Airports

The University of Maryland is located near Washington, DC and is served by three major airports:

Reagan National Airport (DCA)

Reagan National Airport serves domestic flights. It has the advantage of being located on the Yellow Metro rail lines, offering a convenient way to reach College Park.

Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI)

↠ BWI website

BWI has a limited number of international flights along with many domestic flights. BWI is located between Baltimore and Washington, DC, making it fairly convenient for getting to College Park and other locations in the Maryland suburbs of DC. However, there is no easy public transit to College Park, so a rideshare or shuttle service is your best option if not renting a car.

The airport does provide a free shuttle from the airport to the MARC BWI train station on the MARC Penn line connecting Baltimore to Washington (with stops at the New Carrollton Orange Line Metro Station, and at the Union Station Red Line Metro station).

Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)

↠ IAD website

Washington Dulles is the Washington area's primary international airport, although it is farther from College Park than the other two. Dulles Airport is served by the fairly new Metro silver line, making it possible to ride Metro (with a connection) to College Park, although that ride takes about 1.5 hours.

Metro Rail

The Washington Metro Rail system serves many locations in the DC area including a station in College Park on the green line (which is also served by some yellow line trains). Note, however, that the College Park-UMD Metro station is located some distance from the university campus. You may consider it walkable but there are also frequent UMD shuttle buses running between the Metro station and the campus.

↠ Metro system website and trip planner

Map of the Washington, DC Metro Rail System

Link to high-res PDF of this map

Getting to Adele H. Stamp Student Union at University of Maryland in College Park

If you’re not staying in College Park (e.g. your lodging is in Washington, DC), you can reach the Adele H. Stamp Union at UMD with Metro by taking a Green or Yellow Line train heading to Greenbelt and hopping off the train at the College Park/University of Maryland Metro station. From the College Park/University of Maryland Metro station, you can either take the P30 or P31 bus, or walk about 25 minutes to the Adele H. Stamp Student Union.

Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC) System

The Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC) is a commuter rail system in the Baltimore-Washington area. MARC's Penn Line connects northern Maryland to Union Stations in Washington, DC, with stops at Baltimore's Penn Station, BWI airport, and the New Carrollton Metro Station (Orange Line). Tickets can be purchased via a mobile app, at kiosks in select stations (including those mentioned above), or directly from the condutor with a surcharge (cash only).

Please Note: The MARC Camden Line that stops at the College Park Metro Station does NOT connect to BWI Airport or to Penn Station in Baltimore, and it only connects to the Penn Line at Union Station in Washington, DC. The Camden Line terminates at Camden Yards, the home of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team.

↠ MARC Penn Line Timetable

↠ Ticket purchase options

Map of the Baltimore/Washington regional MARC Rail System

Link to high-res PDF of this map

Amtrak Train Service

The closest Amtrak station to UMD is New Carrollton, about 10 km from campus. About ten Northeast Regional trains stop at New Carrollton each day, along with a few longer-distance trains. Many more trains stop at Union Station in downtown Washington DC, about 15 km from campus. Both of those Amtrak stations are also Metro rail stations so it is straightfoward to get to College Park with one connection to the Metro green line.

↠ Amtrak website and trip planner

Travel Grants for U.S. Attendees

Partial travel support is available for US-based researchers to attend and participate in the 16th International LISA Symposium. Priority will be given to students, but others may apply.

Applicants must provide a curriculum vitae (CV), the requested grant amount (with estimated budget), and a letter of intent describing how their research relates to LISA and how participation in the meeting would benefit both themselves and the LISA community. It is helpful if the candidate indicates that they have submitted an abstract for a presentation. The maximum award amount is $1,500 USD per attendee.

Symposium attendees from the Maryland/D.C. area (who work/reside within 50 miles) may only apply for registration fee costs and perhaps a small amount for incidentals (i.e. parking costs).

The deadline to apply for a LISA Symposium Travel Grant is: 27 March 2026.

↠ Grant Application Website

16th InternationalLISA Symposium

Travel Information