Orientation Parking Permit
Orientation will bring large crowds, including vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Managing these crowds requires careful planning. For the most convenient parking option, we strongly suggest pre-purchasing parking to have guaranteed access to Brazos Garage, located near Jester Residence Hall. If you purchase your parking at least 24 hours in advance, you are guaranteed a space, are guaranteed the lowest rate, avoid purchase lines, and get into the garage quicker with your credentials already in hand.
| Two-Day Parking | Allows those driving themselves to campus to store their vehicle in the Brazos Garage during both days of orientation |
Item: $24.00 Total: $29.58 |
Parking Purchased Day of Orientation
If you wait to purchase parking less than 24 hours before orientation, parking will be sold at the regular garage hourly rate.
Access/Update Your Orientation Parking Permit
When you purchase a permit, we strongly recommend you select "Create Account" during checkout. This will allow you flexibility to manage, change, or redownload your permit.
If you forget your permit, you will be able to download it from a smart phone if you have created an account, even on the day of arrival. Should you not have a smart phone and you forget your permit, please inform the staff at the gates and/or proceed to the Brazos Garage office on Level G for assistance.
If your plans change, YOU WILL HAVE THE ABILITY to alter the parking choices you make today, provided you make changes at least 24 hours in advance of your orientation session. If you need to alter your parking choice and you did not create an account upon purchase, email is the quickest way to get a response within 24 hours: pts-orientation_parking@austin.utexas.edu. If you are calling, please allow up to 72 hours for a response during normal business hours (M-F 8 a.m.-5 p.m.): 512-471-7275. We will do our best to accommodate your changes.
If you have issues with your Parkmobile account, contact Parkmobile customer service at 866-330-7275.
Arrival/Departure Recommendations
Arrival
- The permit you purchased online will be used to enter the garage. Have it out and ready to scan upon entry. While there will be staff directing traffic, you will need to scan your permit at the entry gate to get into the garage.
- For directions on how to scan your permit's QR code at the gate, see Orientation Garage Access.
- We will have staff directing traffic. Please follow their directions. They may ask you to enter at another gate, continue driving higher up the garage ramps, or to park in a particular space in order to facilitate traffic flow. Failure to follow their instructions may cause accidents and/or more congestion in the garage.
- Please expect normal Austin rush-hour delays, and heavy traffic and congestion around Brazos Garage. Plan accordingly.
- There is also significant construction affecting Red River St. (between Clyde Littlefield Dr. & Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.) and Robert Dedman Dr. (between Red River St. & 20th St.). See Capital Planning and Construction's New Multi-Purpose Arena and Red River Street Realignment Projects page for details.
Departure
- The permit you purchased online will be used to exit the garage. Have it out and ready to scan when exiting. While there will be staff directing traffic, you will need to scan your permit at the exit gate to get out of the garage.
- For directions on how to scan your permit's QR code at the gate, see Orientation Garage Access.
- Please follow the directions of staff at the exit. They are there to ensure traffic flows out of the garage as quickly as surrounding city street traffic will allow. Failure to follow their instructions may cause accidents and/or more congestion in the garage.
- We highly recommend that you DO NOT exit at 5 p.m. as areas surrounding campus will be in typical rush-hour gridlock.
- There is also significant construction affecting Red River St. (between Clyde Littlefield Dr. & Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.) and Robert Dedman Dr. (between Red River St. & 20th St.). See Capital Planning and Construction's New Multi-Purpose Arena and Red River Street Realignment Projects page for details.
For Those Flying into Austin
- If you’re flying into town, Capital Metro’s Route 20 (Manor Rd/Riverside) offers rides between campus and the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
Directions
Apps
The easiest way to get directions to the Jester Residence Hall and Brazos Garage area is to type "Brazos Garage" into your smartphone map app.
Text Directions
From Interstate Highway 35 (IH-35)
Take the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (MLK) exit. Turn onto MLK heading west. Turn right onto Brazos St. Follow signage to direct you to parking or pickup/drop-off locations.
From MoPac Expressway, also known as Texas State Highway, Loop 1
Take the Windsor Road exit heading east. Turn right onto Windsor Rd/ 24th Street. Turn right onto N Lamar Blvd. Turn left onto Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Turn left onto Brazos St. Follow signage to direct you to parking or pickup/drop-off locations.
From Texas State Highway 71
From the east, take IH-35 northbound and follow directions above for IH-35. From the west, take MoPac and follow directions above for Loop 1.
From U. S. Highway 290
From the east, take IH-35 northbound and follow directions above for IH-35. From the west, follow the directions for Highway 71 above.
From U. S. Highway 183, also known as Research Boulevard
From the north, take MoPac southbound and follow directions for MoPac listed above. From the south, take Airport Boulevard northbound to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (MLK). Turn left onto MLK. Turn right onto Brazos St. Follow signage to direct you to parking or pickup/drop-off locations.
GPS Coordinates
- 30°16'51.4"N 97°44'10.4"W
- 30.280956, -97.736218
Why We Charge for Parking
Texas law prohibits state universities from using state or university funds for any parking operations, which necessitates that PTS operates on a totally self-funded basis. All construction, operations, maintenance, enforcement, and administrative expenses must be financed through revenue generated by the sale of permits, meter use, garage daily parking fees, event parking, and fees collected from enforcement. University faculty, staff, and students pay for the privilege of parking on campus and safeguarding this privilege is a legitimate and important responsibility of PTS.
Our campus is very large, and parking spaces are an extremely limited commodity for the thousands of daily employees, students, and visitors. Many faculty, researchers, staff members, and students routinely visit our campus both throughout the week and on weekends; therefore, parking regulations must be enforced on a year-round basis.