AUGUST 15, 2023 — Each day, UTSA students, faculty, staff and campus visitors rely on the essential resources Campus Services provides for the Roadrunner community. The department oversees administration of key services including UTSACards, parking, transportation, meal plans, on-campus dining and more.
New and returning Roadrunners can start the academic year strong and enhance their campus experience by learning about the wide range of resources available from Campus Services and understanding how they work. To get started, explore below for some highlights, important information and helpful tips.
Every Roadrunner needs a UTSACard—the UTSA community’s official identification card. It provides access to meal plans, sporting events, residence halls, final exams and more. Once loaded up with Rowdy Dollars, the UTSACard can be used like an on-campus prepaid debit card for purchases at Print Spots, the Rowdy Campus Store and UTSA Dining locations.
To get a new or replacement UTSACard, current UTSA students, faculty and staff can stop by Campus Services at the Main or Downtown Campuses. Simply walk in with a student ID number, a government-issued photo ID and a photo-ready smile—and walk out with a freshly printed card.
For Roadrunners who attend all their classes remotely, UTSACards are also available online. When ordering, be sure to carefully follow the online UTSACard application instructions and allow time for Campus Services to process the request and mail the card.
A valid UTSA parking permit is required to park on campus. A wide variety of permit options are available to suit various needs and budgets, including surface, garage, garage reserved and evening-only permits.
A valid parking permit is required to park on campus..Roadrunners can purchase their permit for the 2023-2024 academic year on MyParking. The process is quick and easy, and convenient payment options include credit or debit, add to tuition and fees (for students) and monthly payroll deduction (for faculty and staff). Permits are mailed within five to seven days but can be used right away by printing the temporary dashboard permit provided after checkout.
Each UTSA parking permit includes a list of valid parking areas printed on the back. Check out the color-coded parking maps on the Campus Services website for an overview of designated parking zones on each UTSA campus. Additionally, parking information is available on UTSA’s interactive campus map.
Hourly paid parking options are also available. The reloadable FastPass is a convenient way to park in Main Campus garages without purchasing a permit. Another great hourly parking option is ParkMobile, which allows individuals to park in designated zones throughout campus and pay the hourly parking rate from their phone.
The Runner provides shuttle service at the Main Campus and to several nearby apartment complexes. It’s a great option for students who commute to the Main Campus and arrive during peak class and parking times—roughly 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.—and for students who live in apartments close to campus. View the live bus map, bus arrival times and route schedules with The Runner GPS; download the free app on the App Store or Google Play.
Roadrunners also have convenient access to public transportation with VIA U-Pass. Created in partnership with VIA Metropolitan Transit, the VIA U-Pass program provides free, unlimited bus service, as well as on-demand rides through VIA Link, to all current UTSA students, faculty and staff. To access their VIA U-Pass, ‘Runners can download the free VIA goMobile+ ticketing app and sign up with their UTSA email address. The VIA U-Pass is a great resource, especially as the university’s downtown presence continues to grow and Roadrunners find themselves more frequently expanding their UTSA experience beyond a single campus. Be sure to check out the campus-to-campus VIA routes available on the Campus Services website.
Students can use The Runner to shuttle from Main Campus to several nearby apartment complexes.
Once a Roadrunner has arrived on campus with their UTSACard in hand, they’ll need fuel for success. UTSA Dining offers an outstanding variety of on-campus dining locations and menu options for every lifestyle and nutritional need or preference.
Popular dining locations at the Main Campus include Freebirds World Burrito, Starbucks, Panda Express, Rising Roll Gourmet, Chick-fil-A and Einstein Bros. Bagels, as well as Roadrunner Café, UTSA’s all-you-care-to-eat campus restaurant. At the Downtown Campus, the Frio Street Building is home to a variety of dining locations, and The Eatery at San Pedro I is a popular destination for Roadrunners and locals alike.
Campus Services offers a variety of meal plan options that make dining on campus easy, whether a student lives on campus or commutes. Roadrunner plans, which offer unlimited entry to Roadrunner Café up to seven days per week, are a great option for any student, especially on-campus housing residents. Flexible Rowdy plans offer a set number of meals each semester, making them an excellent choice for students who live off campus.
Panda Express is one of the many eateries available for students and faculty and staff to enjoy.
Many Roadrunner and Rowdy plans include set amounts of Dining Dollars and Meal Trades, which are redeemable at any on-campus dining location.
For questions about UTSACards, parking, transportation, dining and meal plans, contact Campus Services.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
