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MustReadTexas.com [ [link removed] ] – @MustReadTexas [ [link removed] ]
BY: @MattMackowiak [ [link removed] ]
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FRIDAY || 1/24/25
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AUSTIN NEWSLETTER LAUNCHED
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TOP NEWS
“Many UT applicants got deferrals in early action process,” Houston Chronicle's Samantha Ketterer — “Skye Ross’ parents and siblings met her at the pizzeria, ready to cheer her on at work while she opened her admissions letter from the University of Texas at Austin.
She had waited her whole life for this moment, though the real waiting began in October when she met an “early-action” submissions deadline promising results on Jan. 15. The day now here, the UT-loving family crowded around Ross at a high top table, and she opened the email to something she didn't know was possible.
The university told her it would give her its answer in a month – alongside the students who applied by the “regular decision” deadline in December.
“It felt like a denial,” mother Tiffani Ross said. “It’s very confusing when kids pull that up. When they applied early they should have a decision early, that’s the whole point.”
Only 5,000 students got acceptances by Jan. 15, out of the record 91,000 [ [link removed] ] prospective freshmen who applied to UT-Austin for the fall 2025 semester, according to a leaked email from the admissions office. The admitted students represented only 25 to 30% of the expected number of offers, and no one in the overall pool received denials.
Most of the 5,000 current admits applied early action, and the other early action applicants who didn't get an offer yet were deferred. While the number of applicants was unprecedented, the first round of decisions confounded many students, parents and college admissions consultants. UT declined to clarify the breakdown of early and regular applicants, but the deferrals now mean that up to 86,000 letters will go out en masse on the regular decision date. Some decisions might be released earlier for smaller majors or automatic admits applying to specific majors, per the leaked email.
“This is the first year that UT offered an Early Action application window, and the review of Early Action applications is unfolding as planned,” Miguel Wasielewski, interim senior vice president for strategic enrollment management, said in a statement.
"The first wave of Early Action decisions was issued January 15 with one of four possible outcomes – admitted, deferred, denied or an alternative pathway," he said. "All Early Action applicants that were not accepted or declined by January 15 remain under review and will receive a decision on their application by February 15.”
Skye Ross' and several other applicant's families didn’t find the earliest communications so clear cut, they said. Some were familiar with deferral processes that require sending in more information before receiving acceptances, but this didn’t seem to be the case.
“Thank you for meeting our Early Action deadline,” the initial admissions status notification said. “The Office of Admissions is thoroughly reviewing your application for your selected major and we need some additional time. No further action is needed on your part. You can expect to receive your admission decision February 15.”
Overnight, many parents said, their children’s admissions status was updated to “deferred.” Some were angry at what they viewed as a lack of transparency, and the leaked email confirming that only 5,000 people heard back – with an unknown number from regular decision – only worsened their irritation toward UT. Wasielewski acknowledged in a statement that "some confusion" occurred because the word "deferred" was not used, prompting the university to clarify students' statuses later in the day.
"It has definitely dimmed the shine that UT-Austin had," said Sarah Hubbell, of Katy, whose son received a deferral. "They say, love the school that loves you back."
The flagship introduced a slew of changes to its admissions process last year, coming off a season that garnered them a high of 73,000 applicants for fall 2024. Many high school students' GPAs were too close together, making it difficult to differentiate students and determine who was best suited for limited seats, Wasielewski said at the time. The admissions office reinstated test requirements, reintroduced a waitlist, provided more flexibility in the required essay and added a prompt for students to highlight an activity of their choice.
The school also announced a new early action deadline, ditching the use of a former "priority" deadline that encouraged students to apply early but left them unsure whether they would be benefited doing so. UT officials said the nonbinding early action deadline would not provide students an advantage in the review process but would give "a guaranteed decision communicated to applicants by Jan. 15."" Houston Chronicle [ [link removed] ] ($)
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TOP NEWS
“Seven San Antonio Police officers shot in Stone Oak identified” SAEN [ [link removed] ] ($)
