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New & Prospective Students - Housing
International Student Life assists new and transfer international students with finding housing in the Athens community. We are happy to provide resources as well as to serve as advisors for your housing questions. The following section will include information concerning both temporary and permanent housing options. Please contact our office should you require further assistance or have any questions.
Temporary Housing
This section provides information about four different types of temporary housing options upon arrival to the USA (specifically in Atlanta and Athens). The four options include: Accommodation information for Atlanta hotels, Athens hotel information, ISL international student organization information, and a temporary housing option offered by ISL on the UGA campus during the fall orientation only.
Accommodations in Atlanta
Atlanta was designed for car drivers not pedestrians, so there is limited public transportation. If you arrive after the last AAA Shuttle has left for Athens, we recommend that you find a hotel close to the airport to stay for that night. Visit the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Web site for specific information about hotels close to the Atlanta airport. Try to plan ahead in case you do need to stay in Atlanta overnight by taking hotel information with you before you leave your home country. Also be sure to ask if the hotel offers a free shuttle service to pick you up at the airport and to take you back the next day so you won’t have to pay for a taxi.
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Athens & UGA Temporary Housing - Athens Hotels
There are a number of temporary housing options in the Athens community. The University of Georgia has a hotel on-campus called the Georgia Center Hotel. Visit their website for more information concerning availability and prices. Students may also choose to stay in a local hotel while they are searching for permanent housing, although this option may be expensive depending on the length of your stay. Be sure to ask for price information before making a reservation. Also, ask if they have any discounts or special rates for the time you will be staying with them (for UGA students, etc.). For your convenience and information, some of the hotels located close to the University in Athens include:
- Days Inn
230 North Finley Street
Phone: 706-543-6511
800-329-7466
Fax: 706-208-8467
www.daysinnathens.com
- Courtyard by Marriott*
166 Finley Street
Phone: 706-369-7000
800-321-2211
Fax: 706-548-4224
www.courtyard.com/AHNCY
- Foundry Park Inn & Spa*
295 East Dougherty Street
Phone: 706-549-7020
toll-free 866-928-4367 (9-ATHENS)
Fax: 706-549-7085
www.foundryparkinn.com
- Hilton Garden Inn*
390 East Washington St. (across from The Classic Center)
Phone: 706-353-6800
Toll free: 877-Stay-HGI
www.stayhgi.com
- Holiday Inn*
197 E. Broad Street
Phone: 706-549-4433
800-465-4329
FAX: 706-548-3031
www.hi-athens.com
- Holiday Inn Express*
513 West Broad Street
Phone: 706-546-8122
800-465-4329
Fax: 706-546-1722
www.hi-athens.com
- Travelodge
898 West Broad Street
Phone: 706-549-5400
800-578-7878
- UGA Georgia Center*
1197 South Lumpkin Street
Athens, Georgia 30602-3603
Toll free: 1-888-295-8894
Monday through Friday
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
http://www.georgiacenter.uga.edu/
*Indicates that the AAA Shuttle from Atlanta makes a stop at this location.
International Student Organizations
Students may wish to contact an international student organization from your home country [link to Student Organizations section of this website] for temporary housing. Sometimes these groups are able to assist with temporary housing for new international students. Additionally, ISL provides a temporary housing option during the fall orientation program only.
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Fall Orientation Temporary Housing
The International Student Life office is happy to announce that during the 2008 fall orientation from August 4 - 8, 2008, we will offer temporary housing on campus for new incoming students. The residence hall where we will be staying is in close proximity to all of the orientation sessions and the International Student Life Office. This year, housing is going to permit new international students to remain in temporary housing from August 4 until August 11, 2008. We are thrilled to be able to offer seven nights of accomodation with the temporary housing program this year and plan to provide optional events for all new and transfer international students the weekend of August 9-10.
Registration for ISL Temporary Housing
A prepaid, non-refundable, flat registration fee of $250 is required in order to reserve a space for seven nights in the ISL on-campus temporary housing option. The registration fee covers the total cost of staying seven nights from Monday, August 4 and checking out Monday, August 11, in the early morning, and includes the following services:
- 7 nights accommodation (with 1 other person(s) of the same sex sharing your room)
- Suite-style or community-style bathrooms (shared with other people of the same sex in your suite or on your floor)
- Residence Hall fees
- Linens (sheets for the bed)
- Keys to your room
- Special pass required to enter the building
- Electricity
- Telephone (including service for local call access and 1-800 number access)
- Water
- Staffing
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The prepaid, non-refundable registration fee of $250 for temporary housing on campus during the international student orientation can be paid via credit card or money order made payable to the University of Georgia. Students who wish to reserve a space in temporary housing should contact Leigh Poole at the International Student Life Office via email at isltemphousing@gmail.com or telephone 706-542-5867. Please be prepared to answer the following questions (or include the answers in your email correspondence):
- Name
- Age
- Sex
- Country of Origin
- UGA Student ID Number (found in your admission letter)
- Area of Study
- Whether you are a Graduate or Undergraduate Student
- Email address
- Contact phone number
- Any special needs
- Method of payment - Money order or credit card*
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*Payment by Credit Card
If you are paying with a Credit Card, please call the ISL Office at 706-542-5867 to give us the following information over the telephone:
- Type of credit card (Visa, MasterCard, etc.)
