Emory University is a private research university founded in 1836 by the Georgia Methodist Conference in Oxford, Georgia, and named after Methodist bishop John Emory. Nearly eight decades later, in 1915, the university was rechartered and relocated to its current home in Atlanta’s Druid Hills neighborhood, where it has grown into one of the country’s leading research institutions.
This guide covers the Atlanta campus and its landmarks, Emory’s additional campuses and affiliated sites, how to get there, what the surrounding area is like to live in, and how to plan a visit.
- Emory University Campus Location
- Getting to Emory University
- Living Near Emory University
- Why You Should Visit Emory University’s Campus
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Takeaways
Emory University Campus Location
The Haygood-Hopkins gate greets visitors at the front of the Atlanta campus, located at 201 Dowman Drive, Atlanta, Georgia, opening up to 600 acres of sprawling green space and Italian Renaissance-style architecture. From the bustling Student Center and marbled buildings surrounding the Quad to the vast green space of Lullwater Preserve, there are beautiful places throughout campus for study breaks, jogs, and lawn sports.
Convocation Hall, one of the first two buildings constructed on Emory’s Atlanta campus in 1916, established the architectural vernacular that defines campus today. From the red tile roofs to the marble, nearly every Emory building reflects it. The overall impression is cohesive: marble-clad buildings, terracotta rooftops, and tree cover heavy enough that the campus can feel more like a park than an institution.
Emory’s Atlanta campus is centrally located in the metro-Atlanta neighborhood of Druid Hills, just a short drive from renowned research centers, museums and music venues, global corporations, and Atlanta’s broader opportunities.
Along the adjacent Clifton Corridor, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sits directly next to campus, which shapes both the academic culture and the professional landscape available to students, particularly those in health-related fields.
Main campus landmarks
Emory’s campus has plenty of iconic landmarks. The Emory Quadrangle, designed in 1915, is the anchor point of the Atlanta campus. Its sprawling lawns are a popular spot for filming movies and TV shows.
Flanking the Quad are two of the campus’s oldest and most architecturally significant buildings. Convocation Hall, the face of Emory’s Commencement ceremony, was designed by Beaux-Arts architect Henry Hornbostel and features the pink and gray marble and Italian Renaissance style that defines the main quadrangle. Directly across from it sits Carlos Hall, its near-mirror image, which originally housed the School of Law.
Just steps from the Quad, the Michael C. Carlos Museum opened in 1985 and expanded in 1993. It features artwork from ancient Egypt, Nubia, and the Near East; Greece and Rome; the Americas; Africa; and Asia, as well as a collection of works on paper from the Renaissance to the present.
Research and academics center on the Robert W. Woodruff Library, the main library on Emory’s Druid Hills campus, which also houses the Goizueta Business Library and the Rose Archives. The building spans multiple floors with specialized research collections, group study rooms, and the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library on the tenth floor.
For the arts, the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, completed in early 2003, centers on the 825-seat Cherry Logan Emerson Concert Hall, featuring a custom-built Daniel Jaeckel Opus 45 pipe organ with 54 stops and 3,605 pipes in a cherry-wood case. Student performances, faculty concerts, and visiting artists fill the calendar throughout the year, with many events open to the public at low or no cost.
Rounding out the core of student life is the Emory Student Center, opened in May 2019, which includes a dining hall, study and collaboration spaces, a game room, a 1,400-plus-person multipurpose space, a coffee shop, and a food emporium. It is the first building on Emory’s campus to receive a LEED platinum rating.
Emory University’s other campuses and affiliated sites
Emory operates across multiple locations beyond the main Atlanta campus.
