welcome to UATX
Congratulations and welcome to the Class of 2028! Here at the University of Austin, we are dedicated not only to the fearless pursuit of truth, but also to ensuring that your transition to university life goes smoothly.
In these pages, you’ll find information about student life at UATX. You’ll also be asked to provide us with information about yourself to help us better serve our founding class. There are important deadlines, so please review all information carefully. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to [email protected].
*Please note that information found in this portal is subject to change.
profile informatioN
To make sure we have the latest and most accurate information on file, please complete the Student Portal: Profile Information form below. Please note that student portal forms cannot be accessed and submitted until you receive a University email address. If you have not received a separate email with instructions about how to set up your @student.uaustin.org email address, please reach out to the Polaris Center at [email protected].
In addition, please provide your parents' contact details, along with information for one additional emergency contact on the Emergency Contact form below. Information collected will also be used to communicate information about upcoming UATX parent events. Please notify the University if you do not wish for your parents' information to be shared other than for emergency contact purposes.
Health & Medical
Student health and wellbeing is of great importance to the University of Austin. We have worked to ensure that students have access to the best possible health and support services throughout their time with us in Austin.
The University of Austin complies with the Texas minimum state vaccine requirements for college entry. As such, all entering students are required to show proof of an initial meningococcal vaccination or a booster dose during the five-year period prior to enrolling, unless an exemption applies. Please access the form below to learn more and upload all necessary documentation before August 15, 2024.
billing
This summer, you will receive your first student bill. The full balance must be timely paid, or a University-approved payment plan needs to be in place, before you will be able to register for classes.
More information is forthcoming, but for now, please expect to receive your bill some time in early or mid-July with payment due early to mid-August. You will be able to apply your scholarships (including the Founders Scholarship) and any other financial aid awards in satisfaction of billed expenses, as applicable.
Official Transcripts
Submit your final official transcripts
All admitted students are required to submit final, official transcripts showing (i) all completed coursework, (ii) final grades received through your final year of high school, and (iii) your high school graduation date.
Request one official transcript from each secondary (e.g., high school) and post-secondary (e.g., college) institution you have ever attended, regardless of length of attendance. It is your responsibility to contact each institution to request that transcripts be sent to the Office of Admissions by the deadline. Scanned copies of transcripts uploaded with your online application are not considered official.
The University reserves the right to withdraw your offer of admission for various reasons, including:
- Your final academic records fail to show completion of required courses;
- You failed to maintain satisfactory scholastic standing in your coursework; or
- Your offer of admission was based on incomplete or inaccurate information you provided in your application file.
How to Submit Official Transcripts
High schools and school districts have their own protocols for submitting transcripts. The University of Austin accepts transcripts in a variety of ways to accommodate this. Contact your high school to determine which of the following methods should be used to submit your transcript:
Official transcripts may be sent electronically through Parchment (formerly Naviance). When sending an electronic transcript, please select the University of Austin as the destination.
Official transcripts may be mailed to the Office of Admissions at:
University of Austin, Office of Admissions
522 Congress Ave, Suite 300
Austin, TX 78701
If your official high school transcript cannot be sent electronically or by mail, a school official may email transcripts to [email protected]. The sender’s email address must be associated with the sending institution. Transcripts sent from Gmail, Yahoo or other generic email providers will not be accepted. Note, this option cannot be used to submit college transcripts.
Home-Schooled and GED Students
If you were home-schooled, submit a transcript that contains the following:
- High school graduation date
- Cumulative GPA and GPA by grade level or semester
- Course titles for coursework taken at each grade level or semester, as appropriate, with a grade for each course
- Very brief course descriptions for each course
- Indication of any completed college (e.g. dual enrollment) or co-op coursework
- Signature of a school official/education administrator, defined as the adult person who was primarily responsible for your education.
If you earned a GED, submit your high school transcript(s) showing any coursework completed along with a copy of the GED certificate.
Additional Guidelines about Transcripts
An official transcript is –
- An original or an attested photocopy of a transcript with a fresh school stamp or seal and the institution’s authorizing signature. If mailed, official transcript(s) must be in a sealed school envelope from the school.
- An electronic transcript, accepted as official only if it is sent through Parchment (formerly Naviance). When sending an electronic transcript, select the University of Austin as the destination.
- Do not send transcripts by email, unless it is impossible to otherwise submit your official transcript and you meet the requirements detailed above. Transcripts sent by email that do not meet these requirements will not be considered official.
Each academic record must list the –
- Dates you attended the institution, including your graduation date (if applicable)
- Titles of courses you completed
- Grades (marks) you received
- Credit hours or units earned
All transcripts must be accompanied by an official English translation in the same format as the original(s). To be official, the translations must be stamped as official by the school or be certified as accurate by a certified translator.
