Matriculation and Onboarding

• All student visas are managed through the university's International Student and Scholar Services. International students in ILS programs primarily obtain F-1 visas, find out more here. 
• Immigration documentation is processed through the MyIO portal, and it is there you will submit requests and provide any required information and documentation. To find out more about what MyIO, check out their Information for Students page.
• ISSS is your main contact for all things immigration related. While we are happy to help as we can at the program level in most cases requests sent to ILS admin will be referred to ISSS. 

Departmental Contact

When listing a departmental contact for ISSS paperwork please name Jonathan Vollmert and use the ilsgrad@austin.utexas.edu email address. 

The majority of ILS students begin their time in their graduate program by rotating between three labs before choosing their permanent lab at the end of their first semester.

A list of labs available for rotation in the coming fall is shared with incoming students after the acceptance deadline of April 15. 

Please review the Lab Rotations and Permanent Laboratories page for more information on the rotation process and requirements, as well as a timeline for the upcoming cycle.

• UT employees are required to complete a background check prior to the creation of their employment appointment. 
• As GRAs and TAs ILS students are employees of UT.  
• Background check emails are typically initiated in mid-late June for Fall start students and in mid-late April for Summer starts. 
• When you receive the email please provide the requested information as soon as you can. It can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for UT to receive final approval of the check, and your employment paperwork cannot move forward until it has been received. 

Emails

• All students will need to set up a UT email address for use of their time at UT. This email address can be set up approximately a month before your start at UT. Instructions for creating a UT Gmail or UT Office 365 email address can be found in your New Student Welcome Packet.
• Once obtained, you will need to sign your email address up for the two primary ways that the programs share important news and updates:
  • List-Serv: each program has a student list-serv (group email). Once you have your UT email address you can sign up for your program's list serv through UT Lists.
  • Newsletter: A weekly(ish) email with information on upcoming academic and organizational deadlines, extra curricular announcements, and post doctoral positions that have been shared with the department. When you sign up for your List-serv ILS Admin will be notified and will add your email address to the Newsletter.
• UT communications are subject to open records requests, to help ensure your personal email stays private we strongly encourage you to only use your UT email address for communications within the university. ILS admin will reach out to you via your UT email address for any and all communications we send.

Student Slack

We strongly encourage all ILS students to join the Student Slack. This is a student run space where students can reach out to each other for information and community. The Slack includes many channels ranging from student community groups to housing. A link for accessing the ILS student slack can be found in your New Student Welcome Packet.

• Each semester students must:
  • Register for classes
  • Complete any needed waivers for their tuition bill 
  • Confirm their attendance/registration
• To find out more about the registration process, waivers, and requirements check out the Current Students' Registration and Tuition Page.
• All ILS students take core classes their first fall semester. To find out more about which classes you should sign up for please refer to the Program Timeline provided on the Program Overview page for your graduate program. 
  • Biochemistry
  • Cell and Molecular Biology
  • Microbiology
• $10 General Deposit: Students new to UT will have a $10 general deposit fee on their first semester tuition bill. This fee is collected by the university and serves as a deposit against potential fees or charges a student may accrue during thier time at UT, such as library or printing fees. Should the student not accrue any such fees the fee will be returned to them upon graduation. Students must pay this fee. Please log into MyTuitionBill, pay the general deposit, and if you can, confirm attendance by pushing the big blue button while you’re there.   
• International Students moving to Austin from outside of the country: Please note that you will not be able to register until after you have arrived in the US and completed your required health test and immunization requirements. 

Complete your I-9 & other Workday requirements

• Once your appointment has been created and approved you will receive onboarding instructions and requests from Workday. Please work to complete these as soon as you can to ensure you are in compliance with HR requirements.
  • Please note that you are required to complete section 1 of your I-9 no later than your first working day.
• International students: You will need to apply for a Social Security Number if you do not already have one.
  • Part of that process requires an employment verification letter. Please email ILSadmin@austin.utexas.edu to request this letter. 
  • Visit ISSS' webpage to get more information on On Campus Employment requirements and processes. 
• For more information, please refer to this employee checklist: https://hr.utexas.edu/student/new-student-employee-checklist along with ILS Admin email correspondences and the New Student Welcome Packet. 

Funding types and Insurance Enrollment

Graduate Students at the University of Texas at Austin have access to high-quality insurance options. But how that enrollment takes place is determined by your employment status. Insurance enrollment is different depending on if you are supported via academic employment (such as a GRA or TA) or Fellowships.  Please review the page link for your support type for more information on insurance options and steps needed. 
 

Upgraded EID

An upgraded EID is required for secure logins and accessing many of UT's systems. In order to upgrade your EID, you must visit the ID center on campus. Once you are on campus you will want to go to the ID center on the main floor of the Flawn Academic Center (FAC Building) to complete the upgrade process and receive your UT ID card. You will need to bring a form of ID with you to complete this process. 

Non-Payroll Direct Deposit

Once you have upgraded your EID you will have the ability to complete the non-payroll direct deposit information. This allows you to receive direct deposits for things like fellowship and reimbursement payments, including the starting bonus fellowship issued to you by ILSGP.