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 be provided with an official UT email address by UT (this email is also your Microsoft 365 account and is sometimes referred to as your Microsoft 365 email). UT IT will reach out to you before your start to let you know your account has been created.
  • Your Email will be formatted as YOUR EID@my.utexas.edu
  • Please review the UT Official Student Email page from UT Service for more information.
• 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:https://www.healthyhorns.utexas.edu/uhs/international-students.html
  • 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

Registration Bars/Holds for New Students

• University Health Services/Medical: Please note that new students are not able to register until after you have completed your health test and immunization requirements.
  • Requirements for U. S. Citizens and Permanent Residents
  • Requirements for International Students
• Transcripts: The Graduate School is still in need of your official transcript from a previous institution or institutions.
  • Please note that this hold may remain in place after you have submitted your transcripts as the Graduate School must review and approve the transcript received before they will remove the hold.
• J-Hold (International Students only):

  • Students with a J-Hold must complete an English language skills screening, which is conducted by the English Language Center. This is a hold primarily for incoming students. 

  • These screenings are offered at very specific times prior to and at the very start of the semester. Please plan your screening for as early as you are able to take it in order to ensure you are able to register for classes and get your tuition taken care of prior to the semester start deadline.

  • To find out more about the J-hold, how, where, and when to take the screening, and next steps after screening please visit ISSS's J-hold page. 

• Have a hold that isn't listed here? Check out the Registration and Tuition Page to see information on additional hold types that may be impacting your registration.

Tuition Bill

• Your tuition bill can be found at My Tuition Bill
• Please visit Registration and Tuition Page to find out more about your bill, payments that are processed by the department, required waivers, and more 

$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.   

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. 

ITA Certification for International Students

International Students must pass the ITA (unless exempt) before they will be allowed to be employed as a TA. As all ILS students TA at least once during their time at the university ILS international students will have to take this exam (unless they are marked as exempt by Texas Global). 

ILS International students who must take the ITA are strongly encouraged to do so prior to the end of their first year at UT. So long as you do not have a J-hold on your acct, this exam can be taken your first semester. ITA exams are offered by Texas Global at select times each semester.

Find out more about the ITA and the steps to complete it on our Funding & Employment page.

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.