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On February 4, I’ll be delivering my inaugural State of the University address through an audio broadcast that you can either stream or download frompresident.utexas.edu.

Additionally, the Eyes of Texas History Committee, commissioned in October to study the history of our school song, “The Eyes of Texas,” is due to finalize its report by March 1.

Finally, we are excited to announce that we are planning university-wide commencement events honoring the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021. For the Class of 2021, we plan on celebrating together at the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on May 22 at 8 p.m. For the Class of 2020, we’re marking Friday, September 17, on the calendar. Both events will include lighting the Tower and fireworks, and other details will be shared with those classes as they become available. Obviously, procedures for both celebrations could change depending on pandemic conditions, but I’m optimistic that we can proceed as planned. 

In Absentia Summer Registration 2021

The Graduate School’s deadline to apply to graduate for the spring semester is April 16, 2021. Graduating students must provide final submission materials to the Graduate School by the spring submission deadline of 3 p.m. on May 7, 2021.

If you were on track to graduate in May but your progress has been delayed by COVID-19 or by the effects of the winter storm, you may petition to register in absentia for the summer 2021 semester in order to provide you with extra time to finish.

To petition for in absentia registration, students must be enrolled during the spring semester, and they must apply to graduate in spring 2021 by the April 16, 2021 deadline.

In absentia registration is available, for example, if your final submission to the Graduate School has been delayed due to labs that were closed, courses that were canceled or research with human subjects that couldn't be completed either as a result of the university’s COVID-19 restrictions during the time period beginning in spring 2020 through spring 2021 or as a result of the storm in February 2021.

There is no cost to register in absentia, and students registered in absentia will be able to graduate in August of 2021 if they submit all graduation materials to the Graduate School before 3 p.m. on July 30, 2021.

If you would like to petition to register in absentia for the summer semester, please contact your graduate adviser and thesis/dissertation supervisor. They will need to submit by email a short petition form and a signed affirmation that you were on-track to graduate in May. You will be able to register for in absentia if the Graduate School approves the form.

The deadline to submit a petition to register in absentia is May 13, 2021.

Please be aware of restrictions that come with in absentia registration. Students registered in absentia are not technically enrolled and, thus, don’t have all the benefits of an enrolled student.

Here are some considerations for students registering in absentia:

1. Students should continue to have building access, barring any building-specific restrictions of which we are not aware.
2. They should have continued library privileges for the summer and access to resources that require a UT ID. Students with difficulty accessing library services should contact staff in UTL’s Borrower Services or the student, faculty and staff hotline at (512) 495-4300 to troubleshoot.
3. They will not be eligible to hold AI, TA or GRA employment positions. (These positions require enrollment and most come with a tuition waiver.)
4. Student employees enrolled in UT Select will not be able to maintain their health coverage in this plan. However, students registered in absentia may enroll in the Academic Blue health insurance plan during summer 2021. More information on student health insurance options is available on the Graduate School’s FAQ page.
5. International students will have to apply for OPT in the last semester they are enrolled (i.e. spring 2021, not summer 2021)

Under certain circumstances, spring-to-summer in absentia registration might also be available to resolve an X (the symbol used for a temporary delay of a final course grade). Please contact your graduate adviser and thesis/dissertation supervisor for more information

Spring 2021 Parking and Transportation 

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