KENS 5: “Man accused of shooting 7 SAPD officers in Stone Oak threatened to commit suicide in Comal County call the previous night” KENS 5 [ [link removed] ]
#TXLEGE
TX TRIB: “Conservatives clinch longtime goal of booting Democrats from leadership ranks in Texas House” Texas Tribune [ [link removed] ]
STATE GOVERNMENT
AAS: “Gov. Greg Abbott asks federal government for $11B to cover Operation Lone Star” AAS [ [link removed] ] ($)
SAEN: “Texas updates rules for oil field waste for 1st time in 40 years” SAEN [ [link removed] ] ($)
AAS: “Texas one of 15 states to reach $7.4 billion opioid settlement with Purdue Pharma” AAS [ [link removed] ] ($)
AAS: “Texas State Bar drops lawsuit over Attorney General Ken Paxton's 2020 election challenge” AAS [ [link removed] ] ($)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
HOU CHRON: “Why is Harris County on the hook for maintaining the Texans' stadium?” Houston Chronicle [ [link removed] ] ($)
NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE
> TX TRIB: "Former Texas congressman John Ratcliffe confirmed as CIA director" TX TRIB [ [link removed] ]
> TX TRIB: "State lawmakers ask education agency for guidance on how Texas schools can respond to Trump’s immigration plans" TX TRIB [ [link removed] ]
> TX TRIB: "Brooke Rollins says she'll shield farmers from impacts of Trump's tariffs in ag secretary nomination hearing" TX TRIB [ [link removed] ]
> AP: "Texas bar association drops lawsuit against AG Ken Paxton over 2020 election challenge" AP [ [link removed] ]
> AP: "US active duty troops beginning to arrive in Texas and San Diego to support border security" AP [ [link removed] ]
> AP: "Supreme Court allows small business registration rule to take effect, aimed at money laundering" AP [ [link removed] ]
> TX TRIB: "In Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, a push for residents to lose weight and curb diabetes" TX TRIB [ [link removed] ]
> DMN: "Texas House bans Democrats as legislative committee chairs" DMN [ [link removed] ]
> DMN: "Just how cold did Texas get during recent winter blast? Alligators froze in solid ice" DMN [ [link removed] ]
> TX TRIB: "Data centers are booming in Texas. What does that mean for the grid?" TX TRIB [ [link removed] ]
> AP: "Asylum-seekers pushed to new extremes in Mexico after Trump’s border crackdown begins" AP [ [link removed] ]
> FWST: "Would splitting Keller ISD into 2 school districts hurt home values? It’s complicated." FWST [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: "Where are homeowners getting dropped by insurers? Texas doesn’t know." HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: "New 4,000-home community coming to Waller County as population soars" HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
> DMN: "Buc-ee’s accuses Dallas gas station of copying beaver in lawsuit" DMN [ [link removed] ]
> DMN: "Dallas OKs $200,000 to continue legal fight over logo with clothing company" DMN [ [link removed] ]
> FWST: "74-year-old rideshare driver killed when passenger runs him over, Arizona police say" FWST [ [link removed] ]
> DMN: "Semiconductor firm announces $30 million D-FW relocation, expansion" DMN [ [link removed] ]
EXTRA POINTS
Last night's Texas sports score:
> NBA: San Antonio 140, Indiana 110
> NBA: Dallas 121, Oklahoma City 115
> NCAAM: Texas State 89, Louisiana 74
> NCAAM: Middle Tennessee State 77, Sam Houston State 75
> NCAAM: Abilene Christian 67, Tarleton State 56
> NCAAM: UT-Arlington 65, Seattle 56
> NCAAM: Jacksonville State 73, UTEP 66
This weekend's Texas sports schedule:
Fri
> 6:30pm: NHL: Las Vegas at Dallas (ESPN)
Sat
> 11am: NBA: Indiana at San Antonio (ESPN)
> 11am: NCAAM: SMU at NC State (CW)
> 1:30pm: NCAAM: #13 Texas A&M at Texas (ESPN2)
> 1:30pm: NCAAM: Tulane at Rice (ESPNU)
> 2pm: NCAAM: Texas State at Arkansas State (ESPN+)
> 2:30pm: NCAAM: Western Kentucky at Sam Houston State (ESPN+)
> 3pm: NCAAM: Prairie View A&M at Alabama State (ESPN+)
> 3pm: NCAAM: UT-Arlington at Abilene Christian (ESPN+)
> 3pm: NCAAM: TCU at UCF (ESPN+)
> 3pm: NCAAM: Temple at UTSA (ESPN+)
> 3:30pm: NCAAM: Baylor at Utah (ESPN2)
> 3:30pm: NCAAM: Nicholls at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (ESPN+)
> 4pm: NCAAM: Texas Southern at Alabama A&M (SWAC)
> 4:30pm: NBA: Boston at Dallas (ABC)
> 4:30pm: NCAAM: McNeese State at UT-RGV (ESPN+)
> 5pm: NCAAM: Houston Christian at New Orleans (ESPN+)
> 5pm: NCAAM: Northwestern State at Stephen F. Austin (ESPN+)
> 5:30pm: NCAAM: #7 Houston at #12 Kansas (ESPN)
> 6pm: NHL: Dallas St. Louis (ESPN+)
> 6pm: NCAAM: East Texas A&M at Lamar (ESPN+)
> 6:30pm: NBA: Houston at Atlanta
> 8pm: NCAAM: Kennesaw State at UTEP (ESPN+)
DALLAS COWBOYS: Cowlishaw: "Cowboys now own NFC's longest title game drought. The future only looks more desolate" DMN [ [link removed] ] ($)
DALLAS COWBOYS: "After some twists and turns, Dallas Cowboys' search for head coach could be nearing an end" DMN [ [link removed] ] ($)
DALLAS MAVERICKS: "Mavs show mettle in win over Thunder, move to 3-1 vs. OKC on season" DMN [ [link removed] ] ($)
SAN ANTONIO SPURS: "Wembanyama loses out on bid to become All-Starstarter" SAEN [ [link removed] ] ($)
HOUSTON ASTROS: "Houston Astros: Negotiations with free agent Alex Bregman resume" Houston Chronicle [ [link removed] ] ($)

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