Ram Van Free Passes Policy

The Department of University Transportation proudly offers free passes to students meeting specific qualifications.

Free passes are automatically issued weekly on Wednesday mornings (approximately 9 AM), beginning on the Wednesday before the start of the term, for all students whose class schedule meets the eligibility requirements below. The free passes are added to students' accounts and will be used for the following week's classes.

  • If you register after the semester has already commenced, you will not receive passes until the Wednesday after registering. Refunds are not issued for tickets purchased during the Add/Drop period while waiting for the next disbursement of free passes if your eligibility status changes.
  • The Ram Van office is not responsible for lost or stolen passes.
  • Employees of Fordham University are not eligible to receive free passes. This includes work-related travel for a teaching assistant and/or graduate assistant position.
  • Free passes are for the student who received them only. Any recipient of passes caught selling their passes will be reported to the Dean of Student Life and Public Safety.
  • Free passes expire at the end of the semester you receive them.
  • Club sports and varsity athletics are not eligible for free passes for athletic-related travel.
  • If free passes are used for any travel outside of the purpose you received the passes, you will run out and will not be entitled to additional free passes.
  • Free passes are not eligible for professors' office hours, meetings, breaks between classes, or travel for work. Please keep this in mind when creating your class schedule.

  • Residents

    If you are a resident in Fordham housing and take at least one in-person class at an alternate campus, you are eligible to receive free passes. Eligible students will automatically receive digital passes weekly throughout the academic year.

    Free passes are assigned using the student's home campus as the departure point. For resident students, their home campus is determined by the location of their residence.

    Note: Free passes are not eligible for professors' office hours, group meetings with classmates, breaks between classes, or travel for work in between classes. Please keep this in mind when creating your class schedule.

    Commuters

    If you are a commuter student and take in-person classes at more than one campus simultaneously, then you are eligible to receive free passes. Note: If you do not live in Fordham housing, you are considered a commuter student, regardless of the proximity of your residence to any campus.

    Free passes are assigned using the student's home campus as the departure point. For commuter students, their home campus is determined entirely by their school of enrollment.

    Note: Free passes are not eligible for professors' office hours, meetings, breaks between classes, or travel for work in between classes. Please keep this in mind when creating your class schedule.

    Professors

    Professors who require their students to travel to destinations other than class (photography lab, museum, botanical garden research, etc.) must email their students' exact travel needs to receive free passes to [email protected].

    Note: Free passes are not eligible for professors' office hours, meetings, breaks between classes, or travel for work in between classes. Please keep this in mind when creating your class schedule.

    How to Pick up Passes if You Qualify

    Eligible students will have passes automatically added to their accounts every week on Wednesday mornings. Pass balances, reservation history, and other services are available via our online reservation system.

  • OSI Clubs

    Students who wish to participate in an OSI club that does not exist nor have an equivalent at their home campus may receive free passes to attend scheduled meetings at the campus where the club exists. Please reach out to your respective OSI department for more information.

    Intramural Sports

    Free passes may be granted for students who wish to participate in intramural sports that do not exist at their home campus. (Such cases will be treated on a case-by-case basis).

    Student Workers

    Students who work on a campus other than where they reside or attend class are not eligible for free passes since they are compensated. Department managers who wish to provide tickets for their student workers are encouraged to purchase discount books via budget expense.

    Varsity and Club Sports

    Free passes are not issued for varsity and club sports-related travel. Please contact the athletics or club sports department for departmental discount books.

    How to Pick Up Passes if You Qualify

    • For OSI clubs: An OSI administrator must submit a request on your behalf. Please contact your respective OSI department for more information. Requests made directly by students or non-OSI administrators will be denied.
    • For intramural sports: Students who wish to participate in intramural sports that do not exist at their home campus should acquire a team schedule from the Fordham University Intramurals Office and a roster verifying the student's participation on said team. After obtaining the schedule and roster, the student should attach this documentation to their pass request submission to receive passes for the duration of the sports season. Requests that fail to provide the schedule and roster will be denied.

  • Who is Eligible?

    If you have a credit-bearing, unpaid internship at any location closest to a campus that you do not attend, you are eligible for free passes.

    All free-pass requests for said internships must go through the Career Center. Please visit their offices at Rose Hill (Joseph M. McShane S.J. Campus Center, Room 223) or Lincoln Center (140 W. 62nd, Room G-49).

    Learn more about free Ram Van passes for internships.

  • Please access your account on the reservation system by logging in using your Fordham credentials. Your current balance of available free passes will appear immediately after logging in. You can also click "Account Info" on the left sidebar menu to view your free passes balance.

  • Please see this brief video demonstration of how to use your free passes.

  • Please ensure that you have reviewed all the qualifications associated with free passes. Upon doing so, we encourage you to submit a Free Pass Dispute/Request if you believe you are eligible but have not been receiving free passes automatically.

    Please read the instructions on the form carefully and include all necessary screenshots. All class-related submissions must include a screenshot of the student's "Schedule Details" view for the semester. The "Schedule Details" view screenshot must include your name at the top right corner and your complete class schedule for the semester and must include the following: term, course titles, location of all classes, time, and date(s) classes are held. Please view this screenshot for an example of the correct "Schedule Details" view screenshot. Multiple screenshots may be necessary to include all of your registered classes. Resident students must include a screenshot of their "Housing Assignment" email. An example of what the "Housing Assignment" screenshot must look like can be found here. The student's name, housing assignment, and semester must be visible in one screenshot. Commuter students must include a screenshot of the "General Information" section of their Student Profile. To access your Student Profile, please do the following: My Pages drop-down>Students>Student Services Dashboard>Student Profile. The student's name and campus must be visible in ONE screenshot. An example of what the "General Information" screenshot must look like can be found here. Submissions that do not include the correct screenshots will automatically be denied.

    Please allow 48-72 business hours for review.

    Refunds are not issued for tickets that are purchased during the Add/Drop period while waiting for the next disbursement of free passes if your eligibility status changes.