Summer 2004 through Spring 2006)
New Nonresident (Entered Summer
2006 or Later)
Architecture
4,938
11,227
11,845
16,645
Business
5,369
11,668
12,260
17,824
Communication
4,832
11,059
11,644
15,995
Education
4,839
11,086
11,671
16,026
Engineering
5,107
11,266
11,848
16,835
Fine Arts
5,005
11,234
11,825
16,578
Geosciences
5,039
11,582
12,194
16,892
Liberal Arts
4,673
11,003
11,598
15,551
Natural Sciences
4,848
11,100
11,686
16,048
Nursing
5,181
11,664
12,288
17,485
Social Work
4,894
11,742
12,342
16,335
Undergraduate Studies
4,908
n/a
n/a
16,297

Note: For undergraduate pharmacy rates, consult the table for Graduate Tuition Rates 2011-12 [PDF].

Details about Undergraduate Tuition Costs

Graduate Student Costs

Graduate, law and professional students will be charged flat rate tuition beginning fall 2008. As with undergraduates, the flat rate tuition for each college covers the student’s academic program costs, including tuition, mandatory fees and charges, and college and course incidental fees.

The graduate flat rate tuition, however, will differ from the undergraduate flat rate tuition in that it is indexed to the number of semester credit hours taken. In other words, the rates do not have a cap.

The graduate flat rate tuition does not include the general property deposit, the international student health insurance program fee, the international student orientation fee, the independent study and research fee or fees for extended trips that require students to live off campus.

Students enrolled in joint degree programs will be charged a flat rate tuition that is proportional to the number of hours taken in each program. Rates for these dual-degree programs (PDF) are available online.

Details about Graduate Tuition Costs

Summer 2011 Tuition Costs

During the summer session, coursework is less expensive than during the long sessions.

For all students, the rule is that coursework taken during the summer will cost 85 percent of what the same coursework would have cost during the long sessions. For example, for an undergraduate in Liberal Arts paying resident tuition, the following table compares the cost for three and six hours:

  Long Sessions Summer Savings
Cost for three hours
$1,977
$1,680
$297
Cost for six hours
$2,920
$2,482
$438

Summer Enhancement Program

The Provost's Office debuted a program to expand and improve course offerings at The University of Texas at Austin for summer 2011. Learn more about the Summer Enhancement Program.

Tuition Rebates

An undergraduate may be eligible for a tuition rebate of up to $1,000 if, at graduation, he or she has attempted no more than three semester hours beyond the minimum number of hours required for the degree.

Learn more about tuition rebates for undergraduates.

Historical Tuition Costs

Average Total Academic Cost for Resident Undergraduates Enrolled
for 15 Semester Credit Hours at The University of Texas at Austin

Fall 2004 Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Fall 2009 Fall 2010 Estimated
Fall 2011
$3,500
$3,643
$4,012
$4,065
$4,254
$4,468
$4,708
$4,897

Tuition Charts Over the Years

Cost of Tuition Nationally

View complete comparison chart for 2010-11 undergraduate and graduate academic costs among peer institutions (PDF).

More details on the cost of tuition nationally:

More Resources

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