- Card holder's name (as it appears on the card)
- Card number (for security purposes, you may wish to call ISL to give us your card number)
- Expiration date (for security purposes, you may wish to call ISL to give us this information)
Sending your credit card information over the internet through emails is NOT secure! UGA will not accept payments that include credit card numbers via email. Please be sure to call International Student Life with your credit card information during our regular business hours, Monday - Friday from 8:00 am (Eastern Standard Time) to 5:00 pm. This procedure helps insure your personal security and information and we thank you in advance for your cooperation. Once ISL has received and processed pre-payment for the room, students will receive a confirmation letter via email confirming their reservation for the temporary housing option.
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Key Deposit
Upon arrival / check-in for temporary housing, students will be asked to pay a refundable key deposit of $75. (This amount is in addition to the non-refundable registration fee.) This deposit is payable during the ISL orientation check-in by check, cash, or credit card and will be returned during check-out as long as the room is not damaged and the student returns the room key.
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Checking Out of ISL Temporary Housing
Please note: Check-out for all students residing in the temporary on-campus housing option will be on Monday, August 11, 2008, in the early morning. Students who elect to leave the residence hall earlier than Monay morning (8/11/08) will not receive a refund for the nights they did not stay in the residence hall. Additionally, this housing option cannot accommodate spouses, children, or family members. Students who have a fall contract to reside in on-campus UGA housing should inform Leigh Poole upon making the request and payment for the temporary housing option. Leigh has special instructions and additional information from the UGA Housing Department for students living in on-campus housing during 2008-2009.
If you are interested in ISL's temporary housing option during international student orientation, please let ISL know as soon as possible. Students will be placed on a first come first served basis. Contact ISL at ugaisl@uga.edu or (706) 542-5867 for additional information.
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Permanent Housing Options
Many international students who attend the University of Georgia find it difficult to secure off campus housing from overseas because they need time in Athens to look to see what is available, what is cost effective, etc. By asking international students to come to orientation in early August, it is our hope that you will have more time to explore housing options before classes begin.
During orientation, we have built time into the schedule for students to research housing options. Additionally, during the fall orientation only, we have asked a few apartment complexes to come to a Welcome to Athens Fair on Tuesday of the fall orientation week to provide all of our students with more information concerning off campus housing options. Students attending the ISL orientation in the spring and summer will have access to ISL staff members for further assistance.
Most graduate students live off campus or if there is space available they choose to live in Family and Graduate Housing. The Family and Graduate Housing web site may also provide you with helpful information -- www.uga.edu/housing. Please be aware that UGA Family and Graduate Housing may be full at this time. If it is, you will need to search for off campus housing for you and your family.
You may wish to research apartments on the internet. Apartments off-campus range from $400 to $700 dollars per month. The following sources can be quite helpful:
http://www.apartmentbluebook.com - Athens Apartments
http://www.onlineathens.com - Classified section
http://www.flagpole.com - Athens Community magazine, see the Classified section
http://www.redandblack.com - UGA Student newspaper, see the Classified section
ISL has a housing board in our office where individuals can post information concerning housing options. Individuals who already have housing and who are looking for a roommate put their information on this board. Additionally, people who do not have an apartment, but are looking for a roommate post information as well. There are also several other places on campus that provide this kind of information.
ISL staff can help you access these postings after you arrive on campus. New students typically do a great deal of their housing research once they arrive in Athens in order to be able to see the location and facility. We strongly recommend that you view a location before signing a contract with any facility on-line from overseas. Many students find that apartments that seem to be wonderful options may not suit your needs once you arrive to Athens.
Also keep in mind that public transportation in Athens is not very extensive. City buses stop at 6 pm during the regular week and have a special weekend schedule. If your apartment is far from campus and you need to stay late at UGA (after 6 pm) to work on projects, attend group meetings, research in the lab, etc., you may need to find an alternate way home if your primary method of transportation is with the city bus system.
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