Holds
- Kelsey Samsel
Common Financial Holds
Financial: You may have an outstanding balance on your tuition and fees, which can be viewed via What I Owe or My Tuition Bill. Learn about payment methods available on the paying your tuition web page.
Parking and Transportation: You may have outstanding parking fines, which you can pay online or in person through Parking and Transportation Service (PTS).
Housing and Food Services: You may owe a balance for on-campus housing or meal plans. For assistance contact 512-232-7012 or uhd.acct.recv@austin.utexas.edu.
University Health Services/Medical: You may have out-of-pocket costs associated with medical/health services administered by University Health Services (UHS). Contact 512-475-7735 for assistance with UHS holds.
Common Non-financial Holds
Advising Hold: Contact your academic advisor to schedule time to meet. Only your advisor or designee can remove the hold.
Emergency Contact: You are required to update your emergency contact once a year using the online update form in UT Direct. More information on this requirement can be found in the General Information Catalog Appendix A, item D.
Financial Responsibility Statement (FRS): The FRS is a semesterly financial acknowledgement students are required to sign regarding obligations to pay tuition and fees.
Texas Global/International Student & Scholarship Services (ISSS): You may need to submit additional paperwork or check in with the ISSS office. For assistance, contact 512-471-1211 or hotline@austin.utexas.edu.
What is a J-Bar? (for New International Students)
Some international students may have a departmental condition placed on their admission to the graduate program, which requires that they complete an English Skills Screening within their first semester of coursework at The University of Texas. A J-bar is placed on certain international students' records to require them to go through English screening. This is done by ESL Services in the International Office. This screening is done anytime that the International Office is open for new international student check in.
The screening consists of a 30-minute essay and a 15-minute oral interview. After the screening is done, the results are discussed with the students and they are informed of a requirement for further coursework in English. If English classes are required, then information on those classes is provided to the students and a copy of the requirement is sent to the students' individual departments. Information on the classes and other services offered by ESL Services can be found at English Language Center .
Based on the results of the screening and the recommendations of the International Office, the student’s Academic Adviser may require completion of the appropriate ESL course(s) or courses related to academic communication and writing offered by the Graduate School. Such courses are considered prerequisites and do not count toward the doctoral degree.
Important: If requirements for additional English coursework are not fulfilled, the J-bar will appear again for the following semester.