When you are worried about your student at The University of Texas at Austin
Verified August 2026 against utexas.edu. Every number below links the page it came from.
UT Austin is big enough that the help genuinely exists and is genuinely easy to miss. Two things are worth knowing before the night you need them.
The first is that the Counseling and Mental Health Center runs a crisis line answered 24 hours a day, and it is a different number from the one you call for an appointment. A student having a bad night at 2 a.m. does not have to wait until Monday, and neither do you.
The second is Student Outreach and Support, inside the Office of the Dean of Students. That is the office that will check on a student when a family member is worried, talk to faculty about missed classes, and point a student toward the right resource. Families have an email address for exactly that conversation. Most parents never find out it is there.
Who to call, and when
Most parents freeze at this step, because campuses publish these offices separately and none of them is labeled for a worried parent. The short version:
- Worried, but not urgent. Start with counseling. This is the call for a student who sounds flat, anxious, or overwhelmed, and it is the one most families put off longest.
- You have not heard from them and you are scared. Call the dean of students office. This is the office that will actually go check on a student, and almost no parent knows it exists.
- Right now, and they may not be safe. Call campus police, below. From out of town that is the emergency number, not 911, because they are the ones who can actually go.
Calling is not overreacting. These offices exist because students get into trouble away from home, and staff would far rather hear from you early than late.
Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC)
Your student is struggling, anxious, not sleeping, or sounding overwhelmed. The crisis line is answered around the clock and is a different number from the appointment line, which is the part most families miss.
- 24/7 Crisis Line
- 512-471-2255
- Appointments and information
- 512-471-3515
8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Student Outreach and Support, Office of the Dean of Students
You have not heard from your student and you are frightened, or something has happened that they need help navigating. This is the office that checks on a student, notifies faculty about missed classes, and connects them to the right resource. Families can email it directly.
- Office of the Dean of Students
- 512-471-5017
dosstudentsupport@austin.utexas.edu
8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
University of Texas Police Department (UTPD)
Your student may not be safe and it cannot wait. From out of town this is the number rather than 911: UTPD has jurisdiction on campus and can go to a residence hall, while 911 would reach dispatch in your own city and have to relay from there. The same line takes a welfare check request that is not an emergency.
- UTPD, to reach an officer
- (512) 471-4441, ext. 9
- If you are local, or with your student
- 911
Other numbers worth having
Not for a crisis. Worth saving now so you are not searching for them later.
University Health Services
An illness that is dragging on, or the late-night call where nobody is sure whether this needs an emergency room. The nurse advice line answers 24 hours.
- 24/7 Nurse Advice Line
- 512-475-6877
- Appointments and information
- 512-471-4955
Texas Parents
You do not know who to call. This office exists to point families to the right department, which makes it a reasonable first call when the problem does not fit a category.
- Main
- 512-471-2353
- Toll free
- 888-690-0012
TexasParents@austin.utexas.edu
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central, Monday through Friday
Student Emergency Fund
A sudden expense is the thing standing between your student and staying enrolled: a medical bill, replacing belongings after a disaster, a safety need. It is a grant, not a loan, and the student applies. It does not cover tuition or rent.
- Office of the Dean of Students
- 512-471-5017
Common questions
- Who do I call if I am worried about my student at UT Austin?
- It depends on how urgent it is. If your student sounds flat, anxious or overwhelmed but is not in danger, start with Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC). If you have not heard from them and you are frightened, call Student Outreach and Support, Office of the Dean of Students. If they may not be safe right now, call University of Texas Police Department (UTPD) at (512) 471-4441, ext. 9.
- What number do I call in an emergency at UT Austin if I live hours away?
- Call University of Texas Police Department (UTPD) at (512) 471-4441, ext. 9 rather than 911. Dialing 911 reaches the dispatch center covering wherever you are, not the campus, and that agency would have to relay the call. Campus police already have jurisdiction on university property and can go directly. Use 911 only if you are local or you are with your student.
- Will UT Austin check on my student if I ask?
- Yes. Student Outreach and Support, Office of the Dean of Students is the office that does this, and it takes a concern raised by a parent. Most families do not know it exists, which is why students go unchecked longer than they need to.
- Does UT Austin have an after-hours crisis line?
- Yes. Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC) publishes 24/7 crisis line at 512-471-2255. You can also call or text 988 at any hour to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which is for you as much as for your student.
Encourage Us is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by The University of Texas at Austin. Every contact above is published by the school and links back to its source.
Know something we do not? If a number here has changed, or there is an office at UT Austin that belongs on this page, tell us and we will fix it. Parents tend to find these things before we do.