Newly admitted students

What to expect 

Here's what happens after we've extended an offer of admission.

To help make your transition into graduate school as smooth as possible, we’ve created a checklist for newly admitted students to complete. If at any point you have trouble completing the checklist or finding the information you need below, please contact the Office of Academic Affairs and Student Services.

713-500-9032
SPHAdmissions@uth.tmc.edu 

Please note that items marked with an asterisk (*) can take several business days to clear. 

To complete immediately

Reply to your offer of admission

To accept your admissions offer you will need to:

• Log-in to ApplyUTH and go to Manage Application
• Click on Admissions Status, look for Admissions Decision
• Use the hyperlink to accept or decline your offer of admissions

If you are having issues logging in to your applyUTH to view your admissions offer, you will need to contact the UTHealth IT Department at 713-486-4848 or helpdesk@uth.tmc.edu.

Complete your Criminal Background Check (CBC) and Identity Management Verification (IDM)*

Please complete this step as soon as possible to avoid delays in course registration.

UTHealth requires that a criminal background screening and identity management verification process be completed and submitted by all new students admitted to a degree or non-degree program prior to enrollment for their first term of study at their respective campus. International students arriving in the US less than 30 days prior to orientation are exempt from providing the criminal background check report but should review the IDM/CBC guide for details. Accepted students who do not consent to a criminal background check or who fail to provide the report as required will not be able to enroll in the UTHealth School of Public Health.

To begin your criminal background and identity management check, go to https://www.emplscreen.com/esa-student-login.asp, select University of Texas School of Public Health and click “apply here.” Download the CBC/IDM guide for a step by step process on how to complete your criminal background and identity management check. You can read the School’s policy on criminal background checks here.

Complete & submit your immunization record*

Please complete this process well in advance of orientation as verification can take several weeks for approval, and an immunization hold on your account will prohibit you from registering for classes.

Please use applyUTH to complete your Immunization Certification. Download the Immunization FAQ for more information about the immunizations required to enroll and how to submit your immunization record.

Review and apply for financial aid (if needed)

Financial aid application processes are managed by UTHealth Student Financial Services.

International Students ONLY: wait to be contacted by the Office of International Affairs

The Office of International Affairs (OIA) will contact all international students directly via email once your official admission letter is processed and received by OIA. This email will provide prospective students with information for obtaining appropriate visa eligibility documents, including Form I-20, and detailed instructions to complete a check-in and clearance process upon arrival on campus. ALL foreign national students are required to check-in with OIA prior to beginning their academic program at the UTHealth School of Public Health.

Mail your final transcript to the Registrar’s Office

Official transcripts provided directly to SOPHAS will be shared with the Office of the Registrar. If you are a currently enrolled student at your institution, send your final official transcripts at the end of your last semester of enrollment directly to the Office of the Registrar prior to the first day of classes. Certificate/Non-degree newly admitted students must provide ALL official transcripts directly to the Office of the Registrar.

Please visit the Office of the Registrar’s website for more information.

Complete the Core Residency Questions Form*

All new academic students are classified as a non-resident until a Core Residency Questions form is completed and returned to the Registrar's Office for a decision. All students must complete the Core Residency Forms prior to orientation. Upon completion, this form should be returned to ResiForm@uth.tmc.edu.

Update your personal contact information in applyUTH

Changes to your email and physical address can be made on applyUTH/myUTH if needed. We recommend using an email that will not change over the next year as we will use it to contact you in the coming months regarding orientation and registration. 

Students Computer Information

Students at UTHealth School of Public Health must have a personal computer (i.e. laptop or tablet) available to them as a graduate student. For software not provided through the virtual computer lab, the school provides reduced software prices through the UT Bookstore for certain required software titles, including Windows Operating System, MacOS, Microsoft Office, and certain statistical software products required to use during study. For compatibility purposes, students should have access to a personal computer running the latest version of either the Windows Operating System or Macintosh Operating system. However, students should note that the most commonly used platform is the Windows Operating System.

All students are provided with a user account, which offers access to a Web-based electronic mail application (Outlook), an online learning management system (Canvas), the ability to connect personal wireless computers within campuses, and a file repository and sharing system.

