New Student Orientation
After celebrating and accepting your offer of admission, you must prepare for orientation and registration. New student orientation is mandatory for engineering students and a great opportunity to meet fellow students, get to know The University of Texas at Austin and the Forty Acres and familiarize yourself with Cockrell School of Engineering resources and services.
To start your four-year journey as a Texas Engineer, the Cockrell School has developed a checklist of things to complete before, during and after summer orientation. Since you will be registering for fall classes at orientation, the sooner you can attend, the better.
REGISTER NOW FOR UT ORIENTATION
We recommend completing the following before UT Orientation in order to have a successful start to your academic career.
- Check your MyStatus page for guidance about completing the Math Readiness Package and the UT Math Assessment (UTMA). The UTMA may be used to determine which math course a student will be eligible to enroll in at the time of course registration.
- All incoming engineering students are required to take the free, online Spatial Visualization Assessment prior to orientation. Learn more about the online Spatial Visualization Assessment (approximate time: 30 minutes).
- Gather all test scores (AP and IB) and transcripts for completed college level courses. Bring them to your orientation session to use in academic advising. Official score reports and transcripts are helpful, but not required. An accurate, self-compiled list is acceptable, but remember to include tests you took early in high school.
- Submit Emergency Contact Information. Log on to the My Status page to update this information.
- Watch the New Student Services pre-orientation videos.
During UT Orientation, incoming students will make new friends, navigate campus and register for fall classes.
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Be prepared to walk a lot. It will be hot, so we recommend bringing a water bottle and wearing comfortable clothes.
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On the first day of orientation, all engineering students will attend college meetings to learn about courses and resources available to engineering students.
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Changes to your major or college should be discussed with your advisor on the second day of orientation. In many cases, changing your major requires an application and a series of required courses you must take in preparation. Your advisor can provide additional information on the various internal transfer processes, depending on your major(s) of interest.
- You will be able to select a First-Year Interest Group (FIG) during orientation.
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You will learn about resources, student support services and other opportunities available to you at UT Austin and in the Cockrell School.
After you attend UT Orientation, there will be a few final things to accomplish before fall classes begin.
- Chemistry testing is required for most engineering students. Students not required to take the chemistry test are those admitted to Electrical and Computer Engineering, and students who already earned college level credit (AP, IB, dual credit). Your academic advisor will inform you during orientation if there is a need for you to complete the ALEKS Chemistry assessment before the fall semseter. Learn more about the online ALEKS Chemistry assessment (approximate time: 1.5 hours).
- Set up a UT email account. Use this account and check it frequently, so that you do not miss important information. Remember to make it professional and personally identifiable. Learn more about getting started with technology at UT.
- A laptop computer is required for your major. Some majors have specific requirements:
- Sign up for the Emergency Text Messaging service to receive campus emergency notifications.
- Confirm that final high school transcripts have been submitted.
- Pay final tuition and fee bills. Students who forget to pay will be dropped from all registered courses. All students should check their "What I Owe" page to verify that all payments have been received--particularly if you are relying on a third party to pay for your education.
- If desired, students may adjust their class schedules online through the add/drop period. Check your Registration Information Sheet to determine your registration access periods.
