Run the numbers
UT Austin Tuition Savings Calculator
Model the four-year cost of UT Austin tuition for your student under both classifications. Plug in your enrollment year, major track, and credit load: get a year-by-year and four-year savings figure you can defend to your spouse.
Your inputs
| Year | Out-of-State | Your Plan | Saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027-28 | $44,908 | $44,908 | $0 |
| 2028-29 | $46,704 | $12,156 | $34,549 |
| 2029-30 | $48,572 | $12,642 | $35,931 |
| 2030-31 | $50,515 | $13,147 | $37,368 |
| Total | $190,700 | $82,853 | $107,848 |
Show your work, the formula
For each year y from 1 to N:
Tuition (out-of-state, year y) = base_out_of_state × (1 + increase)y−1
Tuition (in-state, year y) = base_in_state × (1 + increase)y−1
Your plan, year y = out-of-state if year 1 (and "first-year in-state" is "no"), else in-state.
Savings = Σ (out-of-state − your plan) across all years. Base figures: in-state $11,688, out-of-state $44,908 (2025-26, base undergraduate). In-state frozen by Texas Legislature through 2026-27. Verify against UT One Stop before relying.
Get your scenario by email
Send the calculation to yourself or your spouse, with a one-page summary of the steps needed to actually realize the savings.
UT Austin's base undergraduate tuition and required fees are roughly $11,688/year for Texas residents (frozen through 2026-27) and $44,908/year for non-residents (projected $47,144 for 2026-27). Annual savings from in-state classification are about $33,220. Over the typical four-year pathway (year 1 out-of-state, years 2-4 in-state), savings total roughly $99,660; if the student qualifies as in-state from year 1, savings reach roughly $132,880.
What goes into the published tuition number
UT Austin publishes annual "tuition and required fees" figures separately from optional fees, course-specific lab fees, books, and housing. When this calculator shows "out-of-state" or "in-state" tuition, it refers to the published tuition-and-required-fees figure for the relevant college at a 15-credit-hour course load, the same figure that appears on a student's billing statement before any optional add-ons.
The figures include:
- Statutory tuition (set by the Texas Legislature), the residency-sensitive portion
- Designated tuition (set by the UT Board of Regents), generally the same for residents and non-residents within a given college
- Required fees: Information Technology, Library, Medical Services, Recreational Sports, Student Services, Transportation, Union, and a small handful of others, generally the same regardless of residency status
- For specific majors: college differentials (Engineering, McCombs, CSDS), applied uniformly regardless of residency status
The figures exclude housing and meal plans (~$15,000/year on campus), books and supplies (~$1,200/year), personal expenses, transportation, insurance, and one-time fees (orientation, transcripts, lab breakage).
The residency classification only affects the statutory tuition portion. That is why the savings number from switching status, about $33,220/year, is the relevant figure even though the total cost of attendance is much higher. You are saving on the statutory-tuition line; the rest of the bill is the same either way. Source: UT One Stop. In-state tuition frozen through 2026-27; out-of-state continues to rise (projected ~$47,144 for 2026-27).
How realistic is a 4% annual increase?
UT Austin tuition has increased at a compound rate of roughly 4% a year over the past decade, with some years higher (notably 2022-23 and 2023-24, in the 4.5-6% range) and some years flat. Texas deregulated public-university tuition in 2003; UT's Board of Regents has generally tracked the system-wide rate. The Texas Legislature has also acted at times to freeze in-state tuition; the current freeze runs through 2026-27.
For modeling, we default to 4% on the out-of-state line. At 6%, the savings number grows. At 0% (or under the freeze), it stays steady. The result is not enormously sensitive within the plausible 2-6% range.
Why the "first year in-state" option matters so much
The default scenario assumes the student starts as a non-resident in year 1 and converts to a Texas resident in time for year 2: this is the timeline most families actually achieve, because they decide to pursue residency after the admission notification arrives and the 12-month clock cannot finish before the first census date.
Families who start the clock before the application cycle (typically because they already moved to Texas or already owned property) can sometimes qualify as residents in year 1. Switching to "first year in-state" adds roughly $33,220 of savings versus the default. Switching to "never" (the baseline non-resident-every-year case) shows the full sticker price of skipping the pathway entirely.
What this calculator does not include
- Carrying costs of the property. Mortgage interest, property tax, insurance, HOA dues, and maintenance can run $20,000-$60,000+ a year depending on the property. Some costs are recovered through appreciation and rental income; some are not. See the condos near UT page.
- Tax effects of the property. Mortgage interest and property tax deductions, depreciation on a Rule #4 rental, and the eventual capital-gain treatment all affect net cost.
- Risk of denial. If the petition is denied, the savings do not materialize. The calculator assumes the pathway succeeds.
- Time value of money. A dollar saved in year 4 is worth less than a dollar saved in year 1.
Frequently asked questions
Are these the official tuition numbers?
Why is the McCombs / Engineering / CS number higher?
What if my student is in a five-year program?
What if my student studies abroad for a semester?
Should I pay for residency consulting on top of the property pathway?
What if tuition increases more than 4% next year?
Ready to plan the property side?
If the savings number above pencils for your family, the next decision is which property pathway to use and what to look for.
Rule #3 vs. Rule #4 → Condos Near UT →