For college, Jenna Bush Hager stayed close to home, attending the University of Texas at Austin, a campus of over 50,000 students. There, she studied English and took courses in creative writing, poetry, and literature. Pamela Nelson, Jenna's former art instructor, shared in "Laura Bush: An Intimate Portrait of the First Lady" that Jenna picked the school "because she was so connected in Austin, and she wanted to have her friends and not lose them."

Jenna focused on having a typical college experience and was able to blend in because of the university's size. Then-campus newspaper managing editor Erin Keck told the Plainview Herald in 2004, "I think she is able to hide better because it's such a large campus." Explained Vice President for Legal Affairs Patricia Ohlendorf, "She wants to be as regular a student as possible," adding that Jenna had done "very well" in school.

However, Jenna's escapades at school didn't go totally unnoticed by the press. In April 2001, she was cited for alcohol possession, fined $51.25, and ordered to undergo eight hours of community service and six hours of alcohol-awareness classes. The next month, she was cited again for using a fake ID to order alcohol while out with her sister and friends. Her second offense, Jenna received a $609 fine, a one-month driver's license suspension, and 36 additional hours of community service (her sister was also cited but received a lesser penalty, being her first offense).