Housing and Transportation

When preparing for grad school, housing might be your first and biggest concern. Here are some tips to help you find the ideal living situation: 

A Word of Caution: Read your lease carefully before you sign! Please contact UNC Charlotte Student Legal Services, Inc. (SLS) if you have questions about your lease or your housing situation. Student Legal Services also provides legal information for tenants on their Services page. Check out this document for important steps for renters in NC. 

Transportation and Parking – Everything you need to know to get around UNC Charlotte. Find a live map of the campus transportation services to catch the next ride, or visit the campus parking availability page to see which parking decks and lots are available.

Navigating Campus

pats.charlotte.edu (PATS) has everything you need to know to get around UNC Charlotte. PATS runs free bus service 7 days per week around campus with connections to the light rail and to Charlotte Area Transit (CATS). Find a live map of the campus transportation services to catch the next ride.

Download the UNC Charlotte Niner Transit Pass Go app for transit and paratransit arrival estimates and schedules.

Niner Paratransit provides disability transport for those with mobility impairments. Arrange this through the Office of Disability Services. Paratransit riders must first register. 

Parking

All campus parking requires either a permit or visitor parking payment. Visit the campus parking availability page to see which parking decks and lots are available.

Various parking permit types can be purchased through UNC Charlotte MyPark, including an $8 daily permit for people who aren’t on campus often.

For information regarding disability parking options, please see the PATS Disability Parking page.

With a campus ID you can take the fare-free shopping shuttle from campus to Target, Harris Teeter, and Patel Bros Friday through Sunday, from 5-9 pm. 

Bike and scooter rentals can also be found around campus.

Public Safety

Download the free LiveSafe app, which has many features to help keep you safe. Its handy GPS can even give directions to campus buildings.

Find NinerReady Preparedness information on the Charlotte Emergency Management site.

It is suggested that you not walk on campus alone after dark and that you travel only on lighted pathways. You can request a SafeRide from UNC Charlotte Police and Public Safety by calling 704-687-2200, texting or calling from the LiveSafe app, or with a Blue Light Emergency Phone. There are over 300 of these phones across campus. They’re monitored 24/7 for reporting crimes and for the SafeRide program.

City & Area Transportation

Those who pay the Miscellaneous Transportation Service Charge (MTSC) in their student fees (most enrolled students do, with the exception of Distance Education and students enrolled in co-op programs) then you have already paid for a Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) pass and can ride the light rail and buses with your 49er ID card.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport is our nearest airport. Other (occasionally more affordable) options include Concord-Padgett Regional, Piedmont Triad International, and Raleigh Durham International. 

The light rail (LYNX Blue Line) runs from the UNC Charlotte station to South Charlotte. You can easily travel via light rail from the Dubois Center to the main campus and back, with trains running every 15 minutes for most of the day.

There are also over 70 bus routes serving Mecklenburg county and surrounding areas. Check out Passio GO to get live tracking of buses around Charlotte! 

Amtrak is the train service

Finally, one great resource for finding bikes on a budget is the Charlotte Re-Cyclery, a local nonprofit that refurbishes and sells used bikes.