🎓 College profile
The University of Texas at Dallas
TX · Public · Mid-size city · 29,366 applicants 2023
🧭 A parent's read
- The major moves the money more than the admit letter. Computer Engineering grads from here earn about $112,666 four years out; visual and performing arts grads about $37,825 — a 3.0× spread on the same diploma. Have the major conversation before you deposit, not after.
- Grades and scores convert directly to dollars here. This college publishes an automatic merit grid — hit the GPA/score tiers and the discount is guaranteed, no negotiation. Check the scholarship table below before assuming the sticker.
- The payoff holds even at full price: roughly 6× over a decade. With no aid at all — the full in-state ~$29,807/yr — a decade of median earnings (~$68,227/yr) still runs about 6× the four-year cost. This payoff doesn't depend on qualifying for anything. (Out-of-state costs more.)
- Built for the AI economy. About 1 in 4 degrees here is already in AI, computer science, or data fields; its AI research output ranks #58 among US universities. This campus is leaning into the shift, not waiting for it.
- Ask the submit question deliberately. This college is test-optional — but at many such colleges, applicants who submit strong scores are admitted at meaningfully higher rates. “Optional” is a strategy decision, not a pass.
Composed from this page's data — every claim is backed by a number in the sections below.
🎯 Parent/student verdict
LikelyAccessible for most applicants. Affordable for in-state families — net price averages ~$18,267/yr. Major value play for in-state residents.
✅ Best for
- Solid academic profiles — the admitted-student bands above are within reach for strong students
- Strong test/GPA students chasing merit aid — Eugene McDermott Scholars Program or National Merit Finalist Package on offer (see merit-scholarship tab below)
- In-state residents (tuition ~$14,644 — major value play)
- Students drawn to Computer & Information Sciences or Business, Management, & Marketing (the two biggest majors)
- Research-oriented students (R1 — top tier of federal research funding)
🎯 The reality
- Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1170, or ACT below 25, or unweighted GPA below ~3.50 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)
- Out-of-state tuition is 2.7× the in-state rate
Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.
🏛️ Institutional snapshot
What kind of college is this?
Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.
📊 Outcomes & cost
What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.
Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).
💰 The real cost
What families at your income actually pay
Above $110K income — where most Reach families sit — aid-receiving families average $26,596/yr at The University of Texas at Dallas; families who don't qualify for aid pay the full ~$29,807/yr. Lower brackets pay less — the full ladder is below. One caveat, once: every bracket figure here averages only the families in that bracket who received aid — it says nothing about whether your family will qualify.
🔎 Earning over $110K? You're above the top federal bracket — the median family headed by a 45-to-54-year-old (the prime college-parent years) earned about $134K in 2024, and the federal data lumps everyone from $110K to $1M+ into one row.
Whether you'll get need aidGrant money based on your family's finances (via FAFSA and the college's own forms), not your student's stats. at this income is entirely college-specific: a few heavily-endowed schools meet full need well past $150K, while many others give little above the brackets shown — there, merit scholarships, where offered, become the realistic lever.
Start your Family Decision Report →Your odds + estimated net price across your whole college list — then confirm the exact figure with The University of Texas at Dallas's own Net Price Calculator ↗ (10–15 min; have your tax return handy).
📈 The payoffTen years of typical earnings divided by four years of cost. A 3× means a decade of median pay covers the cost three times over — check both the full-price and with-aid versions to see which applies to you., both ways
5.7× at full price 9.3× with aidSource: College Scorecard (NPT41–NPT45; Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates; suppressed brackets = small cohorts; the $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — the brackets haven't been refreshed since the early 2010s). Payoff multiple = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (4-yr cost); full price is the published cost of attendance, largely in-state for publics; earnings are 10 years after enrollment, all majors combined.
📚 What students study here
Most popular majors at The University of Texas at Dallas
Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what The University of Texas at Dallas actually graduates — not just what it markets.
💼 What those majors earn here
Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major — The University of Texas at Dallas's own graduates, not national averages.
| Major (CIP) | 4-yr earnings |
|---|---|
| Computer Engineering. | $112,666 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. | $104,448 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | $103,603 |
| Mechanical Engineering. | $90,102 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering. | $87,420 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services. | $86,484 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods. | $85,717 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | $82,629 |
| Economics. | $75,479 |
| Marketing. | $73,732 |
Sources: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a; bachelor's-level first majors, 2-digit CIP family — share is of the top 5 only) · College Scorecard program-level outcomes (PP-FOS). Full college-vs-major comparison: /college-outcomes →
⭐ Merit aidScholarship money awarded for grades or test scores, not financial need — at many colleges it's automatic at certain GPA/score levels.
What your test score unlocks at The University of Texas at Dallas
Score-or-merit-based scholarships published by the institution. Stackable in most cases — confirm with the financial aid office.
| Award | Annual award | Score gate |
|---|---|---|
|
Eugene McDermott Scholars Program
McDermott · any
|
$85,000/yr | 1500+ SAT |
|
National Merit Finalist Package
NMF · any
|
$50,000/yr | — |
See all merit scholarships across colleges + 13 national awards on /merit-scholarships →
📈 Student body & economic mobility
Who attends here — and what the campus adds.
Opportunity Insights data. Why it matters even if you're full-pay: a high mobility rate means the campus itself confers earnings power — the outcomes aren't just selection effects.
Full leaderboards: /college-mobility →
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