A new university for a new era
We charge you nothing except everything you’ve got.
The University of Austin (UATX) is building the leaders America needs—students are admitted on merit alone, trained in the Great Books and through apprenticeship, free from the debt that cripples ambition.
“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 15-course core built around the Great Books, alongside rigorous training in data science, computer science, and AI. Small seminars, with heavy reading and high standards.
Great Books Core
From Homer to Shakespeare to Tocqueville. The ideas that built civilization.
Quantitative Training
Data science, AI, computer science. The tools that shape the future.
Small Seminars
5:1 ratio. Debate everything. Defend your ideas with facts.
Polaris Projects
Launch a company. Intern for public officials. Work alongside builders reshaping American industry.
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. No shady back doors. Your test score is your application. SAT, ACT, or CLT-merit is the only credential.
At UATX, an A is actually an A–not a C plus a participation prize. Our grades reflect genuine mastery. High standards are the highest form of respect.
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
Experience UATX
Programs for high school and college students
high school honors program
An immersive weekend program where high school students experience UATX firsthand through small seminars, talks, and social activities. Take on rigorous college-level work while building the habits of intellectual courage that define our community.
Cost: Free (meals included)
Locations: NYC, Boston, San Francisco, Austin
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.
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.