The Texas Longhorns football team claimed the No. 1 spot on the preseason Coaches Poll, and after reaching the College Football Playoff semifinal for two consecutive years, heightened expectations and increased excitement surround their performances this year.
With the season fast approaching, here are the important tips, tricks and tidbits for claiming a student ticket for home games at the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
The Big Ticket
For $250 annually, students can purchase the Big Ticket, which grants the opportunity to claim tickets for all home regular-season ticketed events within Texas Athletics.
To secure tickets for Longhorn football, students must log into their Big Ticket student account on Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. They are then redirected to a randomly ordered queue, where they wait to reach the front of the virtual line and obtain a ticket.
However, this comes with a caveat. Especially when it comes to Southeastern Conference games, the number of Big Ticket holders trying to claim a ticket for the week might exceed the capacity of DKR’s student section.
For those who want to reduce their reliance on the odds of the computer-generated queue, another option exists.
Longhorn Foundation and its benefits
Ticket claim is a generally less stressful process for Longhorn Foundation members. For an additional $130 each year, these students gain access to claiming tickets exactly 24 hours before other Big Ticket holders.
The purchase of a 2025 Longhorn Foundation membership operated on a first-come, first-serve basis, and only 6,000 memberships were available for sale.
Access to Longhorn Foundation status for this season became available in April 2025, but the 6,000 slots filled up quickly.
Rules for good standing
Since claiming a ticket has proven to be such a competitive process for students, those with the Big Ticket must remain in good standing to continue reaping its benefits.
Students who claim a ticket and don’t show up by halftime receive a strike, and members who receive two strikes in one season will be stripped of their claim privileges for the rest of the season.
If you claim a ticket on Tuesday or Wednesday but end up being unable to attend the week’s game, you must relinquish your ticket officially on the website at least four hours before kickoff. It is also prohibited to sell or transfer your Big Ticket to someone else.
Tips and information
Finally, here are a few tips for current or future Big Ticket holders:
Stable WiFi is critical when attempting to claim a ticket, and some students relocate to libraries like the Perry Castañeda Library if they need better WiFi or access to a computer.
When it comes to entering DKR, students will look for Gate 25, which is located on the northeast corner of the stadium. The line can become chaotic as kickoff approaches, so arriving early can increase the odds of being seated by the game’s start.
For students who want to support Texas Athletics but aren’t interested in football, a new Big Ticket without football now exists for $100 per season.
The football season starts on Aug. 30, and the first home game will occur on Sept. 6 against the San Jose State Spartans.
