The airport in Baton Rouge is not big, so it is almost impossible to get lost. Baggage claim is located downstairs, and passenger pickup is located outside of the baggage claim area. If you schedule a flight into New Orleans, click here.

Transportation from the Baton Rouge airport to LSU

The International Cultural Center (ICC) at LSU offers free transportation from the Baton Rouge airport to new international students. The ICC will make sure that you will be picked up whenever you arrive, 24 hours every day. Please remember to notify the ICC if your flight is delayed or if you missed a flight!

If you contacted the ICC in advance of your arrival, you should have received a confirmation reply. ICC volunteers (most are also international students) will pick you up in the ICC van, which is clearly marked with the LSU logo and “International Cultural Center” written on the doors. You can also look for a sign or lanyard (neckband for keys and identification) that has ICC written on it. Do not leave the airport with anyone else! There are many friendly people in Baton Rouge, but on occasion someone may try to cheat you. Do not trust strangers and do not take offers for a ride or a place to stay!

If you did not contact the ICC in advance of your arrival, you can take a taxi from the airport, which is safe but expensive. Tell the taxi driver to take you to the International Cultural Center at LSU at 3365 Dalrymple Drive. Remember to allow for a 15% tip above the actual cost of the taxi.

Temporary Housing

The ICC and LSU have arranged to provide a limited amount of affordable, temporary housing  if you were not able to arrange for anything else. This service is provided on a first come, first serve basis and is only good for students, not for family members or friends. Although you cannot make reservations, the ICC always helps to find a place to stay, so don’t worry. On-campus alternatives are the Lod Cook Alumni Hotel at LSU (the university hotel, which is quite expensive) or the Faculty Club. Other hotels can be less expensive but are not on campus.

If you plan to bring your family to the United States, we recommend that you come first and give yourself several weeks to make housing arrangements and to take care of your own affairs. Please remember: If you arrive with family members or friends, you will have to take them to one of the hotels because temporary housing is not set up for families. In such a case, you and your family may have to pay for a taxi to come to the university every day.

Flying into New Orleans 

If you schedule a flight into New Orleans, you will have to take a bus from there to Baton Rouge. However, the Greyhound Bus no longer serves the New Orleans airport.

 The money you may save by flying into New Orleans would be spent on a taxi ride to the nearest bus station and the bus fare to Baton Rouge. Depending on your arrival time and the remaining departure times and availability for buses to Baton Rouge, you may need to be prepared to stay in the city of New Orleans overnight to schedule a bus departure the next day. For more information, visit www.greyhound.com.

NOTE: The International Cultural Center (ICC) does not have the capability to pick up students from the New Orleans airport. However, the ICC does offer free pickup from the Baton Rouge bus station for new international students.