Emporia State University plans to introduce free parking beginning with the fall 2024 semester.
“Free parking for students is another way Emporia State is attacking the high cost of education for students and their families,” said ESU Chief Operating Officer Cory Falldine. “Taking a page out of the City of Emporia’s playbook for how they’ve improved downtown parking, our goal is to make it easier for folks to be on campus. Free parking will also extend to faculty, staff and visitors to campus.”
During the summer, a task team is working on the logistics of the pilot program, which will be evaluated for changes and improvements in the future. The new plan will be introduced by Aug. 1.
In the meantime, parking on the Emporia campus is always free during the summer with a few exceptions — gold parking spaces, handicap spaces and a handful of specific and services-related spaces that require an official placard. These spaces will be ticketed, as well as other forms of illegal parking (fire lanes, etc.). See this online map for guidance: https://emporia.link/campusparking.