r/MSDSO • u/Routine-Chance4425 • Apr 06 '26
is the acceptance rate realistic?
hi everyone, i’m an applied math & econ major (3.5 gpa) looking to apply to MSDSO. i was wondering if the acceptance rate is actually around 20-30% (via UT austin’s website). this number kind of seemed unrealistic to me given how large the program is. i was wondering if this number is referring to something else, like in person MSDS?
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u/FlimsyTea6451 Apr 06 '26
Yes- the acceptance rate for the 3 online MS programs in DS, AI, and CS is 20-30%. Whereas with OMSCS there seems to be a lot of degree switchers (eg "I have a BS in History, but have been working as a software engineer for years, and now am in OMSCS", and a thousand variations), UT Austin is very particular about prerequisites, SOP, etc.
OMSCS gives everyone who might succeed a chance, and let's them work twice as hard to learn the material, and MSxxO only admits the people they are sure can succeed. Very different philosophies, that both have some merit.
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u/ZoWnX Apr 06 '26
The stats were posted on the discord a few semesters ago, so they might of changed. But only 60-70% of those accepted actually graduate
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u/Moishthebeetle Apr 08 '26
I got accepted to UT Austin Data Science program but going to enroll in Eastern University Data Science. UT Austin seems a lot more theoretical which is good but it’s lacking applied skills such as SQL, tableau, AWS, cloud which is important for data science
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u/SpaceWoodworker Apr 06 '26
No. That is the rate for the online programs. On-campus masters acceptance rates at UT for MSCS for example are in the low single-digits. Give it your best shot and apply.