University of Texas at Dallas Scholarships (2026–2027)

📅 2027–2028 Planning Note: The costs below reflect the most recently published figures (2026–2027). Universities typically finalize the next year’s rates in the spring, and we’ll update this page once official 2027–2028 numbers are released.

Planning tip: At large public universities, tuition, fees, and housing usually increase modestly each year (often in the 2–5% range). For early budgeting, families may want to plan for roughly $1,000–$1,500 more in-state or $2,000–$3,000 more out-of-state in total direct costs once new rates are published.

Average Federal Net Price: $18,267 — this is what families actually paid after grants and scholarships (no loans), based on the most recent federal data. Your specific cost could be significantly lower or higher depending on your financial aid eligibility and merit scholarships. New to Net Price & SAI? Read our guide.

📌 Regional Tuition & Waiver Options

⚠️ The Line Item Nobody Shows You: Per-Major Tuition Surcharges

UT Dallas charges what it calls supplemental designated tuition, and it depends entirely on which school your student’s courses live in. This is billed on top of the tuition figures above, and it is why two roommates at the same university can have different bills.

Parent translation: if your student is going into CS or engineering, add roughly $8,400 to the four-year number in your head. If they are undecided between engineering and, say, biology, that difference is real money and worth naming out loud.

🔒 Guaranteed vs. Variable Tuition: A Real Decision, Not a Formality

Every new UT Dallas student picks one of two tuition plans at enrollment. For 2026-2027, at 12 or more in-state credit hours:

• Variable plan: $7,332 per term. Rates can change every academic year.
• Guaranteed plan: $8,256 per term. Locked for 12 consecutive semesters, summers included.

You are paying about 12.6% more up front to freeze the rate. The math favors the guaranteed plan if you expect increases above roughly 3% a year and your student finishes in four years. It favors the variable plan if your student might transfer, graduate early with AP and dual credit, or if you would rather keep the cash now. One caveat: if a student on the guaranteed plan does not finish in four years, they roll onto the next guaranteed rate.

📅 The UT Dallas Money Calendar (Simple Version)

• August 1: ApplyTexas and Common App open. Nothing stops you from finishing in August.
• December 1: The day everything happens. Priority admission deadline, AES review deadline, and the McDermott application deadline all land here.
• January 5: Artemis scholarship applications open. Terry Scholars closes.
• January 15: FAFSA or TASFA priority deadline for new freshmen. Comet Promise and TEXAS Grant run on this date.
• March 1: Comet Scholars and Collegium V final deadlines close.
• May 1: Regular admission deadline. Too late for scholarship money.
• June 1: Last day to accept an AES offer. No exceptions.

Parent rule of thumb: at UT Dallas, December 1 is not a suggestion. It is the only deadline that determines whether your student is in the merit conversation at all.

💡 Why the AES Number on Your Award Letter Is Not the Whole Story

Suppose a family in Arizona gets an AES offer for $8,000 a year. That looks fine, not spectacular. But because AES also flips the student to in-state tuition rates, the actual value is roughly $8,000 plus the $25,500 nonresident differential. The award letter shows one number. The bill shows the other.

This is also why comparing UT Dallas to other schools on published sticker price alone will lead you to the wrong conclusion if your student has a real shot at AES.

🎯 The McDermott Catch-22 Every Family Should Understand

To be eligible for McDermott, your student needs two things: an AES offer, and an academic record in the top tenth of the incoming class. Neither is known until the first AES awards go out, usually in late December or early January.

The McDermott application is due December 1.

So your student writes the essays, lines up two recommenders, and submits, all without knowing whether they will qualify. The program notifies applicants of eligibility status by email afterward. Parent translation: if your student is a strong candidate, apply. The cost is a few hours in November. The upside is a package worth well into six figures.

❓ Flagship and Competitive Scholarship FAQs

How many McDermott Scholars are selected each year?
About 20. The program welcomes students from every state and country and every major, and finalists are invited to a virtual event and on-campus interviews in late winter and spring. Gap years and deferrals are not permitted.

Does McDermott look at test scores or financial need?
Neither. The McDermott application does not consider standardized test scores, and financial need is not a selection criterion. It is a pure merit award weighing academics, leadership, and sustained service.

What is the National Merit package actually worth at UT Dallas?
Based on availability, Finalists receive complete coverage of UT Dallas tuition for up to eight semesters, a University Commons room or a University Village apartment, the COMET 14 meal plan, a book and supplies stipend, a study abroad stipend, a one-time summer research stipend, and automatic admission to Collegium V Honors. Because tuition coverage scales with your residency status, the package is worth dramatically more to an out-of-state Finalist than an in-state one.

When does my student have to name UT Dallas as first choice with National Merit?
UT Dallas publishes a before-May-1 date for the NMSC first-choice designation, but apply to UT Dallas by December 1 and make the designation as early as you can. The program notes that spaces are limited, and waiting until the last week is how families lose packages that were otherwise theirs.

If the National Merit scholarship goes unused, is it wasted?
No. If tuition coverage is not exhausted during undergrad, it can be applied toward graduate education at UT Dallas.