For compatibility purposes, all students need to have a computer with the following minimum requirements and recommendations:

All students enrolled must have access to a web camera (with preferred resolution of at least 1280 x 720), and the computer must also include a microphone. See chart  below for other computer requirements listed:

Computer Component	University Standards
Operating System	Windows 10 or higher, Mac OS X 11.1 (Big Sur) or higher
Web Camera	Resolution at least 1280 x 720, should also include a microphone
Memory (RAM)	8 GB minimum, 16 GB or more is recommended
Browser	Edge Chromium, Chrome, Firefox
Internet Speeds	Preferred: DSL and Cable connectivity form outside the campus. Dialup and ISDN services will not provide enough bandwidth for most applications to function properly
Antivirus Software	You must have Antivirus software. You must have Antivirus software. Windows 10 has built-in anti-virus software (Defender). Sophos Antivirus for Mac users is free.
Proctor Software	You can test your system’s compatibility with our proctor solution.
Other Software	Access to most course software through a virtual computer lab environment is provided. This system is called Parallels. You can gain access to the software and instructions for configuring the software on the “Students” section of the IT Services website. Parallels software clients are available for both Windows and Mac operating systems. Additionally, Microsoft Office is the primary application tool used by all faculty. Regardless of your operating system, you will be most compatible with your faculty if you have Microsoft Office installed.

Search for housing (if needed)

We recommend using websites like Zillow or Apartment Finder to find suitable housing or using the UTHealth School of Public Health Student Association page to ask for housing advice from current residents. If you’re feeling unsure of where to start, you can contact your designated campus coordinator for support. Please note that while there is official university housing available at the Houston campus, it is usually filled to capacity.

Activate your UTHealth email address

The Identity Management Hold (IDM) populates on July 1 (Fall), November 1 (Spring), April 1 (Summer). Assuming your criminal background check has cleared, please allow one to two business days for the IDM hold to be removed. Once the IDM hold has been removed, your @uth.tmc.edu email will be created. Please reset your password using the "Change Password" link on the myUTH login page. 

Contact the UTHealth Help Desk at 713-486-4848 to obtain your username and password. More information about IT services is available in the Student IT Handout.

You can access your UTHealth email using the webmail portal.

Complete mandatory online orientation modules via Canvas

Once your school e-mail is active, you will be manually added to the online Orientation Course via Canvas. For the SPH Orientation hold to be removed, modules must be successfully completed. Please allow 5-7 business days after you complete the modules for the SPH Orientation hold to be removed.

Verify your Health Insurance Status

State law mandates that all UTHealth School of Public Health students have health insurance, and you will be required to verify your insurance once a semester as part of the course registration process through applyUTH/myUTH. If you do not have insurance, or you do not verify your health insurance, you will be charged for university-issued health insurance in addition to your tuition and fees. For more information about university-provided health insurance, please contact Auxiliary Enterprises.

Register for classes once all holds are removed

To register, students must sign up for classes through the myUTH website. Please note that certain courses require faculty approval and that all students must register for a minimum of three credit hours per semester. You can search for courses using the course catalog.

Next steps

Attend all mandatory sessions of orientation

Attendance at orientation is mandatory for all students admitted to a degree program, including students who have completed a previous degree at UTHealth School of Public Health. Failure to attend orientation will prohibit you from enrolling in courses.

Certificate/Non-degree newly admitted students are not required to attend face-to-face orientation.

Pay tuition and fees after registration

Tuition and fees are paid either online through myUTH or in person at the Bursar's Office at 7000 Fannin Street. Registration will be canceled for all students who have not paid by the 12th day of class.

