NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY

Updates for Community College Partners

Greetings,

I’d like to wish you a happy holiday season!

This month and beyond, we’re here to answer any questions you may have, keep you up to date and informed on events and deadlines, and provide resources to help your students succeed.

We’re also excited to highlight recent collaborations and future opportunities to strengthen our partnership and improve the tools and information students rely on to make confident transfer decisions. 

At NIU, we’re continuing to help students wrap up their college-planning tasks, — finalizing applications through MyNIU, exploring the Next Steps Portal, submitting the FAFSA, reviewing how credits transfer or applying for scholarships.

As you prepare for a well-deserved break, I hope you find time for rest, joy and the restorative practices that help you return renewed. Let us know how we can support 

HUSKIE SPOTLIGHT

"The financial support has allowed me to leave my part-time job and spend more time focusing on school and participating in student organizations, enhancing my college experience."

— Tobey Havens, a Heartland Community College transfer electrical engineering major from Normal, Illinois.

At NIU, we use Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) results, along with other credentials, to determine the amount of financial aid and scholarships a student admitted to NIU is eligible to receive. We encourage all students to submit their FAFSA as soon as possible, if they haven’t yet.

We automatically consider students for our transfer merit scholarship and our Huskie Legacy Award when they apply. Please keep in mind our priority deadline for merit scholarships for summer and fall semester transfer admission is March 1.

Any students who are Illinois residents but ineligible for federal aid can apply for state assistance through the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid.

To help guide students through our financial aid process:

One of several credit evaluation tools we provide, NIU’s Course Equivalencies and Major Guide (CEMG) is designed to make transfer planning clearer, more accurate and more transparent for students and advisors alike. CEMG is a one-stop web app that brings together course articulations and major guides for students and their advisors/faculty to learn about how their coursework transfers to NIU. 

We're looking to connect with academic advisors, faculty, transfer coordinators, admissions teams — anyone who supports students along their transfer journey. Our NIU team invites you to request a unique, 30-minute interactive session for your institution's key stakeholders to learn about the CEMG web app and discuss how community colleges can leverage it to best support students planning to transfer to NIU. Submit a request for a transfer partner session.

Join us on Friday, March 6, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. for NIU’s annual Community College Articulation Conference. This hybrid event will provide updates on admissions, transfer requirements, curriculum updates and key campus initiatives to support your advising and student transfer planning. Additional details and registration information will be shared soon.

Last month, our Office of Community College Initiatives supported NIU College of Business and Elgin Community College to organize a collaborative student experience sponsored by Plante Moran. Twenty-six students from ECC and NIU participated in a business ethics case competition inspired by Plante Moran manager Jimmy Mahoney, an alumnus of both ECC and NIU. His interest in reconnecting with his community college roots and supporting future business leaders prompted the outreach. 

Students worked in mixed teams to analyze an ethical business scenario, collaborate on solutions and present recommendations to a panel of judges including Plante Moran professionals. This event offered a unique, valuable and authentic experience for students.

We offer exclusive events just for transfer students, including Virtual Transfers Get Information Friday and in-person Transfers Get Information Friday presentations.

Encourage your students to register for one of these events today!

For questions or if your student needs help applying, contact us at transfercenter@niu.edu or schedule a virtual appointment.

Father-daughter MBA students discover their individual strengths — together

Hundreds of NIU students make employer connections at career events

With transfer-specific resources, we’ll meet your students wherever they’re at on their educational journeys andprovide personal attention, flexibility and support tailored to their unique needs. 

Do you know other community college partners who would like to receive this information? Share our subscription form.