University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) – Programs & Admissions 2026

The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD / UT Dallas) is a public R1 research university in Richardson, Texas — part of the UT System — with 29,886 students from 150+ countries, a 65% acceptance rate, and in-state tuition of $14,644/year.

UTD is ranked #3 Best Public University in Texas by US News and #1 in Texas for international students (IIE Open Doors). The Academic Excellence Scholarship (AES) — automatically considered at admission — unlocks Texas in-state tuition rates for ANY non-resident recipient.

The Eugene McDermott Scholars Program is a full-ride covering tuition, housing, meals, and up to $15,000 for study abroad — open to international students. Here’s everything you need to know.

What Is the University of Texas at Dallas?

UT Dallas has one of the most unusual origin stories of any major American research university. It was founded in 1961 as a private research arm of Texas Instruments — the semiconductor company that co-invented the integrated circuit and helped launch the modern electronics industry. The facility, originally called the Graduate Research Center of the Southwest, was established by Texas Instruments founders Erik Jonsson, Cecil Green, and Eugene McDermott specifically to advance scientific research in North Texas. It became part of the University of Texas System in 1969, opening its doors to undergraduate students for the first time.

That founding DNA — industry-connected, research-first, engineering-focused — still shapes UTD’s identity today. The university is strategically embedded in the Dallas–Fort Worth technology corridor, surrounded by the headquarters or major operations of AT&T, Cisco, Ericsson, Samsung, Fujitsu, Texas Instruments, and dozens of other technology companies. Students at UTD are not studying technology in isolation — they’re studying in a region that is actively building it.

UTD is classified as an R1 Doctoral University — Highest Research Activity by the Carnegie Classification. It is the largest public university in the Dallas area and the northernmost institution of the University of Texas System. The university offers more than 160 academic programs at undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels across seven schools.

UTD is fully accredited by SACSCOC, with AACSB (Naveen Jindal School of Management), ABET (Engineering and Computer Science), and other professional program accreditations.

University of Texas at Dallas at a Glance — Key Facts

Programs and Schools at UT Dallas

UTD offers over 160 academic programs across seven schools — a focused catalog built around the university’s core strengths in technology, business, and science:

1. Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science (ABET) — Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science; UTD’s most enrolled and most nationally recognized school
2. Naveen Jindal School of Management (AACSB) — BBA, MBA, MS in Business Analytics, MS in Finance, MS in Information Technology Management, MS in Healthcare Management; AACSB-accredited
3. School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics — Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Biochemistry, Neuroscience
4. School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences — Psychology, Neuroscience, Criminology, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Human Development and Early Childhood
5. School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication (ATEC) — Unique interdisciplinary school combining arts, design, animation, game development, and emerging technology — one of UTD’s most distinctive offerings
6. School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences — Economics, Political Science, Public Policy, Sociology, Criminology, International Political Economy
7. School of Interdisciplinary Studies (Hobson Wildenthal Honors College) — Interdisciplinary bachelor’s degree programs and the Collegium V honors track

Most Popular Programs for International Students

UTD’s most in-demand programs — particularly for international graduate students — reflect the university’s tech and business strengths:

• MS in Computer Science — UTD’s most enrolled graduate program; strong industry connections to the DFW tech corridor
• MS in Business Analytics — leveraging Jindal School’s AACSB credentials and DFW’s data-driven industries
• MS in Information Technology Management — practical IT management skills for the tech sector
• MBA (Naveen Jindal) — full-time and online formats; AACSB-accredited; DFW corporate recruiting access
• MS in Electrical Engineering — supported by Samsung, Texas Instruments, and Ericsson nearby
• MS in Finance — strong placement into DFW financial services firms
• MS in Healthcare Management — growing program tied to DFW’s expanding healthcare sector

ATEC — UTD’s Most Unique School

The School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication (ATEC) is UTD’s most distinctive program offering — a school that genuinely integrates creative arts with cutting-edge technology. Programs in animation, game development, interaction design, and emerging media sit alongside more traditional arts and communication degrees in a curriculum designed for the creative technology industry. The game development program in particular draws students interested in careers at the intersection of technology and entertainment — an industry well-represented in the broader DFW region.

Nobel Prize Connection

UTD’s research DNA is reflected in its most distinguished alumni: Aziz Sancar, Ph.D., a faculty member and alumnus who received his Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2015 for his work on DNA repair mechanisms — research with direct implications for cancer treatment. The Sancar connection is a point of genuine institutional pride and reflects UTD’s R1 research status tangibly.

