Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott Parents & Families Guide

Make sure you are reading about Prescott

Embry Riddle has two residential campuses, one here in Arizona and one in Daytona Beach, Florida. They keep separate calendars, housing offices and phone numbers, so when a search result looks off, check whether it is a Daytona Beach page. Everything in this hub is for Prescott only.

The university describes Prescott as a mountain campus in Northern Arizona, between Phoenix and the Grand Canyon, with all four seasons, about 3,200 students on campus and more than 190 clubs and organizations. If your student is in flight training, much of their week will revolve around Prescott Regional Airport, Ernest A. Love Field, not just the classroom buildings.

Getting there from far away

Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) is the main gateway. The university puts Prescott at less than two hours and about 100 miles from Phoenix, mostly on I-17 and Highway 69. Groome Transportation runs a van shuttle between Sky Harbor and Prescott, with a stop at Haas Commons for students who show an Embry Riddle ID. The small local airport, PRC, sends travelers to United to book flights and has Avis and Budget rental counters in the terminal.

One small thing that trips up families in other states: Arizona does not change its clocks in spring, so for part of the year the time difference with home shifts by an hour.

How the year runs

Prescott uses semesters. Fall 2026 classes start Aug. 24, and fall final exams wrap up Dec. 10. Spring 2027 classes start Jan. 13, with finals ending May 6. Commencement happens twice, on Dec. 12, 2026 at Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley and on May 8, 2027. Breaks are short: two days of fall break in mid October, Wednesday to Friday for Thanksgiving, and one week in March.

Where students live

First year residents are placed in Mingus Mountain, the Thumb Butte Modulars, the Thumb Butte Suites (known on campus as T2), or the Village Suites. Upper division students move into the Village Suites and Apartments or the Thumb Butte Apartments. Housing and Residence Life has its office in T2 and answers at (928) 777-3744.

The office for families

Parent and Family Programs at Prescott is reached at prparent@erau.edu. Families can join the Parent and Family Association, which has no dues, and sign in to the Parent and Family Experience Portal for news and events. Fall brings OctoberWest and Family Weekend, held Oct. 1 to 3 in 2026.

What is in this hub

The pages that follow cover 2026 to 27 dates, flights and where parents stay, move in and move out, health and safety resources around Willow Creek Road, and a directory of who to call for what.