AUSTIN, Texas – The Big Ticket at the University of Texas at Austin has caused frustration among students and parents. 

The Big Ticket is an annual sports pass that allows UT students to enter all Texas Athletics home games in the regular season. The ticket is $200 and allows access to football, men's basketball, women's basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, and Texas Relays events. That calculates to over 120 regular season home games. 

However, the Big Ticket does not guarantee entry for everyone, especially for admission into football games. This has caused parents and students to become angry. 

Big Ticket holders with general admission lower level tickets enter the same queue beginning at noon on the Wednesday before the home game. In a random order,  students can claim an online mobile student ticket once they reach the end of the queue. 

But some UT students, such as senior Madeleine Berckley, who purchased the Big Ticket have never been able to claim a student ticket to attend a single football game. 

“I’m frustrated with the way Texas Athletics is handling the Big Ticket this year,” Berckley said. “So many students are struggling to get access to their tickets, and I still have not been to a single (football) game. This is the hardest it has ever been to secure a football ticket.”

The time slot to claim a ticket is also inconvenient for many students.

“If students have class during the time to claim tickets, there is no way they are getting a ticket without being on their phones during class,” Berckley said.

Not only does this affect students, but parents are upset that their seniors are being denied admission.

“Once again, I have a very unhappy UT senior,” Crystal Brewster, a parent, posted on Facebook. “She once again did not get a football ticket. She had it open on three different devices and has tried every home game. We quit. We quit UT and (she is) trying to be a supporter of the football team. We are big mad and big frustrated!”

Additionally, Big Ticket holders who claim football tickets but fail to scan them in for two games will get their ticket revoked for the remainder of the season. However, if the student fails to scan their ticket one time, they will receive a strike. 

According to Texas Athletics, Big Ticket holders that sell or transfer their ticket to someone else will have their Big Ticket revoked for all athletic events for the remainder of the academic year.

According to a UT website, a refund cannot be issued unless enrollment is terminated at the university.