Biology at the University of Texas at Austin sits inside the College of Natural Sciences, one of UT Austin's largest and most research-active colleges, and it's the degree most international pre-med applicants choose as their undergraduate foundation before applying to medical school. UT Austin's Biology program benefits from a large research faculty, close ties to UT Austin's own Dell Medical School (Austin's newest medical school, opened in 2016), and a health-professions advising infrastructure built specifically around the pre-med pipeline. This guide covers what a Biology/Pre-Med track costs, what UT Austin expects from applicants, and what a Biology degree from UT Austin sets graduates up for — whether that's medical school or a research/industry career.
Acceptance Rate: Why There's No Program-Specific Number — and What to Assume Instead
UT Austin does not publish a Biology-specific or Pre-Med-specific acceptance rate. The figure UT Austin does publish is a university-wide undergraduate rate, and — as with UT Austin's other most in-demand majors — it's reasonable to expect Biology/Pre-Med applicant volume to run somewhat ahead of the university-wide average, though UT Austin's own source data doesn't confirm exactly how much more selective it is.
| Metric | Figure | Note |
|---|---|---|
| UT Austin university-wide undergraduate acceptance rate | 29.1% | Drawn from Wikipedia's aggregation of UT Austin's own reported Fall 2023 figures; a more current official class-profile page wasn't confirmed in this research pass, so treat as broadly representative rather than exact for the current cycle |
| Biology/Pre-Med-specific acceptance rate | Not published | UT Austin doesn't break out major-specific admit rates publicly |
| Directional context | UT Austin's most competitive majors (McCombs Business, Computer Science) are known to be considerably more selective than the university-wide figure; Biology is a large, popular major but UT Austin's own data doesn't confirm whether it sits closer to the university-wide average or toward the more selective end | General knowledge, not a precise figure |
Honest read: Use 29.1% as a directional proxy only, not a Biology-specific number. There's an important wrinkle specific to Pre-Med applicants worth flagging clearly: getting into UT Austin as a Biology major is a separate and generally easier hurdle than getting into medical school afterward — Biology enrollment itself doesn't require a pre-med commitment or separate application, but medical school admission (a downstream, multi-year process involving the MCAT, clinical experience, and a completely separate application cycle) is a far more competitive bottleneck than UT Austin undergraduate admission itself. Don't conflate the two when researching "how hard is it to get in."
Tuition and Cost of Attendance
UT Austin publishes official non-resident/international tuition ranges rather than one flat figure, since tuition varies by college. Biology (College of Natural Sciences) sits at the university's base tuition tier rather than the higher differential-tuition tier charged by McCombs Business or some Engineering programs.
| Cost Item | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|
| International/non-resident tuition (2026–27, base rate) | $42,554/year (official published range: $42,554–$51,106/year depending on college; base rate applies to Biology/College of Natural Sciences) |
| Living expenses (estimated) | ~$21,650/year |
| Total estimated cost of attendance (base rate) | $64,204/year (official published range: $64,204–$72,916/year) |
| Application fee | $90 (non-refundable; no fee waiver available for international applicants) |
These are UT Austin's own officially published 2026–27 figures for the base tuition tier, which is the relevant tier for Biology since it isn't a differential-tuition program the way McCombs Business or some Engineering degrees are. Living expenses is UT Austin's own estimate, backed out as the difference between base tuition and base total cost of attendance. Note that UT Austin explicitly does not offer application-fee waivers for international applicants, unlike many peer US universities.
Admission Requirements for UT Austin Biology/Pre-Med
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Minimum academic bar | No published minimum GPA; SAT middle-50% range 1230–1480, ACT middle-50% range 29–34 (university-wide, test-optional status can vary by cycle — confirm current policy) |
| Application route | Common Application (Fall/Summer entry) or the Spring App via BeALonghorn (Spring entry) |
| Application fee | $90, non-refundable, no international fee waiver |
| Intakes | Fall: October 15 (Early Action/Priority), December 1 (Regular Decision); Spring: September 1 |
Documents required:
- Common Application, or Spring App for Spring-term entry
- Official transcripts
- Common App personal essay plus UT Austin-specific short-answer topics
- SAT or ACT scores (confirm current test-optional status for your cycle)
- English proficiency scores (TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo) unless exempt
Texas's well-known automatic-admission rule (guaranteeing admission to Texas residents who graduate in a set top percentage of their high school class) applies only to Texas-resident domestic applicants — it has no bearing on international admission to Biology or any other major, which is reviewed holistically through the standard international application process regardless of class rank.
Biology itself doesn't require a separate "pre-med" application or declaration — pre-med is a self-directed track built on top of the Biology (or another science) major, supported by UT Austin's health-professions advising office, rather than a formal admission category.
How to Get Into UT Austin's Biology/Pre-Med Track
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Write UT Austin-specific short answers that show real fit, not generic pre-med language. UT Austin's supplemental essays ask applicants to speak concretely about specific programs and departments at a large, decentralized university — naming specific Biology faculty, research areas, or UT Austin's health-professions resources signals genuine interest far better than a generic "I want to help people" pre-med essay.
