Resources for International
Students
Please see the following information on
different subjects:
Health Care and Insurance
Campus Virtual Tour
Forms and Downloads
Facilities
Extra-Curricula Activities
Place of Worship
International Students Handbook
Libraries
Restaurants on Campus
Banks
Security
Shopping
Transportation
Health Care and Insurance
The University Health Centre is located on the Campus and caters to all registered students. Optical and Dental care are also provided under the Health Scheme. The University Hospital of the West Indies adjoins the Campus and offers a wide range of emergency and hospital services.
General Insurance is provided for students registered on the Mona Campus. Students who require comprehensive medical insurance must make their own arrangements.
Extra-Curricula Activities
All registered students are members of the Guild of Students which is the registered association of students of the University. We urge you to take an active part in the Guild’s activities while you are at Mona.
Other activities in which you may wish to be involved are sports and games, various clubs and societies, the Leadership Programme and many other cultural and civic activities which take place on and off Campus during the year. Your participation in such activities will enhance your cultural experiences, but be careful to balance your activities.
During your stay you might be asked to give a presentation of your own university, country at our Study Abroad Fair which is held during the month of November. Our students would love to hear from you about your “home” university before making a decision on where to go on exchange. Therefore please take materials for display and distribution and to be used for your presentation.
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Place of Worship
Places of worship exist in abundance in the area surrounding the campus. The University Chapel is situated on campus close to the main entrance on Mona road. The Chapel holds services for several denominations during the semester, including an Anglican mass at 7:30 a.m. and a non-denominational service at 9:00 a.m. [each day?] Out of semester there is only an Anglican mass each Sunday. Churches situated near the campus include: Acquinas Centre (Roman Catholic) just across from the hospital, Mona Baptist Church in Papine, Hope United Church and Church of the Ascension (Anglican) in Mona Heights and St. Margaret’s Church (Anglican) on Old hope Road between Papine and Liguanea and Providence Methodist Church in Liguanea.
Banks
Prior to your arrival at Mona, arrangements would have been put in place to take care of your tuition fees. However, you may be responsible for your living and day-to-day expenses. We ask you to budget carefully. You are advised to open an account with one of the banks on campus, and to avoid having large sums of cash in your possession.
There are branches of Bank of Nova Scotia (This branch of BNS on campus is a non-cash bank) and National Commercial Bank on the Mona Campus; banking hours are 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Mondays to Thursdays and 9:00 am to 4:30 pm on Fridays. ATM’s (multilink) are operated by both banks.
All major credit cards may be used to transact business in Jamaica. The Jamaican Dollar is the form of currency used locally. The exchange rate is currently J$67:US$1.00, JA$**:Cn$1, J$1**:£1. Please note that the exchange rate changes frequently. Traveler’s cheques attract a higher rate of exchange.
Shopping
There are several major shopping areas in Kingston located in the Half Way Tree, New Kingston, Liguanea, Manor Park and Downtown Kingston. Sovereign Centre, Liguanea Plaza and Hilo Plaza, located in Liguanea, are in closest proximity to the Campus and have a wide variety of shops, goods and services.
The Papine Market is located north of the Mona Campus and provides a wide assortment of fresh fruit and vegetables Monday to Saturday.
Transportation
Residents of the Corporate Area are served by a variety of modes of transportation. The Jamaica Urban Transit Company operates a fleet of large buses which ply between residential suburbs and commercial centres of Kingston and St. Andrew. Many individuals operate privately owned vehicles, making traffic congestion a constant feature of life in the city. There are also taxis which can be hired via the telephone.
A special bus for UWI students with ID cards plies between the campus and Liguanea. This service is provided free of cost.
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For more information on our support services
please visit the
Office of Student Services and Development website.
