University of Virgin Islands/West Indies Students

University of Virgin Islands/West Indies Students

Welcome to the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. When you arrive on campus, please get in touch with Dr. Pamela Dickrell (Associate Dean for Undergraduate Student Affairs) at pld@ufl.edu to set up a meeting.  Please read the below important information about the college and Gainesville that will help to make the transition to UF.
 
Academic and Course-Related Questions
Please reach out to the Director of Advising for Engineering, Dr. Janna Underhill (janna@eng.ufl.edu) about questions related to coursework and evaluation.
 
Make Connections with Students from UVI or UWI before you arrive
The Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering typically enrolls 10-12 students from UVI or UWI per year. Please reach out to Dr. Pamela Dickrell (pld@ufl.edu) to meet and connect with our students.
 
Engineering Faculty From the Caribbean
Dr. Norman Fitz-Coy (nfc@ufl.edu), Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Dr. David Prevatt (dprev@ce.ufl.edu), Civil Engineering
Dr. Carlos Rinaldi-Ramos (carlos.rinaldi@ufl.edu), Chemical Engineering
Dr. Sindia Rivera-Jimenez (rivera.jimenez@eng.ufl.edu), Engineering Education
 
Arrival

There are more than 50,000 students at the University of Florida, many of whom fly into the Gainesville Regional Airport. Airline reservations need to be made EARLY! Gainesville Regional Airport is located at 3400 NE 39th Avenue. When making reservations we suggest you fly all the way to Gainesville. (For example, a ticket to Miami or Atlanta without a connecting flight to Gainesville will leave you eight hours by car from Gainesville). Traveling by car from Orlando or Tampa is approximately two and a half hours. Bus service to Gainesville is very limited. If possible, try to arrive on a weekday (Monday through Friday) because the University of Florida International Center (UFIC) and other University of Florida offices are closed on the weekends (Saturday and Sunday).

Airports
The connecting cities to Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV) are Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale. There are no connections from Jacksonville. The Gainesville Regional Airport is located at 3400 NE 39th Avenue. It is 6 miles from the Gainesville airport to the UF campus. Taxicabs are available at the airport. Allow at least $25 or more for cab fare and tips. Another alternative is to use a ride service such as Uber or Lyft. For Gainesville Regional Airport information, click here (https://www.flygainesville.com) or call (352) 373-0249. Our office (Engineering Student Affairs) here on campus (392-2177) would be glad to assist you in making arrangements for being picked up.

Getting Around Gainsville
Regional Transit System (RTS) is the City of Gainesville’s public transportation system. With the Gator 1 card, students can ride the RTS buses for free. New international students can ride bus number 25 from the airport by presenting their letter of admission or initial I-20. Additional routes and schedule information are available online at www.go-rts.com. You can also download the RTS app on your phone.

While most students will use the RTS bus system, there will be times when using a ride service is more convenient:

UBER
LYFT

Download the Gator Safe app to have access to the campus map and many other UF resources. (https://police.ufl.edu/support-services/community-services-division/gatorsafe-app/)

Housing

On-Campus 

The UF Department of Housing and Residence Education features five different apartment complexes known as villages that are available to all graduate and professional students. Pricing includes telephone, high-speed internet, standard cable, and water service in most facilities. To learn more and to apply for housing on-campus, click here.

Single Student On-Campus Housing: There is limited availability for single-student on-campus housing. To apply, click here.

Off-Campus

The first resource is the Gator Guide to Off-Campus life. The Gator Guide is Off-Campus Life’s annual publication and it is available through the Off-Campus Life website http://www.offcampus.ufl.edu/gator_guide/. This resource provides steps to follow to find off-campus housing, average rental rates, lease information, safety information, bus information, and much more.   The second resource is a free online off-campus housing locator http://housing.offcampus.ufl.edu where students can search for housing off campus including apartments, houses, and condominiums for rent.  Students can search based on location, number of bedrooms, lease length, cost, amenities and several other search criteria.  The locator also has sublease listings and a roommate finder.

Latin and Caribbean Scholarship
Under Florida statute 1009.21*, full-time students born and living in Latin America and the Caribbean (including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) who receive scholarships from the federal or state government qualify for in-state tuition. This provision of the law provides an opportunity to encourage the continued internationalization of UF and to attract more high-quality students from Latin America and the Caribbean.

To qualify, UF students must be awarded a non-duty scholarship of a minimum of $500 per semester paid from either state or federal funds. Students must be full-time and in good academic standing. Graduate or research assistantships are not considered scholarships for this purpose. Note that this program provides eligibility; it is not a guaranteed scholarship. Scholarship decisions are made by the colleges. Department of Major

To receive the Latin American – Caribbean (LAC) Scholarship status, the qualified student must do the following:

1. Obtain a letter from the college or engineering department at the start of each semester, indicating the amount of the scholarship and the semester for which it is awarded. Contact Dr. Dickrell in the Office of Student Affairs (pld@ufl.edu).

2. This letter must be presented to the International Center for processing (170 Hub/Box 11325) of the application for residency status for tuition purposes under Florida Statutes 1009.21. Here the student will receive a form.

3. The form must be completed and taken to the offices of the Registrar, and Director of Financial Services in Criser Hall. The Registrar’s office will note the student’s eligibility for in-state fees, and the Financial Services office will record the designation.

Detailed information can be found at: https://internationalcenter.ufl.edu/latin-american-caribbean-lac-scholarship