Department Resources

International graduate students at UT may be subject to English screening and certification to be eligible for a teaching assistant position. Find the information below to help guide departments through the process.

Information for Departments about International Teaching Assistants (ITA)

In order to be eligible for a TA or AI appointment at UT, non-native speakers of English must receive ITA English Certification, with specific exemptions.

The goal of ITA English Certification is to assess and certify the English language skills ITAs need to be effective educators in the classroom. 

The cost for the assessment is $80 per screening (starting in Fall 2025, this cost will increase to $100 per screening). This fee is charged to the department only if the department contact has provided IDT billing information to our office. Otherwise, students are billed for the screening fee through What I Owe.

• Best Practices
  • Newly admitted graduate students may have a J-Hold for speaking and/or writing on their record. Prospective ITAs must clear any speaking J-Holds before they may complete an ITA Screening. 
  • Notify prospective ITAs of English Certification requirements and procedures well before the semester of their potential appointment.
  • Give ITAs a description of what duties and responsibilities a TA appointment in your department entails.
  • Avoid putting newly arrived ITAs in freshman sections (rookies with rookies).
  • When possible, give conditionally certified ITAs a semester to work on communication skills, adjust to the culture, and observe undergraduate classes before appointing them to positions with student contact.
  • If conditionally certified ITAs are given student contact positions, assign them a more experienced TA as a mentor or provide an upper-division undergraduate as a consultant.
  • Any graduate student who may eventually teach should be encouraged to take the ITA Screening; please let your faculty and students know that English Certification is not just for those with pending appointments.
  • Have a pool of certified ITAs to make last-minute staffing easier.
• Registration Instructions

  Departments should submit students for an ITA Screening using the ITA Screening or Exemption Request Form (UT EID log-in required).

  • Check mainframe *GSADM, screen GS80 to see if student is already certified or exempted before submitting the form. For access to GSADM, contact the Graduate School.
  • Access the ITA Screening or Exemption Request Form using your UT EID and password. Please email txglobal-ita@austin.utexas.edu to be added to the list of authorized users.
  • Fill in the required student and departmental information on the form.
  • When you have finished entering all required information, submit the form by clicking on the "Submit" button.
  • The ITA Screening and Certification Team will contact prospective ITAs to schedule their screening appointment. 
• Status Verification Instructions

  Departments can check on the ITA status of individual students in mainframe (*GSADM, screen GS80) or by email at txglobal-ita@austin.utexas.edu. For access to GSADM, contact the Graduate School.

• Exemptions

  The following students should be automatically exempt from the ITA English Certification process:

  • Native speakers of English from a country where English is the primary language, such as English-Speaking Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S.
  • High school diploma or university degree (Undergraduate or Masters) from a U.S. institution
  • English-medium schooling from elementary school through university (all subjects taught in English). Most students from India are exempt based on this criteria.
  • A score of 25 or higher in the Speaking section of the TOEFL iBT
  • A score of 7.5 or higher on the Speaking section of the IELTs

  These cases DO NOT require the hiring department to complete the ITA Screening or Exemption Request Form. These exemptions should be made automatically in the mainframe and can be checked in GSADM on the screen GS80. For access to GSADM, contact the Graduate School.

  The following students are NOT automatically exempt from the ITA English Certification process:

  • A score of 55 or higher on the TSE (Test of Spoken English)
  • Two semesters of experience as a TA/AI with student contact at a U.S. university
  • Foreign Language TA - Foreign language TAs are exempt from the ITA Screening; however, foreign language AIs are not exempt and must complete the ITA Screening.

  These cases DO require the hiring department to complete the ITA Screening or Exemption Request Form.

  Other exemption requests submitted by the Graduate Advisor or Department Chair will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

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J-Hold

Newly admitted graduate students may have a J-Hold for speaking and/or writing on their record. The J-Hold Screening is different from the ITA Screening. Prospective ITAs must clear any speaking J-Hold before they may complete an ITA Screening. 

Visit the J-Hold page to learn more.

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Additional English Support

The English Language Center offers courses for admitted graduate international students to enhance their English skills for academic success. Current course offerings can be viewed on the ELC Courses for UT Students webpage.