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campus to call home
Your Guide to NIU Housing and Dining
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Live and thrive with us We want you to succeed as much as you do. Living on NIU’s campus means you’ll be connected as you experience everything college life has to offer. You’ll choose from flexible meal plans that let you eat when, where and what you want. You’ll have access to fitness centers, as well as lounge areas for throwback games of pool and foosball. Or enjoy wireless gaming, or sitting back comfortably with your favorite TV shows. There are even quiet spots where you can study. And you’ll live within a short walk to your classes, campus entertainment and Huskie sporting events. Convenient? Yes. But also strategic. National studies show students who live in residence halls their first two years do better academically. Put simply, our residence halls offer everything you need.
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Find your community As one of our Huskie pack, you’ll make friends and memories on a campus abuzz with organizations and activities for every season. Cultural events. Greek life. Outdoor adventures. Community service. Concerts. Theater productions. Whatever your interest, you’ll find it here.
We’ve got you covered Ready to live on your own?
Just think of our residence halls as your first step. Wi-Fi, utilities, water, meals, furniture. We’ll take care of it all. You take care of the décor. We make life convenient, with accessible laundry facilities in each hall, a microwave and fridge in each room and an array of retail food options nearby. Our highly trained and caring community advisors provide everything from support and resources to fun social activities. Our students enjoy key card security and 24-hour controlled-door access with staff members available 24/7. We provide escort services when needed, and Huskie Line buses stop at all residence halls.
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Huskie housing You have great options. Thinking a single or double room? How about a suite or cluster living? Coed or single-gender floor? Turning your bed into a loft? We’re all about options. More than 90% of students living on campus choose to be assigned a roommate so they don’t have to worry about finding someone on their own. But if you have a specific roommate in mind, just let us know. Our residence halls house more than 3,500 students each year from different cultures, countries, identities and ethnic backgrounds. We ensure everyone feels at home.
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Grant Towers
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Two, 12-story towers on the northwest edge of campus near the sports fields, tennis courts and recreation center, the renovated Grant Towers have expanded double and single rooms. You’ll have quite the view of Central Park and the West Lagoon, and access to a modern study lounge.
Typical Grant Towers Room Layouts
Features Room options: Single and double occupancy. Accommodations: Bed, mattress, lockable wardrobe closet, and flexible furniture configurations featuring dresser, movable shelves, desk, and rolling chair for each resident. Microwave/fridge combo and window blinds in each room. Common lounges on each floor. Restrooms: Located on every floor. Dining: Dining centers in nearby Stevenson Towers and New Hall. Extras: Close to Student Recreation Center, Outdoor Recreation Sports Complex and tennis courts.
Single
Double
Neptune Hall
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Neptune Hall is located in the central part of campus, directly across the street from the newly revamped Holmes Students Center and Huskie Line bus. A recent refresh at both Neptune East and West brought new furniture, single rooms and more, while Neptune East also gained air conditioning. And Neptune Central boasts the popular Fireplace Lounge and Neptune Dining.
Typical Neptune Hall Room Layouts
Features Room options: Single and double occupancy. Accommodations: Bed, mattress, microwave/fridge combo, closet, window drapes, desk and rolling chair for each resident. Common lounges on each floor. Restrooms: Located on every floor. Dining: All You Care to Eat dining center. Extras: Recently updated furniture, flooring and air conditioning in Neptune East; central campus location.
Single
Double
New Residence Hall
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New Residence Hall features cluster living with enhanced privacy, as well as a dining center, recreation facility and lounge. Students live in small group clusters of 12, and each share a semiprivate bathroom with one other student. A common space for each group of 12 residents includes a study, living room and kitchen-like area.
Typical New Residence Hall Room Layout
Features Room options: Mini-suite. Accommodations: Bed, mattress, microwave and fridge, dresser, closet, window blinds, desk and rolling chair for each resident. Restrooms: Semiprivate bathroom, shared with one other student. Dining: All You Care to Eat dining center. Extras: Large community center with recreation and fitness room; and laundry room in your cluster.
Mini-suites with Shared Bathroom
Stevenson Towers
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With its retail dining center, including an all-new Erbert & Gerbert’s Sandwich Shop, grill, pizzeria, salad toss and newly renovated Dog Pound C-store, Stevenson is a popular spot. It consists of four, 12-story towers on the western edge of campus featuring several different styles of living.
Typical Stevenson Tower Layouts
Single
Double
Features Room options: Single and double rooms; suites with or without private bathrooms. Accommodations: Bed, mattress, microwave/fridge combo, dresser, closet, movable shelf with bulletin board, window blinds, desk and rolling chair for each resident.