The Oxford campus is home to the university’s original grounds and Oxford College, one of Emory’s two liberal arts colleges. It has the university’s two oldest academic buildings as well as a modern student center. Students who begin at Oxford spend the first two years of their undergraduate education there in a close-knit environment focused on liberal arts excellence before transitioning to Emory’s Atlanta campus. Oxford is about a 45-minute drive from Emory’s Atlanta campus and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
A short shuttle or bike ride from the main Quad brings you to the Clairmont Campus. It sits next door to Lullwater Preserve and is home to juniors, seniors, and graduate students. It features the Student Activity and Academic Center, an Olympic swimming pool and fitness facility, and the Clairmont Café.
Beyond the residential campuses, Emory’s footprint extends into the city’s healthcare and research infrastructure. The Woodruff Health Sciences Center sits adjacent to the main campus on Clifton Road. It encompasses the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health, as well as Emory University Hospital, and students in health-related programs spend significant clinical and research time there.
Further into the city, Emory University Hospital Midtown extends that clinical reach into downtown Atlanta. It is a 531-bed tertiary care teaching facility with more than 1,200 Emory Clinic and 440 private practice physicians spanning 28 specialties, located at 550 Peachtree Street.
Getting to Emory University
Emory University is located in the Druid Hills neighborhood, about 15 minutes from downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead. From Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the drive takes 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic. Most students rely on MARTA combined with Emory’s free shuttle network for daily transportation.
Public transportation options
If you prefer to take public transportation, MARTA, the Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, operates a network of bus routes and train stations, and Emory’s campuses feature multiple MARTA bus stops. The three primary MARTA bus routes serving campus are Route 6 (Clifton Road/Emory), Route 36 (N. Decatur Road/Virginia Highland), and Route 19 (Clairmont Road/Howard Avenue).
From the airport, the most direct transit option uses MARTA rail to Lindbergh Center Station, then connects to Route 6 southbound along Clifton Road. Estimated travel time from the airport via MARTA rail to Lindbergh Center and then Route 6 is about 45 minutes. A free CCTMA shuttle also runs from Decatur MARTA Station to Emory’s Woodruff Circle, with an estimated travel time of about 40 minutes from the airport using MARTA rail and the shuttle.
Emory’s Transportation and Parking Services operates a network of free shuttles with campus, commuter, hospital, shopping, and public transit routes. The Cliff shuttle system links the main Atlanta campus to the Clairmont Campus, Clifton Road medical facilities, and several off-campus destinations. Real-time shuttle tracking is available through the Passio GO! app.
Getting there by car or other means
From Hartsfield-Jackson Airport by car, take I-85 North to the Clairmont Road exit, turn right onto Clairmont Road, and continue approximately 3.5 miles to North Decatur Road. Turn right, follow North Decatur to Clifton Road, and turn right. The School of Medicine area, adjacent to Emory University Hospital, is on the left. The Office of Undergraduate Admission is located at 1390 Oxford Road NE.
Visitor parking is available in the Oxford Road Building Parking Deck. There is a charge for parking on weekdays; parking is free on weekends. Additional visitor decks include the Fishburne Deck at 1672 North Decatur Road and the Gambrell Deck, which opens to visitors after 4 p.m. on weekdays. Full parking details are at transportation.emory.edu.
For students who prefer cycling, Emory offers bike racks throughout campus and operates a bicycle and bicycle lock rental program. Rideshare services are widely used by students for destinations not served by MARTA or Emory’s shuttles.
Living Near Emory University
Located in Atlanta’s historic Druid Hills neighborhood, Emory’s campus offers the closeness of a traditional college setting just minutes from Midtown. Students study beneath tree-lined walkways, gather on the Quad and McDonough Field, and live at the center of campus life while stepping beyond the gates into a global city.
Atlanta is home to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, leading healthcare systems, Fortune 500 headquarters, thriving startups, and a nationally recognized arts and film scene.
The neighborhood itself has a distinct character: large historic homes, walkable blocks near Emory Village, and enough local restaurants and shops to support daily needs without requiring a car. Atlanta ranks as the #4 city for Fortune 500 headquarters and has more than 200 Inc. 5000 startups, 22 miles of Beltline urban trails, and 5 major league sports teams. About 48% of the city is covered by trees.
