Arrival and Orientation for ESL Students
Please send your arrival information to msu.esl@murraystate.edu when you have your travel schedule. Please read carefully the information below so that you can get better prepared for your transition to your life and study with us at Murray State University.
New international students, including ESL Program students, should plan to arrive at the Nashville, Tennessee, international airport (BNA) within the shuttle service dates.
The Nashville airport is the largest airport near Murray, Kentucky, but because it is a two-hour drive to Murray, the ESL Program provides shuttle service from the airport to Murray State University. There is a $100 charge for airport pick-up which will be billed along with your tuition and fees. The airport pick-up charge is non-refundable unless you cancel at least 48 hours prior to your original arrival time. If a student needs airport pick-up on any date other than the shuttle dates, the charge is $150.
Please see the Expected Costs for more information.
Your I-20 packet will contain all your arrival information in it, and you should let the ESL Program know as soon as possible when you will arrive. Either a student worker or a staff member in the program will greet you at the airport. Once we have your arrival information, we will provide more details about your pick-up.
Please note that the shuttle will be picking up many students whose flight times will vary. For this reason, the shuttle departs from Nashville for Murray at 5 p.m. each day during the shuttle days in August, October, March and June. In January, however, the shuttle departs from Nashville for Murray at 4 p.m. If your flight arrives in Nashville after the shuttle departure time from Nashville, you will need to stay in Nashville overnight and be picked up on the following day.
New Student Orientation
Orientation for ESL students takes place before and during your term here. Orientation begins as soon as you are picked up at the airport. ESL student advisors and their helpers will help you with your housing, banking and shopping and introduce you to other students. You will receive a guided tour around campus. The ESL staff and the teachers will help new students register for classes and with all those activities that can be so confusing at the beginning of a new experience.
The first day of each term is set aside for placement testing, which consists of: a writing sample, a short oral interview and an institutional TOEFL. They are designed to ensure that you are placed in the appropriate courses in each skill level. View information on ESL Program curriculum and special programs.
Each new student is enrolled in an orientation class during the term. This class will help you become acquainted with life in the United States and specifically in Murray, KY. Students are visited by various university and community members in this class in order to help them adapt to college life. This class offers a broad range of subjects and the speakers may include doctors, bankers, dentists, law enforcement personnel, university personnel or faculty, immigration specialists and culture shock specialists.