Registration and 1L Classes

Prior to orientation, the College of Law automatically assigns you to a first-year section and registers you for your classes. First-year students do not select classes or register themselves. No additional courses may be added. You are not permitted to change from one section to another in any required course without the permission of the dean’s office. In your second and third year, you’ll select your classes from available electives and register yourself. You’ll be provided with additional information regarding your first-year classes and schedule in the upcoming weeks.

Fall Semester:

• Contracts I (502) 3 hours.

• Civil Procedure I (506) 3 hours.

• Torts (508) 4 hours.

• Criminal Law (510) 3 hours.

• Legal Methods (513) 2 hours.

• Basic Legal Research I (511) 1 hour.

• Introduction to the Legal Profession I (515) 0 hours. (One credit awarded at the end of the academic year.)

Spring Semester:

• Legal Writing and Advocacy (500) 2 hours.

• Contracts II (503) 3 hours.

• Property (505) 4 hours.

• Civil Procedure II (507) 3 hours.

• Constitutional Law I (550) 2 hours.

• Basic Legal Research II (512) 2 hours.

• Introduction to the Legal Profession II (516) 1 hour.

Books

When you receive your first-year section assignment in late July, you’ll also receive a list of our required and recommended text books for each class. If you choose to purchase books from the NIU Bookstore, you can use your OneCard to charge up to $700 against your financial aid account for books. We also suggest that you join your entering class Facebook group in which upper-division law students can sell you their used books and other materials.

Facebook Group

We encourage you to stay connected with our community and join some of our social media groups. Consider joining your official class Facebook page at NIU College of Law –Class of 2026. Feel free to ask questions, post updates, look for potential roommates, buy used books and more. All members of the 1L class are invited. Upper-division students are also invited to participate, and can answer questions and post announcements. This is a great way to start informally meeting your future classmates.

Contact Information

If your contact information (email, telephone or mailing address) has changed, please notify our Office of Admissions to ensure that you do not miss important emails and mailings over the summer.

Visit NIU Law

Students admitted to the entering class and their guests are invited to attend our summer admitted student programs. We also encourage you to join us for a one-on-one campus tour. Tour dates and times can be selected at go.niu.edu/lawvisit. By visiting campus and attending our events, you’ll see why our students value our family-like community. At each of our events, you’ll learn about our academic programs, faculty and community. Because each event focuses on a different aspect of the law school, we encourage you to attend more than one program.

Housing

Moving to a new area can be daunting. Fortunately, you have plenty of affordable options for housing. While most law students live off campus in private housing that is very close to our law school, you also have the opportunity to live in residence halls and other graduate housing. You will receive a housing email which includes a copy of the current “Offcampus Housing Guide for Law Students.”

NIU’s Office of Housing and Residential Services provides information concerning university residence halls and meal plans. Their office is located at 101 Neptune East (815-753-1525). Information regarding NIU graduate housing is available on the Housing and Residential Services website.

Off-campus Housing

Most law students live in private apartments that are either within walking distance from our College of Law or accessible by the Huskie Line bus, a free service for all our students. Our NIU Office of Student Affairs provides information about off-campus housing

Local apartment search engines can be helpful in securing an apartment near campus. These guides include all relevant information necessary to help make your apartment search as easy as possible. Apartments are broken down by rent, bathrooms, bedrooms and distance from campus.

NIU Off-Campus Housing Guide

Northern Star Housing Guide College Pads

We also suggest that you join your entering class Facebook group in which upper-division law students can offer you advice regarding apartments that are popular among law students. You can also use your Facebook group to find roommates.

Parking On Campus

If you park your car on campus, you’re required to purchase a virtual parking permit or park in a lot where a fee is assessed. Virtual parking permits must be purchased online via the NIU Parking Services website. Parking Services may be contacted at 815-753-1045 or parking@niu.edu

Virtual parking permits correspond to the lots in which they may be used. Each lot is color-coded. An NIU Campus Parking Map is available via the Parking Services website. In general, students living in the NIU residence halls park in the orange designated lots and students who don’t live on campus park in the yellow designated lots. Free remote parking is available in the green designated lot east of the Convocation Center. Students with health-related or other special circumstances may be eligible for other parking privileges.

Health Insurance

Information regarding health insurance is available on the Health Services website. If you’re enrolled in nine or more on-campus (DeKalb) credit hours, you’re automatically billed for the NIU Student Health Insurance plan. If you’re not taking nine on-campus hours, you can enroll in this plan as long as you’re taking at least six credits hours, are doing an internship or are working on your thesis or doctorate. The NIU student health insurance plan is through Aetna and is a PPO.

The per-semester cost for the 2023-2024 school year is $1,296.00. If you’re covered under another health insurance plan, you may apply to waive the NIU Student Health Insurance plan beginning in July. Please note that there is a deadline for submitting a waiver request or accepting student health insurance. For more information on student health insurance, call 815-753-0122 or send an email to studentInsurance@niu.edu.