Suite without Private Bath
Restrooms: Located on every floor; some suites have bathrooms. Dining: Retail dining center with expanded hours of operation and the Dog Pound C-store. Extras: Close to Outdoor Recreation Sports Complex and outdoor tennis courts.
Suite with Private Bath
Make connections Residential communities. Part of our Honors Program? Enjoy esports? Into recreation and wellness? Bet we know someone like you. With floors on campus tied to these interests and more, our unique residential communities allow you to connect even more with your fellow Huskies and faculty. Find out all about them at go.niu.edu/myLLC.
Living-Learning Communities.
Special Interest Communities.
Just like the name implies, you’ll live and learn with other students sharing common academic interests. Hands-on experiences through field trips, career-related activities and more allow you to engage with one another and faculty.
Live with Huskies just like you. You’ll not only bond over commonalities, you’ll have direct access to the resources and activities you enjoy.
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Student leadership groups. Engage and gain valuable skills while serving as a student voice in your residence hall. The second-largest studentled organization on campus, our highly awarded Residence Hall Association provides social and educational programs throughout the year. And our student-run Community Councils in each hall ensure you always have a say in your living experience.
ACES: Academic and Career Exploratory Scholars House Understand how your courses connect your major and future career. Stevenson
Business Careers House
Experience unique opportunities to connect with business faculty and other business students. Grant
Engineering House
Live and take three courses with other first-year students enrolled in the College of Engineering, and connect with faculty, advisors and tutors. Grant
Esports Community
Discover the possibilities of esports at academic and career events both on and off campus. Neptune
Fine Arts House
Live with other students from the Schools of Art and Design, Music, and Theatre and Dance. Neptune
Foreign Language Residence Program
Practice your language skills outside the classroom in a relaxed residential environment. New Hall
Health Professions House
Enjoy professional development opportunities, social activities and more with others interested in health and service-related careers. Stevenson
Honors House
Participate in intellectual, cultural and social activities, as well as community service projects, with Honors students. New Hall
Latinx Affinity House
Live and take three courses with other students interested in Latinx culture, and connect with faculty and staff for Latinx-based programming and events. Stevenson
LGBTQA Community
Connect with students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or as an ally. Neptune
TEACH House
Home to students pursuing any area of teacher certification. Stevenson
ROTC House
Live with other students who are part of NIU’s ROTC program and have a similar schedule. Neptune
Sport, Recreation and Wellness Community
Participate in intramural leagues, weekend trips and monthly workshops. Stevenson
Optimal options Wherever you live on campus, you’ll find everything you need close by. Use this chart to help find the layout and amenities that matter most to you. Be sure to check out niu.edu/housing for more details about housing options, photos and helpful videos.
#pluggedin at NIU
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When you’re a Huskie, you’re connected in more ways than one with high-speed Wi-Fi in each residence hall room. In fact, your phone, PC, Mac, tablet or game console will never be without WiFi when you’re anywhere on campus. And you’ll never be far from one of our technology labs or study lounges. Our computers and laptop tables provide access to all the software and applications you’ll ever need, or feel free to bring your own device. Scattered throughout campus, you’ll find printers for any project. You can print wirelessly, too!
Compare Grant Towers
Neptune Hall
Singles
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Doubles
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New Hall
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Clusters Single-gender floors
Coed floors
In-hall dining
In-hall fitness center
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Suites
Stevenson Towers
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Laundry
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Air conditioning
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Neptune East only.
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Elevators
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Fulfill your cravings Whether you’re in the mood for a coffee drink from Starbucks, a bagel from Einstein’s, a burrito from Qdoba or a homestyle meal, you’re in luck! Our meal plans now incorporate both residential and retail dining. Within a five-minute walk, you can eat anywhere on campus. Your biggest challenge will be deciding where to eat. No matter your craving, our flexible meal plans allow you to choose from a variety of options. Do you have special dietary needs or allergies? No worries! Our registered dietitian nutritionist and detailed online menu will help you navigate menu choices. With tools like MyDining, Healthy Huskie Choices and MyPaw, you can sort through nutrition labels and build your own custom, nutritious meals.
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Meal Plans
Dining Dollars
We’ve refreshed our meal plans as we’ve expanded our dining options and locations across campus.
Dining Dollars is a flexible spending account conveniently loaded to your OneCard that will allow you to eat at any campus dining location. Because Dining Dollars are considered a meal plan, they’re billed through your student account.
Here’s what you get with our new block plans: • Meal swipes for dine in, or take meals to go from our All You Care to Eat Dining Centers at Gilbert, Neptune and New Hall. • The option to use a meal exchange at Stevenson. • Dining Dollars that can be used at any campus dining location. • The ability to track the use of your Dining Dollars and check your balance using our mobile app.