If you attended school outside of the U.S., send a transcript from each high school attended, even if your current school has posted foreign transferred coursework on their own transcript.
Once your transcript has been submitted, please allow 1-3 weeks for our office to process your official transcripts.
move-in day
We are excited to welcome you to your new home at the University of Austin and your beautiful, brand new apartment at Union on 24th.
The Official UATX Move-In Day is Sunday, September 1, 2024. All students should move in on this day and will be assigned a specified check-in and unloading time. Move-in times will be assigned by August 1. Please stick to this exact move-in time.
To help with scheduling move-in times, the Admissions Office will reach out to get details of when you and your family/moving crew expect to arrive in Austin. If you are unable to move-in during your assigned move-in time, please reach out to [email protected] to coordinate.
If you haven’t submitted this information already, you may submit your expected arrival time through the Move-In Survey below.
What to Expect on Move-In Day
Excitement, nerves, and lots of activity and fun! The preparation is over and now it is time to move-in, meet your suitemates and get your student apartment ready to call home. We are here to help make this process as smooth as possible.
We will have a crew of Greeters (staff, faculty, and RA’s) welcome you. The volunteers will be wearing UATX team t-shirts, so you can easily find them if you have any questions or concerns.
More details will be available soon.
Polaris Retreat
Welcome to the University of Austin! We are excited to have you join our community of learners and innovators. To help you get acquainted with the university, faculty, and your fellow classmates, we have prepared the Polaris Retreat—a comprehensive orientation week.
Throughout this week, you will engage in thought-provoking discussions, workshops, and activities that will introduce you to the unique learning experiences and ethos at UATX.
Please review the orientation week overview below, and come prepared to actively participate in all the events. We will provide a detailed, daily schedule later this summer. We look forward to meeting you and embarking on this transformative journey together!
Schedule
Official Move-In Day. If you are unable to move in on this day, please reach out to [email protected] to coordinate.
Convocation Ceremony for all students and family. This will conclude by early afternoon, at which time parents and family members should plan to depart so that students may continue with the formal orientation program.
Polaris Retreat (i.e., new student orientation) for students only. Completing the Polaris Retreat is a graduation requirement.
All students must make every effort to be present for the entirety of the Polaris Retreat. Any student who believes they will need to miss any portion of the retreat must reach out to [email protected] as soon as possible.
First day of class.
HOUSING
To further our mission of developing a close-knit, collegiate community and a vibrant student experience, all UATX students will reside in designated University accommodation. Students will be housed at the Union on 24th Building, in West Campus, Austin, for the duration of the 2024-2025 academic year. The building is a short bus ride from the UATX Scarbrough Campus, or approximately 30-40 minutes on foot. The University is pleased to have secured a residential facility that will be the right fit for our students. The Union on 24th building offers a great residential life experience, with extensive facilities for work, play, and relaxation.
If you have not already done so, please submit the Housing Questionnaire by June 15. Housing assignments and additional documents will be sent out later this summer.
Union on 24th
The Union on 24th building offers brand new, well-furnished student apartments. All UATX students will have their own single bedroom and bathroom, within a larger shared apartment of either 4 or 10 bedroom suites, as well as the use of a 3-floor community study space, reserved exclusively for UATX students.
Each apartment has a living room and full kitchen, equipped with a microwave, stove, oven, and dishwasher, as well as a washer and dryer. The building also offers a wide array of additional indoor and outdoor amenities and various spaces for activities and study, all to support a thriving and healthy residential community. The University has purposefully chosen this residential space as part of our 'Urban Campus' concept. The Union on 24th's extensive facilities will form part of the network of spaces and services available to UATX students as part of their campus experience.
Students are allowed to bring a car, but please note there is no parking at the Scarbrough campus, and parking is extremely limited in downtown Austin. Whilst there are public garages, and a small number of street parking options, students are strongly encouraged to walk or take the bus whilst studying at the University. If students do wish to park a car, they will need to purchase a parking pass for the Union on 24th, for an additional fee of $175 per month. This will be coordinated through UATX student accounts.
*Please note that the building is still getting its final touches, so will remain as a construction site until midsummer. Please reach out to [email protected] with questions.
meals
At UATX we pride ourselves on an environment of conversation, community, and connection–inside and outside the classroom.
All student housing will have complete kitchen facilities for students who want to cook their own meals. Wednesday nights will offer catered community dinners after our speaker series. We will not have a UATX cafeteria for Academic Year 2024-2025, but the Polaris Center team is developing a few options to make community dining easier during the week. We'll provide more details on community dining by July 15.
We are confident our meal plan will further promote connection and conversation among the students, faculty, and staff as they come together to share food and ideas.
campus security
The University of Austin takes your safety very seriously. We have partnered with the Austin Police Department, the Downtown Austin Alliance, Block by Block, and Watchmen Security to help ensure that our students, staff, and faculty are safe, both on and near campus.
