AUSTIN, Texas—The University of Texas at Austin has begun a new online service that makes it more convenient for prospective employers, landlords, scholarship providers and even prospective spouses and in-laws to verify attendance and graduation information about current and former students whose academic records are computerized.
The Office of the Registrar said the new computerized system would save time for members of the public requesting information via the Degrees and Dates of Attendance Web site.
Associate Registrar Jane Shaughness said the computer service provides information about students and former students enrolled from fall 1977 to the present. Official certification of this information is available by contacting Enrollment Certification at 512-475-7540.
Not included in the computer system are the names of students who requested their information be kept private and those enrolled prior to fall 1977. Verbal verification of students enrolled prior to the fall semester of 1977 is available by contacting Diploma Services at 512-475-7619.
Shaughness said the information requested about students and former students generally is confirmation they attended or were graduated from the university. It is public information that since about 1990 had been available via a telephone access system called TEX, which handled about 13,000 calls annually until the system was retired July 15.
While most inquiries are from companies interested in hiring students or former students, or for other business purposes, some are for other reasons, she said.
“We sometimes get calls from journalists,” Shaughness said. “Before they run a story in The New York Times, they want to be sure someone they’re writing about really got a degree from us.”
Shaughness said TEX was retired because a new online system promised to be faster and more efficient. It took several minutes with TEX for callers to listen to the message and punch the appropriate numbers before they would get their information. The online process takes only a few seconds to produce the same information.
For more information contact: Robert D. Meckel, Office of Public Affairs, 512-475-7847.