UTD Tuition and Cost of Attendance

Graduate Tuition

Guaranteed vs. Variable Tuition Plan

UTD offers two tuition structures for undergraduates — an important and often overlooked option:

• Variable Tuition Plan: Tuition set annually; can change each year. Total 8-semester (4-year) cost is approximately $60,029 at current rates. Lower in early years if rates don’t increase dramatically.
• Guaranteed Tuition Plan: Locks in your tuition rate for the full 4 years. The total 8-semester cost is approximately $65,648. Slightly higher overall but provides complete budget certainty — no surprise increases.

The Guaranteed Plan is worth seriously considering for students who want predictable budgeting across four years, particularly international students managing currency exchange and family financial planning.

Cost of Living in Richardson

Richardson is one of the most affordable suburbs in the DFW area — and one of the most convenient for UTD students. Key cost facts:

• Off-campus apartments near UTD: $800–$1,200/month (shared arrangements often lower)
• Richardson’s proximity to Indian grocery stores, restaurants, and cultural infrastructure makes it a preferred location for Indian international students specifically.
• Plano (adjacent) has newer apartment complexes with more amenities at slightly higher prices.
• Campus shuttle and DART rail connections reduce the need for a car for most students.s

UTD Scholarships — Key Programs

Academic Excellence Scholarship (AES) — Automatic + In-State Tuition Waiver

The AES is UTD’s most important financial aid mechanism — and the most critical one for international students to understand:

• Automatic consideration — all on-time freshman applicants with completed admission files by December 1 are automatically reviewed for AES. No separate scholarship application required.
• AES review is holistic — GPA, test scores (if submitted), essays, and extracurricular involvement all factor in.
• Awards range in amount — sometimes up to or exceeding full in-state tuition.
• KEY FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: Any level of AES automatically qualifies non-Texas residents for in-state tuition rates — saving approximately $25,500/year compared to out-of-state rates.
• AES stacks with most external scholarships and need-based aid.
• AES does NOT stack with the McDermott or National Merit packages (recipients choose between them).
• Renewable for up to 8 semesters with a maintained GPA of 3.0+ and satisfactory progress toward the degree.
• Students admitted without AES may still qualify for the UT Dallas Top 10% Scholarship (for Texas residents in the top 10% of their high school class).

Eugene McDermott Scholars Program — Full Ride, Open to International Students

The McDermott Scholars Program is one of the most prestigious and generous undergraduate merit scholarships at any public university in the United States — and it is explicitly open to both domestic and international students:

• Full tuition and mandatory fees are covered
• Housing stipends (first-year Honors Housing or University Village)
• Living expense stipends (COMET UNLIMITED Meal Plan each semester)
• Up to $15,000 for study abroad and other engagement activities
• Funding for second and third summer activities (service, research, internship, study abroad)
• Mentorship and a cohort of 16–20 scholars per year with a global McDermott alumni network
• Cohort travel to Santa Fe, Austin, and Washington, D.C.
• Membership in the Collegium V Honors program
• Awarded for 11 semesters (4 years + summers)

Eligibility: First-time freshman applicants only (no transfers, no gap years). Must be in the top academic tenth of the UT Dallas entering class. The McDermott application is a separate process from the UT Dallas admission application:

• Submit the UT Dallas application (and receive a NetID) well before December 1
• Complete the separate McDermott application via the program portal: essays, résumé, 2 letters of recommendation
• Finalists invited to a virtual event (February) and campus interviews (February–March)
• Approximately 16–20 Scholars selected annually — extremely competitive
• Open to international students — no, FAFSA is not required for the McDermott award (it is purely merit-based)

Note for international students: The McDermott Award covers tuition, fees, housing, and meals — but does NOT cover additional costs specific to international students such as required health insurance, administrative fees, and additional tax obligations. These additional costs are the student’s responsibility.

National Merit Scholarship Package

For National Merit Finalists who designate UTD as their first-choice institution with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation:

• Competitive package administered through the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College
• Includes AES-level support plus additional National Merit funding
• Automatic membership in the Collegium V Honors program
• Contact the Honors College for current award amounts and requirements
• Note: National Merit package does NOT stack with the McDermott Scholars Program

Comet Scholars Program — Need + Merit

The Comet Scholars Program awards scholarships to freshmen and transfer students who combine a strong academic record with significant financial need:

• Requires demonstrated financial need (FAFSA for domestic students)
• Recipients also receive dedicated academic support from program staff to assist with the transition to U.TD.
• Primarily targeted at domestic students (FAFSA requirement limits international eligibility)

Artemis Scholarship Portal — All Other Scholarships

After admission, all UTD students gain access to the Artemis Scholarship Portal (utdallas.academicworks.com) — UTD’s centralized scholarship matching system. Completing one general application matches students against available departmental, college-specific, and university-wide scholarships. Seven school-specific scholarship opportunities are accessible through the portal and through individual school websites.

