University of North Texas

Public · Moderately Selective · TX

Photo: Michael Barera (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationTX · South

SettingUrban

Undergrads34,341

Student:faculty25:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate43.4%

6-yr grad rate60.7%

Drop-out rate23.4%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$11k

Out-of-state tuition$21k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity65.9%

Gender diversity53.5%

International4.5%

Identity—

Overview

The University of North Texas, in Denton at the northern edge of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, is a large public research university whose identity is inseparable from its College of Music. It combines big-state-school scale with a college-town atmosphere shaped by Denton's live-music scene, which feeds off of and into the university, and shares the town with Texas Woman's University just across the tracks. UNT has pushed in recent years to build its research profile more broadly, but music remains the program most people associate with the school's name.

Academics

UNT's jazz studies program, one of the oldest and most respected of its kind, grew alongside the university's One O'Clock Lab Band, a student jazz ensemble with a long history of national recognition, and the College of Music more broadly draws serious performers from across the country in both jazz and classical tracks. Beyond music, the university has real strength in art and design through its College of Visual Arts and Design, in education, and in logistics and supply chain through its business college, which draws on UNT's position inside the DFW metroplex. Its size allows a wide range of majors with varying degrees of research intensity, from large lecture courses to closely mentored studio and lab work.

Campus & student life

Denton is a genuine college town, smaller and more independent-feeling than the DFW sprawl around it, with a music and arts scene, from small clubs to local record stores, that reflects the university's own character. Student life mixes a large commuter population drawn from across the metroplex with a core of students living in and around Denton itself. Mean Green athletics have a loyal but modest following relative to the university's size, and music school recitals and performances are as much a fixture of campus life as any sporting event.

Getting in

Admissions is generally accessible for a large public university, though the music programs require competitive auditions separate from general admission and are considerably more selective in practice than the university's overall numbers suggest. Prospective music students often prepare specifically for the audition process the way other applicants might prepare a portfolio or interview, and admission into the College of Music can be harder than into UNT as a whole.

After graduation

Music graduates go on to performance, education, and industry careers with a program pedigree, especially from the jazz program, that carries real weight in those fields nationally. Other graduates tend to stay in the DFW area, feeding into its large and diverse job market across business, technology, and education. The alumni network is strongest and most visible within the music industry, where UNT-trained musicians and educators are common.

Worth knowing

Students who come to UNT purely for a general degree sometimes find themselves in the shadow of the music program's reputation, even though most of the university's population isn't in it. Denton's music venues and the college town's independent character are a real part of the draw for students who want more than a commuter campus.

unt.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate72.2%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 980–1230 · ACT 19–27

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying (2026-27 cycle)

Apply through ApplyTexas or Common App.

Priority / scholarshipMar 1

Verified from the school’s admissions pages ↗