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Tips for incoming students

Pickups and Temporary Accomodation


The ISA and Cranwell International center can arrange for pickups from Roanoke. To inform us about the time when you arrive :

  • Send an email to Cranwell International Center about pickup arrangements

    • AND ALSO

  • Contact the ISA by filling up the form below.

The most convenient method of arriving in Blacksburg is by the smartway bus. There is a charge of $3 for the ride. The bus has plenty of room and racks for all the baggage that you can bring. The smart way bus will drop you off at Squires Student Center.

Tips for selection of a good arrival date/time :

  • Try and land on a weekday (and before 6.30pm Roanoke) so that you have multiple means of getting picked up

  • Travel in groups - it will become much easier for you to manage things
  • Check the schedule and timings of the smartway bus for the day you arrive
  • Try and arrive on a day (and time) when the smart way bus is operational
  • Cranwell International Center provides the vans for pickup from Roanoke ONLY FOR LATE NIGHT flights (after 7.00pm local), however the vans may not be available on all days
  • ISA members volunteer to drive the vans to Roanoke and back. However volunteers may not be available on all days
  • Please realize that volunteers are also students who are spending their valuable time to pick you up. If you have asked a relative or a friend to receive you, then please do not keep us as a backup
  • In case a pickup cannot be arranged, we will inform you in advance in which case a cab service can be taken from Roanoke to Blacksburg. Yellow cab phone number for reservations : 540-345-7711. You can also take a cab from Roanoke Airport Transport Service office which is inside the airport.
  • The cab ride should cost about $70
  • So it is advisable to arrive on a weekday and during a time when the smartway bus is operational

Fall 2008 pickup request period is now complete. If you have not entered your data in the form for fall 2008, please send us an email at : isa at vt dot edu

New students arriving in Fall 2008 fill up the questions above so that we can email the password to you and then enter your data in this form