Obtain UTHealth ID Badge

• Austin: Students must wait until after their twelfth day of class to begin the steps to get their badge. After this point, an email with further directions explaining how to go about getting your badge from UT Austin will be sent. More information about the badge process is provided during orientation, and students will still be able to access the School’s building without their badge during the first few weeks of class.
• Brownsville: At New Student Orientation, your photo will be taken by a Student Affairs staff member. In addition to your photo, your name and student ID will be collected and sent to Houston where your UTHealth ID badge will be created. A blank, temporary badge will be provided to each student while their UTHealth ID Badge is being processed. Please visit Student Affairs (N2.200) between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday the first week of courses to obtain the temporary badge. Students will be notified once the UTHealth ID Badges have arrived from Houston. In order to obtain your UTHealth ID Badge, you must return the temporary badge.
• Dallas: All Dallas students are required to have both a UTH Health and UTSW badge. After registering for classes, please email dallasstudentaffairs@uth.tmc.edu to receive the UTH Health badge next steps. Your UTSW badge can be retrieved after attending Dallas Student Orientation. You can receive your badge at the UT Southwestern Badging Office, located in the Visitor Information Center Badging Station (A Building) – South Campus. Please make sure to bring a picture ID (valid driver's license or passport) to receive your badge. We advise calling the badging station before stopping by as their normal hours change often.
  • Visitor Information Center Badging Station (A Building) 214-648-9700
• El Paso: After registering for classes, you can stop by office 308 or 309 to obtain a loaned UTHealth Student badge. This badge will be collected at graduation. If your badge is lost, damaged or stolen you must notify us and pay a fee of $25 for a replacement.
• Houston: All students are required to have a UTHealth-issued badge before entering any UTHealth building. Badges can be obtained at the first floor of the University Center Tower (UCT) - 7000 Fannin St. To activate your badge, please email Bonnie Schoenbein (Bonnie.L.Schoenbein@uth.tmc.edu) your name as its listed on myUTH, along with the letters and numbers located under the black strip on the back of your student ID Badge. Please be sure to include in your email that you are a School of Public Health student. Please be sure to include in your email that you are a School of Public Health student.  See here for more information on obtaining and activating an ID badge.  
  • If Houston students submit a photo by December 1st (for Spring) or August 1st (for Fall) via email to SPHOrientation@uth.tmc.edu, the Orientation team will provide your printed ID the day of orientation. The photo must be JPG file titled "lastnamefirstname.jpg," for example, smithjohn.jpg. Photos MUST meet the following criteria: a passport photo or similar professional photo, color photograph, and the background must be a plain white background or light in color.
• San Antonio: At New Student Orientation, your photo will be taken by a Student Affairs staff member. In addition to your photo, your name and student ID will be collected and sent to Houston where your UTHealth ID badge will be created. A blank, temporary badge will be provided to each student while their UTHealth ID Badge is being processed. This temporary ID badge will be given out at Orientation. Students will be notified once the UTHealth ID Badges have arrived from Houston. In order to obtain your UTHealth ID Badge, you must return the temporary badge.

Complete the Library User Form

SPH Library students have access to two libraries on one platform. Both new and returning students should complete the UTSPH Library Patron Registration Form and register for Remote Access to Services at the Texas Medical Center Library, available on the UTHealth School of Public Health Library website under “Getting Started” and “Helpful Information.” 

Complete the Public Health 101 Course

Upon enrollment, you will automatically be signed up for a Public Health 101 course on Canvas. You have one year to complete the course, otherwise a hold will be placed on your account.

Orientation for new students

Fall 2022 orientation

Orientation is extremely important and all new degree-seeking students are required* to attend with their respective campus. This is a time for you to meet faculty, staff, current students, and to learn all the information you will need to know for a successful experience at UTHealth School of Public Health.

More information to come!

For information about orientation, please contact the Office of Academic Affairs and Student Services at sphorientation@uth.tmc.edu. 

Online orientation modules

The online orientation modules open in Canvas after you have accepted your offer. We encourage you to complete the modules as soon as possible in order to avoid a delay in registering for classes. You will use your UTHealth credentials to access the orientation modules. 

To access the orientation modules, you must first remove the Identity Management (IDM) hold and any other holds listed in your myUTH/ApplyUTH profiles. Once your IDM hold has been removed, your @uth.tmc.edu email will be created. Please reset your password using the "Change Password" link on the myUTH login page. Contact the UTHealth Help Desk at 713-486-4848 to obtain your username and password.

You will then be able to access the online orientation modules in Canvas. Once you have logged in using your UTH credentials, accept the course invitation for "Fall Orientation" and complete the online orientation modules along with the other requirements as described within Canvas.

The online orientation modules must be successfully completed in order for the SPH Orientation hold to be removed. Please allow one business day for the SPH Orientation hold to be removed after completing the modules. Should you not attend your mandatory in-person orientation (degree-seeking students only), this hold will be placed back on your account.