A new university for a new era
We charge you nothing except everything you’ve got.
The University of Austin (UATX) is a four-year college forming the leaders and builders a free country depends on. Our students are admitted on merit alone, read the great books of the Western tradition, and train in mathematics, the sciences, and AI. Along the way, they learn from the founders, scholars and public servants shaping the country’s future.
“Our purpose: to educate citizens and leaders capable of assuring the success of constitutional liberty and national prosperity.”
Carlos Carvalho, President of the University of Austin
THE EDUCATION
Aristotle and AI.
Plato and Python.
Our Founding Fathers were scholars and entrepreneurs—men who read Cicero and ran businesses, who debated philosophy and built a nation. We’re forming that kind of leader again.
Every undergraduate completes a core grounded in the Great Books of Western civilization, alongside rigorous training in mathematics, the sciences, and AI. Small seminars with heavy reading and high standards.
Great Books Core
From Plato to Locke to Tocqueville. The ideas that built Western civilization.
Quantitative Training
Mathematics, data science, and AI. The tools that shape the future.
Small Seminars
~15 students per seminar. Debate everything, and defend your ideas with evidence.
Polaris Projects
Launch a company, intern for a public official, pursue original research, build alongside the people reshaping American industry.
Experience UATX
Programs for high school and college students
high school honors program
A weekend inside UATX: small seminars, talks with our faculty and guests, and the social life of the college. Students do college-level work and get a taste of what UATX offers.
Cost: Free
Locations: TBD 2026-2027
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, seniors
Summer Fellowship
A two-week residential academic program celebrating America’s 250th. Two tracks available: Early College for rising high school juniors and seniors, and Undergraduate Transfer for college students curious about UATX. Build an LLM from scratch, study Lincoln and Douglass, debate founding principles.
Cost: $2,500 + $250 damage deposit
(Full scholarship available)
Location: Residential Program in Austin
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors (16+), and gap year/undergrads.
what sets us apart
Six things you won’t find anywhere else
Entirely donor-funded. Additional aid available for students with high need. Graduates leave free to start companies, build families, and take risks for our country.
No essays. No legacy preferences. Your test score is your application — SAT, ACT, or CLT. Merit is the only credential.
At UATX, an A is actually an A; it is not a participation prize. Our grades reflect genuine mastery.
Every student reads Aristotle, the Bible, the Federalist Papers, and Adam Smith. Ideas worth defending, not just deconstructing.
No lecture halls. Small seminars where you can’t hide and every argument gets tested.
Independent of federal money means independent of federal mandates. We answer to our mission, not bureaucrats.
WHO’S TALKING TO OUR STUDENTS
Recent guest speakers
scholars
- Harvey C. Mansfield
- James Hankins
- Scott Aaronson
- Niall Ferguson
- Tyler Cowen
- Sean McMeekin
entrepreneurs
- Alex Karp
- Joe Lonsdale
- Jimmy John Liautaud
- Zach Dell
- Daniel Lubetzky
- Andy Aymeloglu
investors
- Bill Ackman
- Jeff Yass
-
Jason Calacanis
- Peter Thiel
- Mike Maples
- Joe Liemandt
public intellectuals
- Ayaan Hirsi Ali
- Bari Weiss
- Rod Dreher
- Michael Shellenberger
- Liel Leibovitz
- Yeonmi Park
Public Officials
- Gov. Greg Abbott
- Sen. John Cornyn
- Sen. Ted Cruz
- Sen. Ted Budd
- The Hon. Linda McMahon
- Justice Evan A. Young
Articles and interviews from UATX
Apply to UATX
The future of our institutions will be shaped by the students educated today. UATX exists to form leaders prepared to meet that responsibility.