Apartments Near Emory: What the Cliff Shuttle Reaches

Apartments near Emory that the free Cliff shuttle actually reaches sit in two corridors: Briarcliff Road, served weekdays from 7 a.m. to midnight by the B Express, and Executive Park off North Druid Hills Road, served weekdays from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Decatur is reachable on weekdays via the CCTMA route to Decatur MARTA station. In the Emory-area buildings on FMP, listed rents start at $825 for a private room and $1,335 for a whole one-bedroom.

Pick by Cliff stop, not mileage. Most of the listings you'll find for emory off campus housing aren't in Druid Hills at all. Of the roughly 40 apartment communities in FMP's Emory data, only eight sit within three miles of the Quad. Most of the rest are Midtown and downtown towers built for Georgia Tech and Georgia State students.

Key Takeaways

• Campus Crossings Briarcliff is the only apartment with a B Express stop named after it.
• Executive Park route: weekdays 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., covering Executive Park, four apartment stops on Briarcliff Road and one on Sheridan Road.
• Decatur is a CCTMA town, with shuttles weekdays from 5:30 a.m. to 8:35 p.m. between Decatur MARTA station and Clifton Road.
• "Weekend service" to off-campus apartments doesn't exist. The only scheduled weekend Cliff routes are the C (Clairmont Campus) and the Toco Hill grocery run.
• Whole one-bedrooms in the Emory pockets list from $1,335 (Cortland Druid Hills) to $1,608 (Cortland Oleander).
• Rising second-year students have to live on campus, per Emory's housing office, so most people start this search for junior year or grad school.

Why the Cliff Shuttle Decides Where Emory Students Live

The Cliff is the long-standing nickname for Emory's free shuttle system (Emory's own 2026 pages just say "Emory shuttles"), and it does the job that rail does in Midtown. Emory's 2026 shuttle map says shuttles are free and no ID is required to ride. The catch is coverage. Most routes loop the main campus, the Clairmont Campus and the hospital decks.

Only a handful leave Clifton Road for places where students actually rent. So two apartments the same distance from the Quad can be completely different commutes. One has a stop out front. The other means a long walk or a car.

Here's the rule we'd use: if you can't name the Cliff stop closest to your door, you're signing up to drive.

Briarcliff Road: Apartments Near Emory With Their Own Cliff Routes

Briarcliff Road is the best car-free option for Emory students, because two Cliff routes run along it. The B Express travels Clifton Road between Woodruff Circle and Campus Crossing Apartments, with a stop at Briarcliff and Johnson Road. It runs weekdays until midnight, late enough for most library nights.

Campus Crossings Briarcliff at 1659 Briarcliff Road is the property that stop is named for, 1.1 miles from Emory per its listing. Three-bedroom suites list from $1,040 and private rooms in two-bedroom units from $1,195. A three-bedroom can't rent for less than one room in a two-bedroom, so read that $1,040 as a per-person price (the listing labels it "whole unit," which it almost certainly isn't).

The Executive Park route also works Briarcliff, with named stops at Post Briarcliff, The Atlantic Briarcliff, Hampton Hall and Ashford at Druid Hills.

Nearby Bell Rock Springs on Rock Springs Court lists one-bedrooms from $1,545 and two-bedrooms from $1,965. Rent rises with every bedroom, so those are whole-apartment prices. No Cliff stop carries its name, though. Map the walk to Briarcliff Road before you tour.

Executive Park: Whole-Unit Apartments Near Emory, Longer Ride

Executive Park is the second place the Cliff reaches apartments. It's an office park off North Druid Hills Road near I-85 where Emory has a satellite campus (one stop is literally called Sports Medicine). The Executive Park route stops at Executive Park Drive and Executive Park West.

Two FMP-listed buildings have Executive Park addresses on that route. Cortland Oleander at 10 Executive Park West lists one-bedrooms at $1,608, two-bedrooms at $2,118 and three-bedrooms at $2,696. Centra at North Druid Hills at 7 Executive Park Drive starts at $1,498 for a one-bedroom and $2,074 for a two. Both climb with bedroom count, so these are whole-unit prices.

Split a Cortland Oleander three-bedroom three ways and you're near $900 each. The trade: the listings put both buildings 2.6 to 2.8 miles from Emory, and the route winds through Briarcliff and Clifton Road, so budget real time.

