Up to 100 Exceptional Students to Win $130K University of Austin Scholarships

Each student admitted to the Fall 2024 incoming class of the University of Austin will be awarded a scholarship covering the full cost of undergraduate tuition for four years. 

That’s a value of approximately $130,000.

On top of the full tuition scholarships offered exclusively to the founding UATX class, the university will offer up to 10 students $100,000 merit scholarships to cover additional costs of attendance. The Lonsdale Magaro Build Scholarships will be offered thanks to the generous support of philanthropic entrepreneurs Joe Lonsdale and Alex Magaro.

UATX is accepting applications for its inaugural class of 100 Founding Scholars – a cohort of talented, curious students from across the country who show promise to be the next generation of American founders. These heterodox thinkers and doers will be elevated through a unique mix of tradition and innovation – an immersion in the liberal arts combined with cutting-edge training in entrepreneurship, leadership, technology, and statesmanship.

Admission to the University of Austin is selective. The university admits students based on demonstrated academic capability and capacity for creativity and leadership. It seeks those who have demonstrated the character and temperament to contribute to and thrive in a challenging academic environment that prioritizes intellectual curiosity, applied learning, self-motivation, and an entrepreneurial spirit.

Its intrepid students and scholarship awardees won’t just attend university; they’ll help build one alongside star faculty and mentors, enjoying a student-to-faculty ratio of approximately 1:5. 

They’ll learn from world-class professors and advisors, including historian Niall Ferguson, journalist Michael Shellenberger, playwright David Mamet, founder and venture capitalist Joe Lonsdale, and many others.

They’ll also count among their teachers Dean of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics David Ruth, formerly an award-winning professor of mathematics at the United States Naval Academy; Dean of Arts and Letters Patrick Gray, a Shakespeare scholar with advanced degrees from Yale University, the University of Oxford, and the Université de Paris-Sorbonne; and Chief Innovation Officer Keri Waters, an inventor and founder whose previous startup, Buoy Labs, won the CES Innovation Award 2018 and an Edison Award and was acquired by Resideo in 2019. 

‘We’re driven by people who’ve built great American companies, and we’re going to give you direct access to that pool of talent’ – Associate Director of Admissions Ben Crocker

Associate Director of Admissions Ben Crocker has visited dozens of high schools nationwide in search of exceptional young people.

At a recent visit with high school seniors at The Wilberforce School, a private school in Princeton, N.J., Crocker delved deeper into what UATX will offer its selected students.

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The University of Austin is, on the one hand, a rigorous liberal arts college “where we are going to demand deep reading and close discussion in small groups for your whole four years,” he said. 

The UATX difference is that in addition to immersion in the liberal arts, students will “come into contact with people who are doing great practical things in the world and who will directly mentor them all the way through.”

“Because we’re keeping the college deliberately small, especially in these opening years, and because we’re driven by people who’ve built great American companies, we’re going to give you direct access to that pool of talent,” Crocker said.

That includes pursuing partnerships with some of Austin’s top companies, including SpaceX and The Boring Company, both founded by Elon Musk.

“You’ll have such close access to the business people in and around Austin,” Crocker continued.

Before and after graduation, UATX students will tap into a broad network of supportive mentors and prestigious employers, whether they stay in Austin or go elsewhere. 

“As long as you do the right thing, you’re going to get married up to a great company, or you can start your own and find capital for it,” Crocker said. 

The University of Austin has a rolling admissions process, and applications are open. If you know an exceptional high school senior who has what it takes to join the University of Austin’s intrepid founding class, encourage them to apply. 

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