“A STEM-focused public research powerhouse rising rapidly in the heart of the Texas Technology Corridor.”
The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) is a public research university in Richardson, Texas — the heart of the Telecom Corridor and a 20-minute drive from downtown Dallas. Founded in 1969 by the three founders of Texas Instruments, UTD's DNA is unmistakably technical and entrepreneurial: it is the third-largest producer of computer-science graduates in the United States, the fifth-largest producer of electrical-engineering graduates, and a leading feeder of talent into the North Texas semiconductor, fintech, and aerospace ecosystems. For international students, UTD is one of the most consequential universities in the U.S. South. International undergraduates and graduates together make up roughly 18-19% of the 30,000-student body — among the highest international shares of any major U.S. public university — with India and China supplying the largest cohorts, followed by Bangladesh, South Korea, and Pakistan. The Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and the Naveen Jindal School of Management are the two academic giants on campus; nearly every major program in those schools is STEM-designated, opening the 24-month STEM OPT extension to F-1 graduates. Financially, UTD stands apart from most public flagships in two ways: its Academic Excellence Scholarship (AES) is open to international freshmen and effectively converts an out-of-state award into in-state tuition, and the university has built a robust pipeline into Texas Instruments, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs (Dallas), AT&T, and Lockheed Martin — many of which sponsor H-1B for UTD alumni. Combined with a moderately selective 65% acceptance rate, a holistic, test-optional review, and a suburban-campus cost of living far below the coasts, UTD is one of the strongest value plays in U.S. higher education for technical international applicants.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
National Universities
US News 2026
International Student Enrollment (F-1)
DHS SEVIS by the Numbers (2024)
Research Activity
Carnegie Classifications (2021)
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourcePriority / AES (Academic Excellence Scholarship) Deadline
Apply + complete file by Dec 1 for automatic AES merit consideration. Strongly recommended for intl applicants.
Regular Decision
Final freshman application deadline for fall entry.
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Domestic
$14,644
/yr
Out-of-State / Intl
$40,144
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
UTD's flagship technical school — third-largest U.S. producer of CS graduates, fifth-largest of EE graduates. Six bachelor's programs (CS, CE, EE, ME, BME, SE) plus the nation's first ABET-accredited B.S. in Telecommunications Engineering. Major pipeline into Texas Instruments, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Bay Area tech.
One of the largest U.S. business schools (~9,000 students). Renamed in 2011 after a $15M gift from alumnus Naveen Jindal. Strong undergrad + graduate offerings in finance, supply-chain, business analytics (top-10 ranked), accounting, and information systems. Living-Learning Community for incoming JSOM freshmen.
Home to mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, neuroscience, and the highly selective Cecil H. & Ida Green Honors degrees. Strong feeder for graduate research and pre-health programs.
Distinctive at UTD — combines psychology, neuroscience, audiology, speech-language pathology, and cognitive science under one roof. Doctor of Audiology (AuD) is nationally ranked.
ATEC is one of the most distinctive programs at UTD — interdisciplinary degree blending game design, animation, emerging media, and computational arts. Top-ranked game design program in the South.
4 years
One of the largest CS undergraduate programs in the United States by enrollment, with deep specialization tracks (AI, cybersecurity, data science, networks/telecommunications, software engineering, systems). STEM-designated for 24-month OPT extension. Direct pipeline into Texas Instruments, Capital One, AT&T, JPMorgan, Amazon, and Bay Area tech.
1.5 years
STEM-designated 16-month program — consistently top-10 in national MS-Analytics rankings. Heavily international (>80% intl in some cohorts). Strong placement in consulting, fintech, and Dallas-area Fortune 500 corporate-analytics teams.
4 years
Interdisciplinary STEM-designated degree combining game design, animation, motion-capture studio work, sound, narrative, and computational creativity. Houses one of only a handful of dedicated motion-capture labs at a U.S. public university.
4 years
Joint program with UT Southwestern Medical Center (one of the top-10 U.S. medical schools). STEM-designated. Strong pre-med pipeline plus med-device industry placement in DFW.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $40,144
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