Good Neighbor Scholarship

UTD participates in the Texas Good Neighbor Scholarship — providing a full non-resident tuition exemption to eligible students from Western Hemisphere countries (excluding Cuba and the U.S.) who plan to return home after graduating. 235 awards statewide annually. Contact UTD International Student Services for eligibility and application details.

UTD Acceptance Rate and Admission Requirements

UT Dallas has an acceptance rate of approximately 65% — broadly accessible for a top-3 public university in Texas. Competitive programs (CS, Engineering, Business) may have lower effective acceptance rates for the most popular majors.

Undergraduate Requirements

• Apply via Common App (utdallas.edu/admissions)
• Application fee: $50
• Median SAT: 1,280; Median ACT: 28
• SAT requirement: 1180–1410 range for most programs
• GRE/GMAT is considered for graduate programs
• English proficiency: TOEFL iBT 80+, IELTS 6.5+, Duolingo 110+
• AES consideration deadline: December 1 (complete admission file required)
• Regular admission deadline: May 1 for the fall semester
• Spring admission deadline: October (verify current dates at utdallas.edu)
• Financial documentation required for international applicants

Graduate Requirements

• Application fee: $50–$100 (varies by program)
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
• Minimum GPA: 3.0 for most programs
• GRE: minimum 310/GRE recommended; 650 GMAT for MBA programs
• Letters of recommendation (typically 2–3)
• Statement of purpose
• TOEFL iBT 80+, IELTS 6.5+, or Duolingo 110+ for international applicants
• Graduate application deadlines vary by program — check specific department pages at utdallas.edu

Campus Life at UT Dallas

The Richardson Location Advantage

UTD’s campus in Richardson, Texas, sits at the heart of the Telecom Corridor — a stretch of Route 75 (Central Expressway) between Dallas and Plano that houses the North American headquarters or major operations of Ericsson, Samsung, Cisco, AT&T, Fujitsu, Nokia, Huawei, and dozens of other technology companies. Students literally commute to internships at the companies they studied in class — no relocation, no long commute, just direct access to the world’s technology industry.

The area surrounding UTD is also home to one of the largest and most established South Asian communities in Texas. Indian grocery stores (Patel Brothers, India Bazaar), Indian restaurants, temples (Hindu Samaj Temple, BAPS Swaminarayan), and cultural organizations are within minutes of campus — making Richardson one of the most practically welcoming locations in Texas for Indian international students specifically.

International Student Community — #1 in Texas

UTD is ranked #1 in Texas for international student enrollment by IIE Open Doors — a reflection of the genuine investment the university has made in international student support, community, and career resources. With 4,500+ international students from 150+ countries, the campus culture is genuinely globally diverse in a way that smaller Texas universities cannot replicate.

The International Student Services office provides visa advising, cultural adjustment support, OPT assistance, and connections to the thriving international student alumni network across the DFW tech sector.

Student Organizations — 400+

UTD has over 400 student organizations and 26 fraternity and sorority chapters. Technology and professional organizations are particularly active — robotics, AI, entrepreneurship, debate, and multicultural organizations all have strong chapters at UTD. The Indian Students Association (ISA) at UTD is one of the most active cultural organizations on campus, reflecting the large South Asian student population.

Hobson Wildenthal Honors College and Collegium V

The Hobson Wildenthal Honors College administers Collegium V — UTD’s flagship interdisciplinary honors program. Collegium V students take a specialized sequence of interdisciplinary courses alongside their major coursework, developing analytical breadth that complements technical depth. The program is admission-selective; McDermott Scholars are automatically members. Other students can apply through the Honors College portal after admission to UTD.

Athletics — NCAA Division III

UTD competes at the NCAA Division III level in the American Southwest Conference. The Comets field teams in basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, cross country, tennis, and golf. Division III athletics at UTD means no athletic scholarships in the traditional sense — but it also means student-athletes have a genuinely balanced academic and athletic experience. UTD’s focus is on academic performance above all, and the Division III environment supports that priority.