Our Scarbrough Building campus is access-controlled, and we will have on-premise UATX Security before, during, and after hours. Student, Employee, and Visitor IDs are checked upon entry. Our student housing partner- The Union on 24th- also has on-premises security, and access-controlled floors, suites, and rooms.
Additionally, the University of Austin employs AlertMedia for our own app-based emergency alert and response system to notify students in the event of an emergency, including weather emergencies.
Procedures for On-Campus Emergencies
- If someone appears seriously injured, call 911 immediately. Then alert the most senior staff/faculty member onsite to the situation. That senior employee will help manage the situation.
- If the extent of a person's injury is unknown, alert the most senior staff/faculty member onsite to the situation. That senior employee will then help manage the situation.
- In the event of a tornado, hail, or other high-wind natural disaster, move away from windows, and towards or into the stairwells at the rear (south side) of the building, and shelter in-place until the all-clear is sounded.
- In the event of flash-flooding, remain on the 3rd floor of the building, and avoid driving during the flooding. Use caution when walking to bus stops, and contact CapMetro via its phone app to ensure that busses are running prior to exiting the building.
If violence is taking place inside or outside the building, seek safety, then alert the UATX Security Staff via your AlertMedia app. The stairs are an effective emergency escape route. There are stairs just outside the elevator, and at the rear of the building.
Call 911.
Students will partake in an onboarding session for the AlertMedia App during orientation. This app will notify students of emergencies and allow them to quickly and safely contact UATX Security in emergency situations.
Vehicles & Transportation
Students are allowed to have a car, but will need to purchase a parking permit for an additional cost with Union on 24th if they intend to park a car at their residence.
There is no parking at the University’s Scarbrough campus, and parking is extremely limited in downtown Austin, consisting mainly of public parking garages or street parking. Students are strongly encouraged to walk or take the bus instead. Bikes are allowed and there will be storage available both at the residence (Union on 24th) and near campus.
More information about additional transportation options will be available later this summer.
Student Activities & Clubs
The University of Austin is dedicated to fostering a vibrant and healthy student community and student life experience.
As we speak, we are busy building a wide array of activities, clubs, and athletic offerings to help promote our students’ well-being in and beyond the classroom. We are most excited, however, to see what they will create and bring with them, with our help and resources, once they get to campus.
Every aspect of the University is based first and foremost on the student experience, and we want student voices to be an integral part of the founding clubs, activities, and athletics which will soon become part of the history and traditions of the University.
Class registration
For the Fall 2024 term, the University will automatically register students for classes.
For future terms, all class registration will be completed by students through the Student Portal, where you will be able to view course information, course descriptions, class offerings, and required books/materials by clicking on the class in which you wish to enroll.
The following list includes the four courses each student will be automatically registered for in the Fall 2024 term:
Knowing, Doing, Making Wisdom
This seminar examines the nature and limits of knowledge and the relationship between knowledge and wisdom. Guiding questions include: What is knowledge? What are its sources, modes, objects, and methods? How is knowledge manifested in doing and making? How is it acquired, preserved, and transmitted? What are the limits of our knowledge? Is some knowledge ineffable? How does knowledge differ from wisdom?
Chaos and Civilization
This seminar asks what foundational texts of the Western tradition can teach us about the origins of civilization. What is the character of the beginning of human life, and why does it matter? What roles do the heroes of Homer, Plato, the Greek tragedies, and the Bible play in the beginning of civilization? Are they agents of order or disorder?
Quantitative Reasoning I
The first of a two-course sequence in quantitative reasoning. Topics include interpretation of graphical information, functional notation, patterns, and mathematical problem formulation. Throughout the course, examples will be drawn from a variety of fields including physics, biology, and economics; there will be particular emphasis on the laws of nature and analogies among them.
Polaris Ideas
Where do ideas come from? Is the process similar for practical inventions, like the light bulb, and intellectual and artistic ones, like scientific discoveries, novels, paintings, and music? What are the social and economic preconditions for successful innovations? This seminar will explore these questions by engaging with a wide variety of readings.
Class of 2028 Face Book
To celebrate this incredible milestone in the history of our university, we are publishing a booklet featuring the Class of 2028 for our community (parents, donors, supporters, and allies). This booklet will be mailed, distributed digitally, and may also be physically available to those who visit our campus or meet with our Advancement team. Your participation is entirely optional. If you would like to be featured in this project, please share a little information about yourself and upload a high-res image (e.g., a senior photo) using the form below. Note, you (or a parent/legal guardian if you are under 18 years old) will need to provide consent as part of the form. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at [email protected].
Required Forms
The following list includes each of the forms admitted students are required to submit prior to the Fall 2024 term. Please be sure to complete each form by its respective due date, and check in regularly for further requirements.