Get Involved

The Campus Master Plan is a long-range strategic framework that guides how The University of Texas at Austin grows, evolves, and invests in its physical environment during the next 10–20 years. It addresses land use, building placement, open space, pedestrian and bicycle circulation, sustainability, and the relationship between the campus and surrounding neighborhoods. The plan does not authorize specific construction projects — it establishes the vision and principles that inform future decisions.

The University's most recent comprehensive master plan was completed over a decade ago. Since then, enrollment and research enterprise have grown significantly, student and faculty expectations for campus life have shifted, and UT has set ambitious goals for statewide impact. Updating the plan now ensures that future facilities, infrastructure, and open space investments reflect today's priorities and position the University for the next generation of students and scholars.

Prior master plans are an important foundation, not a blank slate. The planning team will review previous plans to understand what was envisioned, what was built, and what was never realized — and why. Commitments that still align with the University's direction will be carried forward; elements that no longer reflect current needs or values will be revisited. This approach ensures continuity with decades of campus-building knowledge while creating space to address challenges and opportunities that earlier plans could not have anticipated.

The project is led by UT’s Planning, Design and Construction department, working in close partnership with a steering committee chaired by David Vanden Bout, dean of the College of Natural Sciences. The committee also includes representation from the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost; Division of Student Affairs; Office of the Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors; Operational Services and Strategies; and School of Architecture. The University has hired Sasaki Associates, a nationally recognized planning and design firm, as the planning consultant. The University community — students, faculty, staff, and neighbors — plays an essential role in shaping the plan through engagement events, surveys, and working groups.

There are many ways to participate throughout the 18-month planning process. You can complete online surveys when they open, attend open house and town hall events (scheduled throughout 2026–2027), or provide written feedback through this website. All campus community members — students, faculty, and staff — as well as Austin neighbors are welcome to participate.

All feedback is reviewed by the planning team and Sasaki and organized by theme. Survey responses inform the priorities framework; town hall and open house input shapes the alternatives analysis; and feedback on draft scenarios is incorporated before the plan is finalized. At each major milestone, the project team will publish a "what we heard" summary explaining how community input influenced the direction of the plan. No input is anonymous to the process — every response is read and considered.

Engagement is structured and aligned with the planning timeline. The spring and summer of 2026 have been focused on listening and gathering data through campus surveys, stakeholder interviews, and small group sessions to understand priorities and challenges. Moving into the fall of 2026, the team will present alternative planning scenarios for community feedback through open houses and online tools. Making draft plan recommendations and collecting final community input will follow in the spring of 2027 before the plan is submitted to the Board of Regents for review. Specific dates will be posted on this website as they are confirmed.

The master plan itself does not authorize or fund any specific construction. It establishes a framework — which areas of campus are appropriate for future growth, where open space should be preserved, and how buildings and landscape should relate to each other. Individual projects are proposed, funded, and approved separately through the University's capital planning process. That said, the master plan will influence which future projects move forward and how they are designed. Community input on priorities now directly shapes the physical campus over the next two decades.

The planning process is guided by a steering committee of senior University leaders including EVPs, deans, and senior faculty members. Draft recommendations are reviewed by University leadership and refined based on community feedback before the final plan is presented to the UT System Board of Regents for approval, anticipated in Summer 2027. While Sasaki provides professional expertise and analysis, the ultimate direction of the plan reflects UT Austin's values, priorities, and community input — not the consultant's preferences alone.