Career Outcomes — 4,300+ Internships Per Year

UTD’s career outcomes are one of its most compelling selling points. Key facts:

• UTD places over 4,300 students in internships annually — an extraordinary number for a university of its size
• The Telecom Corridor location means students can complete internships at Samsung, Ericsson, AT&T, Cisco, and Texas Instruments while living on or near campus.
• The DFW area hosts 23 Fortune 500 company headquarters — more than any other metro area in the country except New York — creating depth in finance, technology, healthcare, retail, and energy career pipeline.s
• UTD’s Career Management Center (CMC) hosts multiple job fairs, employer networking events, and recruiter visits throughout the year — major tech companies recruit heavily from UTD’s engineering and CS programs
• Median alumni salary at 10 years: ~$65,793; CS and engineering graduates typically earn significantly above this median

For international students on F-1 visas, UTD strongly supports Optional Practical Training (OPT) — 12 months for most graduates, 36 months for STEM degree holders. Given that CS, Engineering, Business Analytics, and most UTD graduate programs carry STEM designations, the majority of UTD international graduates qualify for the extended 36-month STEM OPT period. The Richardson location’s proximity to tech employers means OPT job searches are often completed quickly.

How UTD Compares to Other Texas Universities

• For the UT System flagship in Austin with #30 national ranking and the Texas Advance Commitment free tuition program, see University of Texas at Austin.
• For a large public R1 in Houston with NASA and energy sector career access, see the University of Houston.
• For a large public R1 near Fort Worth with automatic Excellence Scholarship and in-state waiver, see University of North Texas.
• For a private R1 in Dallas with smaller class sizes and SMU’s DFW career connections, see Southern Methodist University.
• For a full comparison of Texas university scholarship options, including AES and non-resident waivers, see Texas Universities with Full Scholarships.

Is UT Dallas Right For You?

UT Dallas is a strong fit if you:

• Are pursuing Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Business Analytics, Finance, or Information Technology — UTD’s core strengths with direct industry connections
• Are an international student who can earn any level of AES and unlock in-state tuition ($14,644/year instead of $40,144/year)
• Want the #1 international student environment in Texas (IIE Open Doors) with 150+ country representation and a strong South Asian community infrastructure nearby
• Are a high-achieving student who wants to pursue the Eugene McDermott Scholars Program full-ride — open to both domestic and international applicants
• Want access to 4,300+ annual internship opportunities in the Telecom Corridor and DFW’s Fortune 500 ecosystem.
• Want 36-month STEM OPT eligibility for most graduate programs
• Prefer a suburban campus setting with excellent transit access to downtown Dallas and the broader DFW metro

UTD may not be ideal if you want a traditional large campus culture with major athletics, strong arts programs outside of ATEC, or a faith-integrated environment. The 23:1 student-to-faculty ratio means classes can be large, particularly in foundational undergraduate courses. And while UTD’s national ranking (#229) is significantly lower than UT Austin or A&M, the specific programs — especially CS, Engineering, and Business Analytics — punch well above that overall number in industry reputation and career outcomes.

How To Apply To the University of Texas at Dallas

1. Apply via Common App at commonapp.org — select University of Texas at Dallas
2. Pay the $50 application fee. fee
3. Apply by December 1 with a complete admission file for automatic AES scholarship consideration — this deadline is critical for scholarship access
4. Submit official high school transcripts and standardized test scores if available.
5. Submit English proficiency scores: TOEFL iBT 80+, IELTS 6.5+, or Duolingo 110+
6. Submit financial documentation showing ability to cover educational costs (international students)
7. Complete the separate McDermott Scholars Application via the program portal if you are pursuing the full-ride — requires essays, résumé, and 2 letters of recommendation by December 1
8. After receiving your NetID, log into the Artemis Scholarship Portal (utdallas.academicworks.com) for additional scholarship matching.g
9. Apply for the Good Neighbor Scholarship through THECB if you are from a qualifying Western Hemisphere country.
10. Receive your I-20 from UTD International Student Services once admitted
11. Apply for your F-1 student visa — allow 2–3 months minimum

Final Thoughts

The University of Texas at Dallas is one of the most practically valuable universities in Texas for technology- and business-focused students — particularly international students. The AES scholarship’s automatic non-resident tuition waiver, the Eugene McDermott full-ride open to international applicants, the #1 international student ranking in Texas, 4,300+ annual internships, and the Telecom Corridor location combine to create an academic environment purpose-built for career success in technology and business.

For students who can earn the AES scholarship and access in-state tuition, UTD offers R1 research university access at a price point that makes it one of the best values in the UT System.

For current tuition, scholarship details, and application requirements, visit utdallas.edu directly.

Have questions about UT Dallas or comparing it with other Texas universities? Drop them in the comments below.