University of Texas at Austin, USA

Following 127 years of steady development, UT is highly-reputed nationally and internationally for the quality of its academic programmes and research

Founded in 1883, the University of Texas at Austin (UT) has grown from a single building, eight teachers, two departments and 221 students into a fully-fledged university sprawled over a 350-acre campus hosting 17 colleges and schools, with 21,000 faculty and staff, and more than 50,000 students. Following 127 years of steady development, today UT is highly-reputed nationally and internationally for the quality of its academic programmes and research. In its ‘America’s Best Colleges 2009’ survey, the U.S. News and World Report ranks UT 47th nationally and 15th among public universities.

“UT is one of the largest and most respected universities of the world. Ours is a diverse learning community, with students from more than 100 countries and a student body that reflects the diversity of our society. African-American, Hispanic, and Asian American students make up more than 35 percent of enrolment, of whom 9 percent are international,” says William Powers Jr, president of the university.

Included in the short-list of the original eight Public Ivy institutions, UT was inducted into the American Association of Universities in 1929 and is a major centre of academic research, with research expenditure exceeding $590 million (Rs.2,655 crore) in 2009.

Austin. Located in the heart of scenic central Texas hill country, Austin (pop.1.7 million) is the capital of the state of Texas and the 15th largest city in the US. Popularly known as the live music capital of the world, the city hosts several events such as the Austin City Limits Music Festival, South by Southwest and the Austin Film Festival which attract visitors from around the world. Rated one of the Top 10 ‘Best places to live’ by the U.S. News & World Report (2009), Austin is also the base of several technology companies inclu-ding Dell, IBM, Intel, Apple, Samsung and National Ins-truments which have estab-lished major offices in the city.

Sited on the Colorado River, Austin has three man-made (artificial) lakes within city limits: Lady Bird Lake, Lake Austin, and Lake Walter E. Long. Additionally, the foot of Lake Travis, including Mansfield Dam, is located within the wider city limits. Moreover the city boasts more than 200 parks (including the 350-acre Zilker Park), 12 nature preserves, and is the gateway to Texas hill country — home to rolling green hills, scenic lakes, fields of Texas wildflowers and greenbelts.

Austin has a humid subtropical climate, characterised by hot summers and mild winters. It receives 300 days of sunshine per year and the average year-round temperature is 20.3oC degrees.

Campus facilities. UT’s main campus sprawls across 350 acres in Austin, north of the downtown area. The centrepiece of the university campus is the Beaux-Arts Main Building topped by a 94 m. tower which is usually illuminated in white light in the evening but is lit orange to celebrate special occasions, including sports victories and academic accomplishments, and conversely is darkened on solemn occasions. At the top of the tower is a carillon of 56 bells, the largest in Texas.

The university’s library system is the fifth largest in the United States — stocking more than eight million volumes in 17 separate libraries across campus. UT’s library is particularly reputed for its architecture, Latin American culture and history, law, life and marine sciences collections. The campus also hosts the Harry Ransom Center — one of the world’s finest cultural archives containing the world’s first photograph, a rare Gutenberg Bible, original manu-scripts of renowned authors including Ernest Hemingway, T.S. Eliot and James Joyce, and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum — the country’s most visited presidential library which hosts exhibitions and archives from the 1960s and the life and times of America’s 36th president. For art students and lovers there’s the Blanton Museum of Art featuring modern and contemporary American and Latin American art.

Sports facilities accessible in UT include the Recreational Sports Centre with three basketball, six volleyball, eight handball, and two international standard squash courts; weight/conditioning rooms; exercise lounge; multi-purpose rooms; aerobic/dance rooms; and table tennis. Moreover the recently added Gregory Gym Aquatic Complex offers a 12-lane lap swimming pool, a 5,600 sq. ft. heated leisure pool, heated spa, events pool, poolside café, and wireless internet. Students also have the option of enroling in over 900 campus clubs, organisations, societies, and groups.

However UT’s reach goes far beyond the borders of the main campus with satellite campuses and research centres across Texas, including the J.J. Pickle Research Campus, the Marine Science Institute, the McDonald Observatory, the Montopolis Research Center and the Brackenridge tract.

Admission. The minimum eligibility requirement for admission into UT’s undergraduate degree programmes is successful completion of Plus Two. In addition all foreign students must submit scores for either the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or ACT Assess-ment and TOEFL or IELTS. Some degree programmes may require students to meet additional require-ments. Completed admission application forms must be submitted together with a fee of $90 (Rs.4,050); official transcripts of all secondary school work, including subjects taken and grades earned; two essays; a resume detailing contri-butions, talents, honours and abilities in extracurricular, personal and volunteer activities; and two letters of recommendation. The admission deadline is December 15.

For Master’s programmes a first class bachelor’s degree is required in addition to proficiency in English language (TOEFL and/or IELTS test scores).

For further information contact Office of Admissions; P.O. Box 8058; Austin, TX78713-8058; Tel: 001 512 475 7387; Fax: 001 512 475 7478; e-mail: askadmit@uts.cc.utexas.edu; website: www.utexas.edu.

Accommodation. UT has 14 halls of residence —11 co-ed, two females-only, and one males-only — which house 7,000 students. Accommodation facilities vary by hall, but all halls offer study rooms, TV rooms, vending areas and laundry rooms, cable TV, internet access and a microfridge.

Degree programmes. UT’s 17 schools and colleges offer over 100 undergrad (bachelor’s) programmes and 170 postgraduate (Master’s and doctorate) degree programmes.

Summiya Yasmeen