UT Austin facts: founded 1883 in Austin, TX
More UT Austin facts
- President · The 31st president.James E. Davis
- Mascot · A longhorn steer. The costumed mascot is Hook ’Em.Bevo
- ColorsBurnt orange and white
More from UT’s facts page
UT’s own counts.
- Faculty, fall 20264,760
- Staff15,000
- Alumni610,000+
- Libraries12
- Museums8
- Student organizations1,000+
When was UT Austin founded?1883.
UT’s About page says it was founded in 1883. Its Tower history says the university officially opened that year, in a ceremony on the hill where the Tower stands now.
Classes started in the temporary Capitol while the first building went up on the Forty Acres. The first classes had 8 professors and 221 students.
Where is UT Austin?In Austin, Texas.
UT lists Main Building, 110 Inner Campus Drive, Austin, TX 78712 as its general address. Texas One Stop lists the same address, on the ground floor of the Tower.
The original campus, the Forty Acres, sits between 21st Street, Guadalupe Street, 24th Street, and Speedway. The campus map shows today’s buildings.
What’s UT’s mascot and what are its colors?Bevo, and burnt orange and white.
A longhorn steer first came to campus in 1916 and was named Bevo the next month. UT has had more than a dozen Bevos, and the Silver Spurs student group handles them.
UT adopted orange and white as its colors in 1900. Coach Darrell Royal made burnt orange the preferred shade in the early 1960s.
How many colleges and schools does UT have?16.
UT’s facts page counts 16 colleges and schools. Its About page says 70 programs rank in the top 10.
SourcesUT’s About and facts pages
Checked November 12, 2026. Every number comes from utexas.edu: the facts and figures page, About UT, the Tower history and Longhorn Traditions.