What It Means to Be a Huskie

We know a good fit affects your entire college experience, and our priority is to make sure all Huskies feel at home. But what does it mean to be a Huskie? It's more than just excelling in studies; it's about making your mark, sharing your voice, getting involved and developing your passion.

Career Services Offers New Resources to Help You Succeed

NIU prepares students with the tools, experiences and support they need to transition seamlessly from the classroom to their careers. Our Career Services office is excited to offer new resources for students to help them succeed at NIU and in the workforce after graduation.

We're excited to welcome Huskies home for our 118th Homecoming celebration happening the week of Sept. 28 - Oct. 5, 2025..

Tell us why you love NIU!  Adobe is sponsoring our Homecoming Video Competition and is asking students to submit a 30-60 second self-made video sharing why they love NIU and why they have #HuskiePride. Winners of the video contest will be announced during Homecoming Week and the first place winner will recieve $500, the second place winner will receive $300 and the third place winner will receive $200.

Great Apps Every Huskie Should Have.

Besides the NIU Mobile app, there are severn other apps every Huskie should have. You'll be safe with the NIU Safe App, connected to academics with Navigate Student, in touch with email with Outlook, transported with the Spot Huskie Bus Tracker and involved in clubs and organizations with the Huskie Hub App. Download the eight apps every Huskie should have from the App Store or Google Play. 

First-Year Students: Complete 3 Steps in 2 Semesters to reach 1 Goal.

Huskie 3-2-1 is a simple plan to make sure you stay on track to your ultimate graduation goal. Check out the Huskie 3-2-1 website to learn more and reach out to your academic advisor if you have questions. You can connect with your academic advisor using Navigate Student online or using the app.

Have a great first year at NIU!

Huskies, you spoke, Campus Dining listened!

Fall semester, you will notice several positive changes to campus dining options that will benefit most Huskies.

Among the changes is an increase to the amount of Dining Dollars included in residential meal plans, extended hours of operation for several on-campus dining facilities and a new discount at Qdoba.

With these changes, weekday meal exchange at Qdoba and the Grill at Huskie Den is being eliminated. Participation rates indicated that only 10% of students were taking advantage of meal exchange. However, it will still be available all day at Stevenson, Gilbert East Side Café and Depot C-store, and from 8 to 10:30 am at Einstein Bros. Bagels. 

For more information, visit our FAQ page or email dining@niu.edu.

Submit a Proposal for an Illinois Arts Council Creative Projects Grant

The Office of Research Development (ORD) is pleased to present the NIU internal competition for the Illinois Arts Council Creative Projects Grant. The Illinois Arts Council will only accept one institutional proposal submitted from NIU for this grant opportunity.

The Creative Projects Grant (CPG) supports a single arts project by an artist or organization. Projects must include a public release or presentation, unless the proposal is for professional development by an individual artist. While multiple activities may be part of one project, separate projects cannot be combined into a single proposal.

Eligible disciplines include arts, crafts, design, dance, digital media, film/video, literature, music, performance, photography, theater, visual arts, ethnic/folk/traditional arts and community-based arts.

Full program details, including goals, expectations, eligible projects and out-of-scope activities, are available on the Illinois Arts Council Creative Projects Grant website. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review this information before preparing an internal proposal.

The deadline to submit internal proposals is Sept. 10, 2025. Complete information on the internal competition and the Illinois Arts Council Creative Projects Grant is available on the Office of Research Development Limited Submission Funding Opportunities webpage. Faculty who plan to submit a proposal to the Illinois Arts Council Creative Projects Grant competition must submit an internal proposal via NIU’s InfoReady internal competition portal.

Please contact ord@niu.edu with questions and use "IAC/ CPG internal competition" as the subject line.

Join Us for the Campus Meets Community Welcome Block Party

Sept. 3 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Martin Luther King Commons

Over 75 local businesses and organizations from throughout the DeKalb area will join us for the party in the MLK Commons to welcome NIU students, faculty, and staff to the community. Come learn about area businesses, discover local resources and find out about all the fun activities to do in the community..There will be music, giveaways, a few samples, information about the community, and most importantly – a BIG FRIENDLY DEKALB WELCOME to our Huskies..

The event is free and open to the entire NIU campus.  Don’t miss the chance to meet the community and find out about our great communiversity.