Northern Illinois University

Student Support Services

About Us

Student Support Services is a federally-funded program that serves the needs of first-generation college-students. We strive to provide the necessary academic and educational resources that our participants need to take advantage of all educational and career-related options.

Our specific mission is to assist, support, and empower, participants in developing a successful collegiate experience leading to graduation while fostering a campus climate supportive of all races and cultures.

Participation in Student Support Services is open to any NIU undergraduate student who:

  • is from a family in which neither parent is a college graduate,
  • is from a limited income household,
  • and/or has a documented physical or learning disability.

Eligible students are admitted to the program upon completion of an application form, a personal interview, and academic and career assessment.


Areas of study include:

  • Biology
  • Business
  • Chemistry
  • Clinical Lab Sciences
  • Communications
  • Communicative Disorders
  • Community Health
  • Computer Sciences
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Engineering Technology
  • Family, Consumer & Nutrition Sciences
  • Mathematics
  • Nursing
  • Physical Therapy
  • Physics
  • Political Science
  • Pre-Med
  • Pre-Law
  • Sociology