Arrival Information
This page contains important information for new students regarding arrival and orientation.
- What is in your ELI Welcome Package?
- How to get to the University of Delaware from the airport
- Staying in a hotel
- ELI Orientation - Your first days at the ELI
- Questions – Who to contact for help
Before You Arrive
What is in the ELI Welcome Package?
After you apply to the ELI, you will receive a Welcome Package by express mail that contains the following items:
- Acceptance letter
- I-20 (or DS-2019) Form
- Housing Reservation Form
- Airport Transfer Request Form
- Hotel Reservation Form
- Health History Form (click here to download)
- Immunization Form (click here to download)
- Visa Instructions (click here to download)
- SEVIS Fee Payment Instructions (click here to download)
- Arrival Handbook (click here to download)
- A map of campus (click here to download)
How to get to the University of Delaware from the airport
- Airport. All students who plan to travel by plane must have a final destination at Philadelphia International Airport (airport code: PHL). If there is no direct flight from your country to Philadelphia, please do not worry–you can arrive in a different airport and then take a connecting flight to Philadelphia. The most important thing is for you to buy a ticket that shows a final destination of PHL.
- Airport pickup/shuttle reservations.
- The Philadelphia International Airport is 30 minutes away from the University of Delaware. The ELI can help you to reserve a shuttle (i.e., a van) to pick you up from the airport and to drive you safely to Delaware. The shuttle company is called Delaware Express.
- In order for the ELI to reserve a shuttle to pick you up from the Philadelphia International Airport, you must return the Airport Transfer Request form that you received in your Welcome Package. At the same time, you also must send us a copy of your student visa and your plane ticket by fax. We cannot make a shuttle reservation for you until we have received these three documents.
- Your completed Airport Transfer Request form should be sent to the ELI by fax no later than 2 weeks before the beginning of the session. The ELI fax number is +1-302-831-4201.
- The cost of a shuttle is about $50 (though very late-night pickups may cost up to $80). You must provide the ELI with a credit card number on the Airport Transfer Request form in order to reserve the shuttle. You must also provide your airline, flight number, and arrival time on the form.
Staying in a hotel
- Arrival date. Students should plan to arrive no later than the Wednesday before the beginning of a new session. This will allow you to participate in ELI Orientation. If you do not attend all days of ELI Orientation, you will be charged a fee of $100 on your first ELI bill.
- Hotels (“temporary housing”). Sometimes it is necessary for students to spend at least one night at a hotel in Newark if housing is not immediately available.
- Students who arrive after 4:00 p.m. on any day will probably have to stay at least one night at a hotel.
- The ELI works with the Sleep Inn hotel on South College Avenue in Newark. We can help you to make the reservation. The hotel cost is approximately $52/night per room (including breakfast, internet, and hotel taxes).
- To reserve your hotel room, complete your Hotel Reservation Form and fax it to the ELI. The ELI fax number is +1-302-831-4201. At the same time, you must also send us a copy of your student visa and plane ticket by fax. The ELI will use the information on the form to reserve your hotel room. Please tell the hotel clerk you are an ELI student when you check in.
- Temporary homestay. If you arrive early and do not want to stay in a hotel, local families are also available to provide temporary housing for new students. If you would like to do this, please contact the homestay coordinator, Nancy Purcell, at eli-homestay@udel.edu to ask for a “temporary homestay.” The families will provide their guests with breakfast and dinner.
ELI Orientation – Your first days at the ELI
Students should come to the ELI at 108 East Main Street for registration at 8:00 a.m. on the Thursday and Friday before the new session begins (unless your session begins in January). Please see your acceptance letter for the exact date and location of your orientation.
Late Orientation Fee: All students are required to attend one of the orientation dates that is listed on their acceptance letter. If you do not attend orientation, you will be charged a $100 Late Orientation Fee, which must be paid before you can begin your ELI classes.
If you must stay in a hotel during the night before Orientation, the ELI will arrange transportation for you to the ELI for testing.
At Orientation, you will do the following activities:
- Register at the ELI. Please bring your passport and visa documents. If you have not yet paid your bill, please be prepared to pay it. If you have already paid your bill, please bring your receipt.
- Take your English placement test. This test is required of all new students in order for the ELI to determine your level and to make a course schedule for you. The placement test takes about 3 hours.
- Complete your visa check-in procedure. This is required by the US government.
- Take a tour of campus. The campus tour is very important. During the tour, you will:
- See the location of all ELI buildings
- Pay your ELI bill (if you have not already done so)
- Obtain your University of Delaware student identification card
- Learn important university information. This includes meal plans, banking, safety information, recreation facilities, transportation, medical facilities, and information about other resources on campus.
Questions
If you have any questions about Arrival or Housing, please contact the ELI Housing/Arrival Team at eli-housing@udel.edu. Homestay students should contact the ELI Homestay Team at eli-homestay@udel.edu.