Places to check out near Emory University
The neighborhood around Emory is mostly accessible without a car. Starting right at the campus entrance, Emory Village is the first stop for most students: coffee shops, restaurants, and the Barnes & Noble campus bookstore, all within walking distance of the Quad.
Just five minutes by car, Decatur offers a denser concentration of restaurants, bars, and live music than the immediate campus area. Restaurants include Victory Sandwich Bar, Cakes and Ale, and Iberian Pig, and the local music scene is anchored by Eddie’s Attic. The free CCTMA shuttle connects campus to Decatur’s MARTA station, so a car isn’t necessary to get there.
For bigger-city experiences, Midtown Atlanta is about 15 minutes away. Students can explore the High Museum of Art, the Alliance Theatre, and the Woodruff Arts Center, or bike the 22-mile BeltLine connecting 45 neighborhoods filled with art, music, and food. This is also where much of Atlanta’s internship and professional activity is concentrated, so students often find themselves in Midtown for reasons beyond recreation.
Druid Hills itself, the neighborhood Emory sits in, was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. His Olmsted Linear Park runs along Ponce de Leon Avenue across six segments totaling 50 acres, and the Fernbank Museum of Natural History is also in the neighborhood, hosting IMAX movies and Fernbank After Dark, a science-themed event held the second Friday of each month.
Why You Should Visit Emory University’s Campus
Reading a guide like this one can tell you where Emory is and what’s on the campus, but it can’t tell you whether it feels right for you. Walking from the Haygood-Hopkins gate across the marble-paved Quad and spending time in the surrounding neighborhood are the kinds of experiences that turn a school on a list into a concrete choice.
That’s why a campus visit can make all the difference. Emory University offers a variety of in-person guided tours, virtual tours, self-guided options, and pre-recorded information sessions, all designed to help prospective students and their families discover what makes the university such a distinctive community.
If you want to make your campus visit count as part of a larger application strategy, AdmissionSight’s Senior Editor College Application Program helps students build a well-researched college list and develop a competitive application so that by the time you walk onto a campus, you already know how it fits into your plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is Emory University’s address?
Emory University’s main campus address is 201 Dowman Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30322. The Office of Undergraduate Admission is located at 1390 Oxford Road NE, 3rd floor, Atlanta, GA 30322.
2. How big is Emory University?
The Atlanta campus covers 600 acres of green space. The Oxford campus is home to the university’s original grounds and spans approximately 56 acres, with both campuses totaling close to 687 acres combined.
3. Can I visit Emory before applying?
Yes. Emory offers in-person guided tours, self-guided tours with a downloadable app, virtual tours, and pre-recorded information sessions.
4. Is parking available at Emory?
Yes. Visitor parking is available in the Oxford Road Building Parking Deck. There is a charge on weekdays and parking is free on weekends.
5. What landmarks are near Emory?
The CDC headquarters on Clifton Road is immediately adjacent to campus. Further out, Atlanta is home to the CDC, the High Museum of Art, and other world-renowned institutions. Lullwater Preserve is on campus, Olmsted Linear Park in Druid Hills is a short walk, and Midtown’s arts and cultural venues are about 15 minutes away.
Takeaways
- Emory University is a private research university founded in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia. It moved to Atlanta in 1915 after Asa G. Candler offered $1 million to establish a new Methodist university in the city.
- The Atlanta campus covers 600 acres of green space built around Italian Renaissance-style architecture, centered on the main Quad, Lullwater Preserve, and the Haygood-Hopkins gate.
- Oxford College, home to Emory’s original grounds and two of its oldest academic buildings, serves first- and second-year Oxford students before they transition to the Atlanta campus.
- The campus is about 15 minutes from downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead, and is served by MARTA bus routes and Emory’s free shuttle system.
- If you’re building your college list and want to make sure Emory is the right fit, working with a college admissions expert can help you develop a competitive application and a well-researched list of schools.
