The Graduate School
Registration
The
following information will help you successfully navigate through
the registration process as a new UT Austin graduate student.
To help students get familiar with registration, the Office
of the Registrar has provided helpful information to navigate the registration process. If
you have more questions, please contact the Registrar’s
Office or call the Registrar’s Helpline 512/475-7656.
Graduate Departments
One of the most important things you can do as a new graduate student is to develop a working relationship with both your graduate coordinator and graduate adviser. This was discussed earlier in the section on The Role of the Academic Department. As the Graduate School makes great effort to communicate with academic departments, the relationship between you, the student, and your department will greatly enhance your experience as a graduate student. Although graduate departments vary greatly, your graduate coordinator is a good first point of contact on registration matters such as:
- adds and drops,
- withdrawals,
- grade status changes, and
- most other general registration questions.
Course Schedule
One of the most useful resources is the Course Schedule. You will find a great deal of relevant information and answers to many of your questions. The Course Schedule includes the academic or university calendar, which outlines all pertinent dates and deadlines for graduate students. Keep in mind when reviewing the university calendar that deadlines and registration dates for graduate students often differ from those of undergraduates. This remains true even if you are a graduate student enrolling in an undergraduate course.
Along with the calendar, the Course Schedule also contains registration instructions, access times, and definitions of terms. Again, you can access the online version from the Registrar’s Office homepage and click on the link called Course Schedules.
Graduate Catalog
While on the Registrar’s home page, you may access the Graduate Catalog. Click on the link called Catalogs. On this page you will see a link to The Graduate Catalog. This catalog includes information about:
- your specific degree program,
- degree requirements,
- course descriptions,
- definitions of various grading symbols, and
- information regarding academic probation and dismissal.
Terminology
Although it may seem tedious to study the Course Schedule and Graduate Catalog, doing so before you begin the registration process will help in reducing frustration and confusion. The following definitions are a few of the most common terms. An understanding of these terms will decrease your chances of having difficulties with the registration process.
- Registration information can be found on the Registrar's Services Online page.
- Access periods are the designated time periods when specified groups of students may register or add or drop classes. Consult the Course Schedule to determine when you are eligible.
- Adds and Drops means to make a change to an existing schedule. You may not make changes to your schedule until your fee bill has been paid.
- Withdrawal means to formally resign from the university as a student for the current semester. A student cannot withdraw from the university simply by dropping all classes, but must follow the withdrawal procedure.
While this list is in no way comprehensive, these terms will provide you with some working knowledge of the registration process. A more complete list is available in the Course Schedule. Although your academic department is always a good first point of contact, please feel welcome to contact the Graduate School with concerns. We can be reached by telephone at 512/471-4511, send e-mail to ogs@www.utexas.edu, or come by our office in the Main Building, room 101.
This concludes the section on Registration. To continue to the next section of the Graduate Student Orientation, click on the button labeled "Next".
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