Does applying Early Action to UT-Austin make a difference?
Attending a traditional Balinese ceremony
Applying to UT-Austin for Early Action (EA) probably doesn’t help
A frequent FAQ I receive is whether applying early action to UT-Austin makes a difference, and if so, how much of a difference? The answer to each question is I’m unsure, but it doesn’t seem to make much difference.
Since it’s unclear whether applying early action makes a difference, applying during the first week of August definitely doesn’t help. It might even hurt your chances because submitting a rushed application just for the sake of getting it in as soon as the portal opens might not be your best effort. UT and most universities won’t even begin reviewing applications until September, since they have annual training in August. Still, there remains a stubborn misconception about submitting your app ASAP.
A brief history of UT’s early action/priority deadline
Early deadlines for UT are a relatively recent process. Originally, and going back at least 15 years, only UT Honors programs offered an early deadline. Then, starting in Fall 2018, UT introduced a Priority Deadline of November 1. There was a lot of ambiguity about what it meant, if anything, and why they used the language of priority rather than the more standard early action terminology. That’s also around when they implemented the “wave” system by trickling out decisions from the end of November until early February. Even then, it was unclear whether applying early made a difference. Starting in January, many December 1 regular decision applicants also heard back earlier than others.
In previous years with the language of Priority Deadline, UT didn’t make any guarantees of when and whether you would hear your decision back early. Nobody was ever denied or offered CAP early, and those decisions tended to go out in one big batch at the end of January or early February. UT has never had a proper deferral system either.
So, back in the years of the Priority Deadline, I claimed it didn’t make much difference, but there also usually wasn’t a reason to procrastinate until the end of November. The only students for whom intentionally applying Regular Decision makes sense is if you wish to update your SAT or ACT with a later date. Early applicants cannot update their test scores after the early deadline.
A shift from priority to early action
For Fall 2023, UT changed its language from a Priority Deadline to Early Action. In practice, there wasn’t any difference it seemed. Then, for Fall 2025, UT moved the early deadline up to October 15 and claimed to release all early applicant decisions by January 15. Instead, they released a handful of admissions offers and deferred 90-95% of all applicants, whether they applied early or not. Many December 1 applicants gained admission.
I criticize this practice in other posts, but it’s just to emphasize that applying early probably doesn’t matter because UT is often so far behind in its review process that it can’t reasonably review and assess every applicant to meet its publicly stated deadlines.
What that means for future applicants watching this video is to go ahead and apply early unless you intend to update your SAT or ACT. If you miss the October 15 deadline, it isn’t a big deal to apply by December 1. Applying early likely makes little to no difference. For fall 2025, UT and all the honors programs were much further behind in releasing decisions than in any previous cycle.
The easiest way to reach me is by email kevin@texadmissions.com