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Show research or lab exposure if you have it. UT Austin's College of Natural Sciences is a large, research-active college; prior lab experience, science fair work, or independent research — even modest — helps differentiate an application in a major that draws heavy applicant volume nationally.
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Understand that UT Austin admission and medical school admission are two separate competitions. Getting into Biology at UT Austin doesn't guarantee — or even directly determine — medical school admission later. If your goal is medicine, plan for the MCAT, clinical/volunteer hours, and a strong GPA across four years as the real bottleneck, not the UT Austin application itself.
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Lean into UT Austin's genuine strengths where relevant. UT Austin's own Dell Medical School (opened 2016) and Austin's broader biotech and health-research ecosystem give Biology students at UT Austin unusually direct local access to clinical and translational research opportunities relative to many peer programs.
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Don't underweight the Writing component of your English test relative to Reading and Listening, since UT Austin's supplemental essays specifically (on top of the Common App essay) carry substantial weight in a holistic review process against a large applicant pool.
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Budget around 10 weeks for combined application and English-test preparation — consistent with general guidance for competitive UT Austin programs.
English Proficiency Requirement (IELTS/TOEFL)
UT Austin sets a comparatively accessible English-proficiency floor relative to many private-university peers.
| Test | Minimum | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | 6.5 overall | No separate published component minimums |
| TOEFL iBT | 79 overall | Or 4 overall on ETS's new 1–6 CEFR-aligned scale, for tests taken from January 21, 2026 onward |
| Duolingo English Test | 115 | Accepted |
| PTE Academic | Not accepted | Not listed among UT Austin's accepted tests |
You're exempt if you're a citizen of, and were educated in, a country where English is the sole official and primary conversational language (including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK, among others), or if you completed at least three years of high school study in the US or a qualifying English-medium system.
Career Outcomes for UT Austin Biology/Pre-Med Graduates
UT Austin doesn't publish Biology-specific employment or salary data, and its confirmed undergraduate top-recruiters list (Tesla, Apple, Oracle, Deloitte, ExxonMobil, Dell Technologies) reflects UT Austin's overall recruiting base — heavily weighted toward Austin's tech and energy-sector employers — rather than Biology or pre-med outcomes specifically. Flagging that gap explicitly rather than implying those employers are typical destinations for Biology graduates.
What's well established generally, independent of UT Austin-specific published data: a meaningful share of Biology majors nationally pursue medical school or another health-professional degree (dentistry, pharmacy, physician assistant programs) after completing pre-med coursework requirements, while others move into biomedical or pharmaceutical research, graduate school (MS/PhD in biological sciences), biotech industry roles, public health, or science education. UT Austin's own notable alumni include a directly relevant example: James P. Allison, who earned his BS (1969) and PhD (1973) in Biology/Microbiology from UT Austin before going on to win the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for pioneering cancer immunotherapy research — a strong illustration of where a UT Austin Biology foundation can lead at the research end of the field. Austin's growing biotech and health-research ecosystem, anchored partly by UT Austin's own Dell Medical School, also gives Biology graduates a expanding local industry option beyond the traditional academic/medical-school path.
FAQ
Does UT Austin publish an acceptance rate for Biology or the Pre-Med track? No. UT Austin publishes a university-wide undergraduate acceptance rate (29.1%, from Fall 2023 reported data) but doesn't break out Biology or pre-med-specific figures. Treat 29.1% as a directional reference only.
Is getting into UT Austin's Biology program the same as getting into medical school? No — and this is the single most important thing to understand about the "pre-med track." UT Austin Biology admission and medical school admission are two entirely separate, sequential competitions. Medical school admission (via the MCAT, clinical experience, and a separate application process years later) is the far harder bottleneck for most pre-med students, not the initial UT Austin application.
What IELTS or TOEFL score do I need for UT Austin? The published minimums are IELTS 6.5 overall or TOEFL iBT 79 overall (4 overall on ETS's new CEFR-aligned scale for tests taken from January 21, 2026 onward). Duolingo is also accepted (minimum 115); PTE is not accepted.
Does UT Austin's automatic-admission (Top %) rule help international applicants get into Biology? No. That rule applies only to Texas-resident domestic applicants. International applicants to Biology, like every other major, are reviewed holistically through the standard international application process.
How much does it cost to study Biology at UT Austin as an international student? For 2026–27, Biology sits at UT Austin's base non-resident/international tuition tier: $42,554/year tuition, with total cost of attendance (including fees, housing, and living expenses) at $64,204/year — meaningfully lower than comparable private research universities, and lower than UT Austin's own differential-tuition programs like McCombs Business or select Engineering degrees.
Do I need to declare "pre-med" separately from Biology when I apply? No. UT Austin doesn't have a formal pre-med admission category — pre-med is a self-directed course-and-advising track layered on top of a Biology (or other science) major, supported by UT Austin's health-professions advising office rather than a separate application.