Arrival and orientation
Airport transportation
We will arrange to meet you at the airport upon receiving your arrival details. Please try not to arrive in the late evening. If your flight arrives after 10 p.m., you may be responsible for arranging hotel accommodations at your own cost as you will not be able to pick up your key to check into the dormitory until the next day. In order to arrange for us to meet with you, you must e-mail Nasha Lewis at nlewis7@vcu.edu at least two weeks prior to your arrival date with your flight number, arrival time and airline.
If you are unable to fly into the Richmond International Airport directly, you can fly into Washington, D.C., and take a train or bus to Richmond. If you are arriving by train or bus, please let our office know which station and what time you will be arriving. If you are arriving by train, please use the Main Street Station instead of the Staples Mill Station as it is closer to campus.
Taxi service
Taxi service at Richmond International Airport is available on the lower level curbside, adjacent to the north and south parking garages, from first flight departure to last flight arrival. Groome Transportation operates shared ride, door-to-door, shuttle and charter services at Richmond International Airport. Groome’s offices are located in the lower level of the terminal building near the baggage claim area. To schedule travel with Groome Transportation, call (804) 222-7222 or toll-free 1-800-552-7911. CMC Limousine provides walk-up sedan service and pre-arranged limousine service at Richmond International Airport. To schedule travel with CMC Limousine, call (804) 360-2122.
About VCU and Richmond
With more than 32,000 students, VCU is Virginia’s largest institution of higher learning and approximately 1,400 foreign students are enrolled. VCU has two libraries, a comprehensive student center and a performing arts center. Sports facilities include a new sports and convocation center, swimming pool, gym, and outdoor playing fields and tennis courts.
Take the interactive campus tour at www.ugrad.vcu.edu/campustour/index.html.
The city of Richmond
The university is located in the historic city of Richmond, Virginia’s capital city, about 100 miles south of Washington, D.C. The academic campus is in a restored residential area of 19th-century homes where many of the buildings are historically and architecturally significant. Nearby is the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, the state’s foremost art gallery.
Housing and meals
ISEP students are housed in shared-room apartments in the Gladding Residence Center (GRC). They receive an account credit for a 19 meals per week plan, with the flexibility to accept the meal plan as cash. The Education Abroad Office will reserve on campus housing for all ISEP students and assist the students in signing their housing contracts and establishing their meal credit during orientation. The address for the GRC is 711 W. Main St., Richmond, Va., 23220.
The GRC has a kitchen area where students can cook their own meals. Students may also choose to purchase a meal plan and eat in the Shafer Dining Hall and other on-campus dining facilities. VCU has several different meal plans. Visit VCU Dining Services to learn more about the various meal options. Students sign their housing contracts and purchase a meal plan during orientation.
