Arrival Information
- Information you need before you arrive
- About your arrival in Newark
- How to check in to the ELI for Orientation
- Orientation Program
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
- Arrival Form
- Health Form
- Visa Instructions (click here to download instructions about how to apply for your student visa)
- SEVIS Fee Payment Instructions (Click here to download instructions about how to pay your SEVIS fee)
- Arrival Handbook (click here to download the Arrival Handbook PDF, which contains information about making travel plans, what to pack, Orientation, etc.)
Travel Information
- Airport. All students who plan to travel by plane must have a final destination at Philadelphia International Airport (airport code: PHL).
- Airport pickup/shuttle reservations.
- To reserve a shuttle to pick you up from the airport, you must arrive at the Philadelphia International Aiport (PHL), and you must return the “Arrival Form” that you received in your Welcome Package.
- Your completed Arrival 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 1-302-831-6765.
- The cost of a shuttle is about $50. You must provide the ELI with a credit card number on the Arrival Form in order to reserve the shuttle.
- To make a reservation, you must provide your airline, flight number, and arrival time on the Arrival Form.
- Arrival date. Students should plan to arrive on Wednesday before the beginning of a new session for orientation and housing.
- Hotels (“temporary housing”). Students will need to spend a few nights at a hotel in Newark if housing is not immediately available.
- Students who arrive after 4:00 p.m. on any day
should plan to stay at least one night at a hotel. - The ELI recommends the Super 8 motel on Main Street, Newark. The hotel cost is approximately $50/night per room.
- To reserve your hotel room, complete your Arrival Form and fax it to the ELI. The ELI fax number is 1-302-831-6765. The ELI will use the information on your Arrival Form to reserve your hotel room.
- Please tell the motel clerk you are an ELI student when you check in.
- Students who arrive after 4:00 p.m. on any day
- Temporary homestay. If you arrive early and do not want to stay in a motel, 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 rtp3@aol.com to ask for a “temporary homestay.” The families will provide their guests with breakfast and dinner. These temporary “home-stays” cost $25 per night.
Students should come to the ELI Office, 189 W. Main Street, for registration between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. on the Thursday and Friday before the new session begins. If you are staying in a hotel, the ELI will arrange transportation for you to the ELI for testing. After checking in at the ELI office, you will be given the placement test. The placement test takes about 3 hours.
For more information about checking in and Orientation at the ELI, please download the Arrival Handbook.
After registering at the ELI, all new students participate in a program of orientation to the University campus and American culture. The ELI staff will provide you with information and help about housing, meal plans, banking, University ID cards, recreation, transportation, and medical facilities. Please remember to bring your passport, I-20 (or DS-2019 form), and I-94 card to orientation. If you have medical insurance, you will need to show a document proving coverage.
