UT Austin is on anybody’s list of the top 10 public universities in the nation. The Plan II liberal arts honors program is one of the country’s most renowned. Though it is also the capital of Texas, Austin ranks among the nation’s best college towns-a progressive enclave in a conservative state. Boot camp for aspiring political types and tech entrepreneurs in the Lone Star State and beyond. Where else can you spend time watching bats?

The University of Texas at Austin has come a long way from where it began in 1883 as a small school with only one building, eight teachers, two departments, and 221 students. Today, the campus is a Texas-sized home to more than 37,000 full-time undergraduates. From its extensive academic programs to its powerful athletic teams to its location in one of the nation’s ultimate college towns, UT Austin has everything a Longhorn could ask for. “Our university is a diverse community with amazing opportunities for success,” says a junior.

A 400-acre oasis near downtown Austin, replete with rolling hills, trees, creeks, and fountains, the campus features buildings ranging from “old, distinguished” limestone structures to contemporary Southwest architecture. The fabled UT Tower is adorned with a large clock and chimes (a lifesaver for the disorganized) and is illuminated in Longhorn orange after big athletic wins. From the steps of the Tower, one can see the verdant Austin hills and the state capitol. The outstanding library system holds more than 10 million volumes located in 17 different libraries across campus. Recent campus additions include the $310 million Engineering Education and Research Center.

All undergraduates complete a 42-hour core curriculum that requires coursework in English composition, humanities, American and Texas government, American history, social sciences, math, science and technology, and visual and performing arts. Entering freshmen are expected to participate in a small-group community their first semester and take a First-Year Signature Course, which is usually taught by a senior professor and introduces them to academic discussion and analysis of issues from an interdisciplinary perspective.

The list of academic strengths at UT Austin is daunting. Undergraduate offerings in accounting, advertising, architecture, communication, finance, marketing, radio-television-film, and social work are first-rate. Engineering and computer science programs are excellent and continue to expand. The English department is huge (nearly 60 tenure-track professors) and students give it high marks. UT’s McDonald Observatory, based in West Texas, boasts one of the world’s largest telescopes. Students say the academic climate is competitive and demanding. “There are many rigorous majors that have accelerated courses or competitive programs,” says a student. Many UT classes are quite large-24 percent enroll more than 50 students-and smaller sections fill up quickly. UT is a research university, so the professors are often busy in the laboratories or the library. They do, however, have office hours. “My professors are above and beyond my expectations,” says a psychology major. “Their own interest in their topics is obvious, and the determination to aid the students is admirable.”

The Plan II liberal arts honors program, a national model, is one of the oldest honors programs in the country and one of the best academic deals anywhere. It offers qualified students a flexible curriculum, top-notch professors, small seminar courses, and individualized counseling, and provides them with all of the advantages of a large university in a small-college atmosphere. Business, communication, engineering, liberal arts, and natural sciences honors programs are also available. Being in the capital city should have its advantages, and it does. Nearly 200 UT undergrads work for lawmakers in the Texas Legislature, only a 10-minute walk from campus. Internships with the likes of Apple and Facebook in the city’s rapidly expanding tech sector (nicknamed Silicon Hills) are just as popular. Engineering majors can alternate work and study in the co-op program. The Sanger Learning Center offers sessions with learning specialists, peer tutoring, coaching on public speaking, and other academic help. Study abroad options are available in 100 countries, and roughly 30 percent of UT undergrads head to foreign locales during their four years, one of the highest percentages among U.S. public universities.

