Occasionally students need official letters from the department for loan, housing, or fellowship applications, hiring processes, visa extensions, or OPT. The graduate coordinator is usually the best person to ask for these official letters. To make the process simple for everyone, you can request an official letter by completing the following Qualtrics form at the bottom of this page. 

Allow 5 business days for your letter to be completed.

Read on for information about specific letter types that are commonly requested.

Graduation Letter

• often used by students applying for OPT or starting a job before the end of the semester they graduate
• exact graduate date is typically required. This can be either your defense date OR the university's gradation date found: https://registrar.utexas.edu/calendars
• NOTE: if you have met all the requirements for graduation, and are simply waiting for the grad school to process your graduation, you can also submit a request for an enrollment certification through TX One Stop.

Graduation Letter Template

To Whom It May Concern,

First Name Last Name (EID xx####) is currently a PhD student in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering. S/he is making good progress towards his/her degree and s/he is scheduled to graduate in the X term YYYY (Specific graduation date). S/he will be complete with all degree requirements at that time. 

Employment Confirmation Letter (Proof of Incoming/Financial Statement)

• often used by students reapplying for their visa or taking an international trip, or by incoming students applying for apartments
• contains financial information
• Texas Global is now using an online form through myIO for Financial Support
• Not the same as an Employment Verification Form to acquire a SSN

Employment Confirmation Letter Template

To Whom It May Concern,
 
In my capacity as the Graduate Program Coordinator of the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, I write this letter to confirm and verify that on September 1, YYYY, First Name Last Name began/will begin performing research in our department in conjunction with earning her/his PhD. S/he is in good academic standing without department and is on track to complete his/her PhD in YYYY, which is the typical timeline for our program. 
 
Pronoun Last Name's compensation for her/his work includes an annual salary of $XX,XXX, USD ($X,XXX monthly). Health insurance, tuition and fees are included with his/her funding for a total package of $XX,XXX USD. This financial support is guaranteed for a total of 6 years, depending on continued satisfactory academic progress. 

Enrollment Certification

• sometimes required for visa applications, student load deferral, financial aid, and fellowship applications

Enrollment certifications are handled through Student Academic Records. Request enrollment certification by visiting: https://onestop.utexas.edu/student-records/transcripts-other-records/enrollment-certifications/

Employment Verification Form

• used by international students to apply for a SSN
• should have received this form with all necessary signatures prior to your first semester from the grad coordinator. It looks like THIS. If you need a new one, download the file, fill out the form, and take it to your advisor to sign. If you do not have an advisor, then email the form to the graduate coordinator, who can get the chair's signature for you.

Documentation for Gap Insurance through Academic Health Plan

• used by students who are transitioning between a fellowship and an academic employment position

Documentation for Gap Insurance Template

To Whom It May Concern,

 <First, Last> (<EID>) is currently a student in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering. She will be starting UTSelect insurance on <date> as an employee of the University of Texas at Austin. She will need gap coverage for the month of <month> until the new employee insurance begins.

 If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

If you need anything else, contact the graduate coordinator with as much information as possible, including your first and last name, prefix and pronoun preferences, entry year and semester, anticipated graduation semester (and specific date, if applicable), and EID. 

Complete the following form: https://utexas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_elX33lS3MDTXGND. Then email the grad coordinator to let them know you have completed the form. The grad coordinator should receive a notification email, but sometimes this process doesn't work correctly.