For more information about meal plans, please visit go.niu.edu/res-mp. Campus Dining Services Dining@niu.edu
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Huskie Bucks Separate from your dining meal plan, a Huskie Bucks account is a prepaid debit account that can be used anywhere on campus. Use them to buy food and drinks, do laundry or make copies. Loaded to your OneCard, Huskie Bucks also can be used at many restaurants in DeKalb.
Fresh and Fast Options at NIU
Wellness and Athletics Engage your body and mind.
Your well-being is our priority. That means you’ll have plenty to do and see on campus, as well as the resources you need to stay healthy.
Get active. We like to work and play hard. Our recreation center features more than 100,000 square feet of space including multipurpose and racquetball courts; cardio and strength training rooms; a three-lane track; boxing, plyometric and TRX rooms; and numerous other amenities. Drop in at one of our group fitness classes, take part in our intramural sports or try one of our more than 20 sports clubs to get fit with friends. Archery, dodgeball, bass fishing, figure skating, roller hockey, lacrosse, table tennis — you name it, we’ve got it. Around here, we’re all about cheering one another on, and our NCAA Division I Huskie athletes give us plenty to cheer about. We make it easier than ever to show your Huskie spirit with free admission to our home games.
Health services. Northwestern Medicine, one of the top medical systems in the nation, provides high-quality medical care in our Student Health Center. Experienced, skilled and compassionate medical staff provide walk-in health care like that of an immediate care facility, and can refer students to specialists within the vast Northwestern Medicine system if needed.
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A place for everything We’re a large public research university where amazing teachers, facilities and resources are all within steps. Whether by foot, bus, bike or skateboard, our students are surrounded by the people and services they need to succeed for learning and living.
Considering commuting? As a freshman student, if you live within 50 miles of DeKalb campus and permanently reside with your parent or guardian, you can choose to commute. Here’s what you need to do: 1. Complete your Application to Commute for Exemption Request at go.niu.edu/commute. Don’t complete a housing contract. 2. Have your application notarized and return it to our Housing Office. 3. If your request to commute is approved, you’ll receive a letter of authorization in the mail.
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Retail Dining Center
Outdoor Recreation Sports Complex
Dining at NIU Barsema Hall
New Hall Grant Towers
All You Care to Eat Dining
Stevenson Towers
Gilbert Hall
Neptune Hall
Recreation Center
Holmes Student Center
All You Care to Eat Dining
Founders Memorial Library
DuSable Hall
Health Services
All You Care to Eat Dining
Reserve your spot It’s time to make it official.
Here’s what you need to do: 1. Log in to go.niu.edu/housing-signup using your Z-ID and password. 2. Complete your NIU housing contract. (Do not complete this if you plan to commute.) 3. Submit your housing contract payment of $150. A portion of this payment is a $25 nonrefundable processing fee, and the remaining $125 will count toward prepayment on your housing bill. 4. A fter your contract is complete, you’ll receive a confirmation email in your NIU Z-ID email account with information about your contract and room selection, which takes place in March. You can choose: • Your residence hall. • The floor you’d like to be on in that hall. • The exact bed you’d like on that floor. As a new freshman student, you’re required to live on campus your first year.* Trust us, this is one requirement that’s easy to fill.
Housing and Residential Services niu.edu/housing 815-753-1525 Housing@niu.edu
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If you’re married, will reach your 21st birthday by Sept. 1, are commuting from a permanent home address or are a custodial parent of a dependent child, you’re exempt.
Northern Illinois University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. Printed by authority of the State of Illinois. niu.edu 52424 12/19
The sooner you submit your housing contract, the better reservation time you will have when room selection begins in March. So get to it, Huskie!
Questions? We know how daunting this all seems. We’re here to help. Wondering whether you can turn your bed into a loft? Why, yes, you can. Trying to calculate the cost of living in a residence hall versus commuting? We can help guide you through it.
• In March, you’ll receive an assigned date to select your living options.
Visit us at niu.edu. Connect with NIU Housing and NIU Campus Dining on Facebook for tips, resources and the latest information, or follow us on Twitter at @NIUlive.
• Visit us during an Open House or an Admitted Student Day to tour any of our residence halls. Or contact us at 815-753-0446 to schedule a residence hall tour, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The earlier you submit your housing contract, the better.
• Use this guide to compare halls or compare online at go.niu.edu/compare.
• Plan to attend an Orientation. The program you attend depends on the semester you’ll start and whether you’re a first-year or transfer student. • Get ready for Move-in Day. We’ll be there every step of the way to guide you through it all, from how to check in to what to bring.