Who should apply for Terry Scholars?
Texas residents with a strong academic record, real leadership and service history, and demonstrated financial need. Adjusted gross income is typically under $120,000, with room on the application to explain exceptional circumstances. The application lives in the Orion portal inside Galaxy, opens around September 15, and closes January 5. You must be admitted to UT Dallas by January 20 for it to be reviewed, which is why the guidance is to apply for admission by December 1.

Do Terry Scholars have obligations?
Yes. First-year scholars are required to live on campus, and scholars must attend UT Dallas for at least one year before the award can transfer to another Terry-affiliated university. The award covers full cost of attendance for up to eight semesters and adds $5,000 for study abroad.

What is Comet Scholars and how is it different?
It is $5,000 a year for up to eight semesters, aimed at freshmen and community college transfers with academic strength and significant financial need. It comes with dedicated academic support staff, and recipients agree to attend orientation, participate in regular check-in meetings, and volunteer at least five engagement hours a semester. Applications open January 5 and close March 1 through the Artemis portal.

Is UT Dallas a Stamps or QuestBridge partner?
No to both.

🧠 Parent Strategy: UT Dallas Has Two Doors, and Most Families Only Walk Through One

Door one is the admission file, due December 1. That gets you AES and the Top 10% Scholarship. Door two is Artemis, the UT Dallas scholarship system, which opens in January and holds every departmental and donor-funded award across all seven schools.

1. After admission, log in and complete the UTD General Scholarship and Fellowship Application. This is the master key.
2. Artemis matches your student to everything they qualify for and posts any extra requirements to the My Tasks list. Complete every task shown.
3. You cannot apply to individual scholarships separately. If you skip the general application, you are invisible to all of them.
4. Check back through the year. New opportunities post as they open.

Parent translation: skipping Artemis does not cost you AES, but it costs you every $1,000 to $5,000 departmental award that would have made the housing bill manageable.

📌 Where the Departmental Money Actually Lives

All seven UT Dallas schools fund their own awards, and they route through the same Artemis general application:

• Naveen Jindal School of Management: accounting, finance, and management awards, several sponsored by regional firms.
• Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science: the largest departmental pool by volume, plus a summer tuition discount of $500 to $750 for undergrads taking summer courses.
• Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology: awards tied to animation, design, and choral arts, some worth $10,000 a year.
• School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Interdisciplinary Studies, and EPPS: smaller endowed and donor awards, often with less competition than the STEM pools.

One caution for out-of-state families: the Jonsson School states plainly that departmental undergraduate scholarships do not qualify for the competitive scholarship waiver. They are real money, but they will not move you to in-state rates on their own.

❓ Hidden Gems FAQ

Do I have to apply separately for Comet Promise or the TEXAS Grant?
No. Both are automatic for students who meet the criteria, and both hinge entirely on getting the FAFSA or TASFA in by January 15. Comet Promise requires Texas residency at admission, family income of $100,000 or less, demonstrated need, and at least three-quarter-time enrollment. The TEXAS Grant has its own state eligibility rules.

What does Comet Promise not cover?
Housing, food, books, transportation, summer terms, and study abroad. It covers tuition and mandatory fees for fall and spring, up to demonstrated need. Families sometimes read “free tuition” and budget for nothing else, then get surprised by a $15,000 housing and meal bill.

How do I keep Comet Promise past freshman year?
Complete at least 24 credit hours each academic year, and summer counts toward the 24 even though Promise will not pay for summer. Maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA and good academic standing, and keep family income at or below $100,000. Freshman recipients have a five-year and 150-attempted-hour ceiling.

Does an outside scholarship reduce my Comet Promise?
Not dollar for dollar in the way you might fear. Promise is last-dollar, so outside gift aid gets applied first and Promise fills whatever tuition gap remains. Practically, an outside scholarship pushes your total aid further rather than canceling out.

When do departmental awards close?
It varies by school and by award, which is exactly why the answer is to complete the Artemis general application early and then watch your task list. Some Bass School awards have closed as early as September for the following year.

Can continuing students get these?
Yes, and many are designed for them. Most departmental and donor-funded awards are open to students already enrolled, and several endowed scholarships in Interdisciplinary Studies and the other schools favor upperclassmen with a track record. Current students are not automatically considered, so the Artemis application has to be renewed.

What about ROTC?
UT Dallas layers a housing and meal plan waiver on top of the national Army or Air Force ROTC scholarship package, which is unusual and worth real money. Your student pursues the national scholarship first, then signs the campus contract.

If your student is in the Bass School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology or the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, there is a second path: the Liberal Arts Honors application, which asks for a top 10% class rank or a 3.6 GPA. That is a meaningfully lower bar than the 1410 SAT requirement on the main route, and a lot of humanities and policy students never find out it exists.

• Office of Distinguished Scholarships: dedicated staff who coach students through Fulbright, Goldwater, and Critical Language applications.
• Honors housing and the CV Lounge: a physical community, plus free printing.
• Research access: direct faculty pairing on funded projects, which at an R1 with heavy federal research funding is a genuine advantage for pre-med and PhD-track students.
• Thomsen Fund: tickets to the Dallas Opera, symphony, and area theaters.
• Pre-med and pre-law advising housed inside the Honors College rather than scattered across departments.

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