UT students are “intelligent, involved, and proactive in their education,” says a senior. Ninety percent of UT undergraduates are Texans, and 5 percent hail from outside the U.S. Students say there is no dominant political pattern on campus-despite the fact that historically UT has been integral in the careers of big-time (conservative) Texas politicians. The liberals are not exactly hiding out on this huge campus. Political issues, such as human rights, gun control, and abortion, can get students on both sides pretty riled up here. Hispanics account for 25 percent of undergrads, Asian Americans 23 percent, African Americans 4 percent, and multiracial students 4 percent. The university offers special welcome programs, social and educational events, and peer mentoring for African American, Hispanic, and first-generation students. It also awards merit scholarships averaging $3,000, as well as hundreds of athletic scholarships in 20 sports. In addition, UT Austin provides full-tuition scholarships to in-state undergraduates whose families make up to $65,000 per year and smaller awards to those with incomes up to $125,000.

University housing, which accommodates only 18 percent of undergrads, ranges from functional to plush. “Most of the dorms are old,” says a student, “but they have nice facilities.” Residence halls offer a variety of living options based on common social and educational interests. Apartments and condos close to campus are lovely-and very expensive. More reasonably priced digs can be found in other parts of town. But be forewarned: UT life requires lots of walking, especially for commuters, though free shuttle stops are scattered about. As for food, there is a wide variety of options, including healthy, vegetarian, kosher, and vegan fare. Security can be a concern (Austin is an urban area, after all), but students report feeling safe on campus, thanks to active and highly visible campus police. Texas law allows permit holders to carry concealed firearms in designated areas on campus.

The Texas Union sponsors movies and social events, and its Cactus Café is a popular venue for musical acts. It also boasts the world’s only collection of orange-topped pool tables in its arcade and bowling alley. For those more interested in octaves than eight balls, the Performing Arts Center has two concert halls that attract nationally known performers. There are also more than 1,300 student organizations from which to choose. Thirteen percent of the men and 17 percent of the women go Greek. Annual festivals include 40 Acres Fest, a sprawling carnival of the campus organizations. And Texas Independence Day provides an occasion for celebration in March.

As the state capital, Austin is hardly a typical college town, but it is one of the best. “I love it,” exclaims a junior. “It has a great live music scene and is beautiful.” Nightlife centers on nearby Sixth Street, full of pubs and restaurants of all types, and the well-known music scene that features everything from blues to jazz to rock to folk, as well as the Austin City Limits and South by Southwest festivals. Along with live music, bat-watching is one of Austin’s most popular activities-the city is known as “Bat City” after the colony of Mexican free-tailed bats that lives under the Congress Avenue Bridge in the spring and summer. It’s the largest urban bat colony in North America. Halloween draws an estimated 80,000 costumed revelers to Sixth Street (and sometimes up its lampposts). When the weather gets too muggy (quite often in spring and summer), students head for off-campus campgrounds, lakes, and parks. The most popular road trips are to San Antonio or Dallas. For spring break, students travel to Padre Island, if not New Orleans.

Athletics are as vital as oxygen for most Texans, so it’s no surprise that the annual operating expenses of UT Austin’s athletic department exceed $200 million. The Longhorns compete in the Division I Big 12 Conference, and students especially look forward to the annual Texas–Oklahoma rivalry football game played in the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas. “Football games pull the student body together and give us a chance to show our school spirit,” says one student. Bevo XV, the famed UT mascot, is the latest in a long line of live longhorn steer mascots who have at various times been known to bolt loose from their handlers, rip their shirts, and, on one occasion, lie down in the end zone during a game. Basketball and baseball are also popular; the baseball program has many alumni in the major leagues, and the annual spring game between UT’s baseball alumni and the current college squad is quite a contest. Men’s tennis won the national title in 2019, and men’s and women’s swimming and diving, women’s track and field, and women’s volleyball are among the school’s recent conference champs. UT’s extensive intramural and club sports program is very popular and offers weekend athletes access to the same great facilities that the big-time jocks use.

UT Austin may seem overwhelming because of its imposing size, but students say the school spirit and sense of community found here make it feel smaller. UT prides itself on having one of the most reasonably priced tuitions in the country for a flagship public research university. It also offers one of the best all-around educational experiences a student could ask for, especially if you make it into Plan II.

-Fiske Guide