Also on North Druid Hills Road, Cortland Druid Hills has the cheapest whole one-bedroom of any Emory-area building on FMP, at $1,335. Two-bedrooms start at $1,696. No Cliff route lists a stop there, so plan on a car or MARTA.

Decatur: The CCTMA Route and a MARTA Blue Line Station

Decatur works for Emory students who want a real downtown, and the CCTMA shuttle is how you get there. It runs weekdays from 5:30 a.m. to 8:35 p.m. between Decatur MARTA station on Swanton Way and Clifton Road. Along the way it stops on Clairemont Avenue at Scott Boulevard, Clairemont Oaks and Michigan Avenue, then heads up North Decatur Road to campus.

After 8:35 p.m., you're on MARTA. Emory's CCTMA page points riders to MARTA Route 15, which connects Decatur station to Lindbergh Station and serves Emory.

The Apartments at President Park on Clairmont Road lists a private room in a two-bedroom at $825, the lowest price in this guide. Its other plans jump around ($830 three-bedrooms, $995 to $1,205 two-bedrooms, then "entire" two-bedrooms from $1,650), so ask the office which prices are per person before you compare. No Cliff stop is named for it, but CCTMA and the EDH route both stop at North Decatur and Clairmont.

Abberly Skye Apartment Homes on Blackmon Drive is a standard whole-unit building: one-bedrooms from $1,400, two-bedrooms from $1,900, three-bedrooms from $2,700. Its listing puts it 2.3 miles from Emory, and no Cliff route stops there. Both are on FMP's Decatur student housing page.

Druid Hills, Emory Village and Toco Hills: Close, But No Apartment Stop

Druid Hills is the neighborhood Emory sits in, and it's mostly single-family houses. Think big trees, old brick and a lot of homeowners. Renting there tends to mean a room in a house, not a leasing office.

Emory Village, at North Decatur Road and Oxford Road, is the walkable strip at the campus gates. FMP's Emory page puts whole one-bedrooms in Emory Village or Decatur at roughly $1,500 to $2,100.

Toco Hills is the grocery hub up North Druid Hills Road. The Cliff reaches the Toco Hill Kroger on weekends only, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., which is handy for groceries and useless for class.

The FMP Cliff Test: Three Checks Before You Sign

The FMP Cliff Test is a three-part check we'd run on any Emory apartment before touring. Start by finding the nearest stop by name on Emory's shuttle finder. Then compare that route's last weekday bus with your latest lab or class. Finally, figure out your weekend plan, because B Express, Executive Park and CCTMA all run weekdays only.

Late nights have a partial answer. SafeRide is Emory's free on-demand ride on the Clifton campuses from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., 365 days a year, requested through the TripShot app or at 404-727-7555. Emory moved live shuttle tracking to TripShot on September 21, 2026, so download it before move-in.

Frequently Asked Questions About Apartments Near Emory

What's the cheapest apartment near Emory on the Cliff?

$1,040 a month at Campus Crossings Briarcliff, for a room in a three-bedroom suite, with its own B Express stop. The Apartments at President Park lists a private room at $825, but you'd rely on the CCTMA or EDH stops at North Decatur and Clairmont instead.

Does the Cliff shuttle run on weekends?

Barely. The C route runs Saturdays and Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to midnight between the Clairmont Campus and Woodruff Circle, and the Toco Hill route runs weekends from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. None of the routes that serve off-campus apartments run on weekends.

Can I live in Decatur and go to Emory without a car?

Yes, on weekdays. The CCTMA shuttle links Decatur MARTA station to Clifton Road from 5:30 a.m. to 8:35 p.m. Outside those hours, Emory points riders to MARTA Route 15.

Should Emory students live in Midtown?

Only if you've got a car or a reason to be in Midtown. The Spring Street towers on the Emory page are built around Georgia Tech. The only Cliff route into Midtown is the EUHM hospital shuttle (weekdays 6:10 a.m. to 8:10 p.m.), which stops at Emory University Hospital Midtown and Civic Center MARTA, not at those buildings. Our guide to Atlanta neighborhoods for Georgia Tech students covers that side of town.

When do Emory students move off campus?

Junior year, for most undergrads. Emory's housing office says rising second-year students are required to live on campus, so the search usually starts during sophomore year for a junior-year lease.