Find Your Community

Many of our students find a home away from home in our diversity and cultural resource centers: the Asian American Resource Center, Center for Black Studies, Disability Resource Center, Latino Resource Center, Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, Military and Veteran Services and Undocumented Student Resource Center. These are places where you'll meet new friends, find support and broaden your knowledge. NIU also has hundreds of clubs and organizations and a wide variety of fraternities and sororities. Reflecting the diversity of our campus, our fraternities and sororities not only provide leadership growth and personal development, they're committed to serving the world around them. Our sport clubs, intramural sports and Esports are other great ways to meet fellow Huskies. And be sure to get out and cheer on our Division I Huskies at home football games!

If you live on or around campus, you probably live by a Huskie Bus Line stop. The Huskie Bus Line operates in and around campus and the surrounding area, including routes that go to the residence halls, routes that travel off campus, and routes that go into the DeKalb community with access to shopping, entertainment and medical facilities. All routes are free to NIU students. Most routes operate between 7 a.m. and midnight. Bus routes can be tracked in real time with the bus tracker app (ETA SPOT), one of several NIU mobile apps available for free download.

NIU offers a range of mentoring programs and resources for students. Some will connect you with fellow students, while others will connect you with faculty or staff members. Learn more about mentoring at NIU and find a mentor today.

Yes, our Study Abroad Office has hundreds of affordable program options for every major in many different countries. You can study abroad for a week, a full academic year or anywhere in between. Programs are led by NIU faculty or through NIU-affiliate partners, and the classes you take will be included in your NIU transcript and GPA. To learn more, visit the Study Abroad Office in Williston Hall, Room 417, or contact them at 815-753-0700 or niuabroad@niu.edu.

NIU Campus Activities Board (CAB) events are planned by students who love hosting concerts, parties, comedy shows, gaming events and more for students to attend. Almost all CAB events are free to NIU students. If you love planning events and getting involved, you can be a member of the CAB team, too! Visit CAB on the ground floor of the Holmes Student Center or contact them at 815-753-0483 or cab@niu.edu.

Our student-run sport clubs, intramural sports and Esports are a great way to compete, get exercise and meet fellow Huskies. Our Esports Arena is a must-visit spot on campus. Huskies gather there to play video games on open play computers and console gaming areas. There's also tabletop gaming areas, a VR room, designated gaming PCs for our varsity teams, and couches and chairs for students to hang out, do homework and socialize. And be sure to get out and cheer on our Division I Huskies at home football games and other athletic events!

We offer a range of programs and services for first-generation students, including our Breaking Barriers support group. You can also visit the Center for Student Assistance for help with any issue or challenge you experience.