Login Register

Northern Illinois University
- Campus Housing

RT
Currently attending or alumni?
Review this school!
Are you interested
in this school?
Yes, let this school know
Maybe, bookmark for later
No, get better matches
Saving your decision
Yes
Maybe
No

We will attempt to notify this
school of your interest.

This school has been saved to your schools list.

This school has been removed from your recommended schools list.

For your next recommendation, check out .

Jump to a section:

Grade
Quick Stats
Student Author Overview
Student Reviews
Student Polls
Facts
Listings
Take A SurveyWrite A ReviewUpload A PhotoLink Up A VideoWrite The Guide
Northern Illinois University - Campus Housing - Campus Housing - College ProwlerCollege Prowler2.31

Campus Housing

C
Where does this grade come from?View all Campus Housing rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Campus Housing Grades:

Quick Stats

On-Campus Housing Available? Yes
Campus Housing Capacity 6,000
Average Housing Costs $6,870
Freshmen Required to Live on Campus? Yes
Undergrads Living On Campus 33%
Number of Dormitories 5
Number of Campus-Owned Apartments 1
Best Dorms
  • Neptune Hall
  • Stevenson Towers
Worst Dorms
  • Douglas Hall
  • Grant Towers

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Because they view them as more than a simple living space, NIU prefers to call its dorms “residential halls.” It’s a nice thought, but dorm rooms don’t compare all that favorably to jail cells—they are small and cramped, and you are stuck with your roommates whether you like them or not. Most freshmen end up in Grant, which hasn’t been properly updated since it was built in the 1960s, and things only get worse when extreme temperatures make living very uncomfortable. The kind janitorial staff is often abused by vandals or students who simply don’t clean up after themselves. As a result, the bathrooms can get nasty, and students end up paying floor fines to clean up vandalism they did not commit. NIU requires all freshmen to live on campus, but you could call it a necessary evil because dorm life forces new students to break out of their shells and meet new people, which is essential to a positive experience at NIU. You can tell how cool your floor will be by the percentage of students who keep their doors open—closed doors are a bad sign—but no matter what, you will end up making some of your best friends and worst enemies on your floor. At the very least, every dorm has a computer lab and dining hall, and the Residence Hall Association does an excellent job of programming events and looking out for the needs of students.

See how you stack up against students who were accepted to this school . . .And calculate your chances!Register to get started

Northern Illinois Student ReviewsWhat's This?

Sort by:

Loading...

Campus Housing at Northern Illinois University

Jequancia

Biological Sciences '14

1.5
D+

Life of an NIU Student

The dorm rooms in lincoln, grant and douglas hall are outdated and small. The rooms need much work done in them. These rooms are also not air conditioned. There are some other dorms available but they are far from the classes and are more expensive than the other three dorms leaving students with very few good, affordable housing for students.

Apr 07, 2012

Comment actions: Rate
Report as inappropriate/inaccurate

Campus Housing at Northern Illinois University

tee4laife

Chemistry '15

4.6
A

Dorms

The dorms could be lousy at times but on final weeks they are pretty awesome in getting their studying in.

Jan 16, 2012

Comment actions: Rate
Report as inappropriate/inaccurate

Campus Housing at Northern Illinois University

whitjen

Accounting '15

3.5
B

Living on Campus

When living on campus,other people that live on the floor with me can be very loud and it can be hard to concentrate. I would have to go somewhere else to study, because I can't study in my room.

Jan 11, 2012

Comment actions: Rate
Report as inappropriate/inaccurate
Page 1 of 9
User rating for Northern Illinois University - Campus Housing is 3.5 out of 5 based on 26 user reviews.

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate campus housing on the following subjects

Facts

Room Types
  • Doubles
  • Singles
  • Suites – Four people share a three-room arrangement that includes two bedrooms and a furnished living room. Some come with their own bathroom.
  • Triples
Bed Types
  • Bunkable beds
  • Lofts
  • Twin extra-long
What You Get
  • Bed
  • Desk and chair
  • Dresser
  • Internet connection
  • Minifridge with microwave
  • Phone jack

Cleaning Service

In public areas only

Did You Know?
  • In 2002, the University Police established a regular presence in residence halls by setting up five Community Safety Centers, which are staffed by police approximately 24 hours a day. So you will likely see officers eating in dining halls or patrolling floors on a regular basis. The program was credited with an almost 60-percent reduction in criminal incidents in residence halls during its first term in operation.
  • In 2003, smoking was banned inside every residence hall.
  • All campus residents get free cable and access to NIU's movie channel, which features classics voted on by the students, as well as movies recently released to video.

DormitoriesWhat's This?

Douglas Hall
Floors: Four 5-story wings
Bathrooms: Communal
Coed: Yes
Residents: Mostly freshmen
Room Types: Doubles, triples
Special Features: Laundry service, computer lab, quiet-lifestyle and alcohol-free floors, contains Douglas dining hall and Dog Pound Deli. Academic Residential Programs: Honors House, Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET) House, International House

Grant Towers
Floors: Four 13-story towers
Bathrooms: Communal
Coed: Yes
Residents: Mostly freshmen
Room Types: Doubles, except for D Tower which has singles
Special Features: Laundry service, computer lab, floor study lounges, quiet-lifestyle and alcohol-free floors, contains Northern Lights Grill, Chicago Blues Coffee Bar, and Grant dining hall. Academic Residential Programs: First Year Residential Experience (FYRE), Hearing-Impaired Interest floor

Lincoln Hall
Floors: Four 5-story wings
Bathrooms: Mostly communal, suites share a private bathroom
Coed: Yes
Residents: Mostly freshmen
Room Types: Doubles, triples, four-person suites
Special Features: Laundry service, computer lab, commons room with frequently programmed events, quiet-lifestyle and alcohol-free floors, contains Lincoln dining hall and the Neon Grill. Academic Residential Programs: Health Professions House, Business Careers House, Teacher Education and Certification House (TEACH)

Neptune Hall
Floors: Three 4-story buildings
Bathrooms: Communal
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Doubles
Special Features: Art gallery, laundry service, computer lab, quiet-lifestyle and alcohol-free floors, contains Neptune dining hall and Trident’s Grab ‘N Go. Academic Residential Programs: Fine Arts House

Stevenson Towers
Floors: Four 13-story towers
Bathrooms: Mostly communal, some suites share a private bathroom
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, four-person suites
Special Features: Laundry service, computer lab, pool table and big screen television in basement lounge, quiet-lifestyle and alcohol-free floors, contains Stevenson dining hall and the Corner convenience store

Campus-Owned ApartmentsWhat's This?

Northern View Community
Floors: Six 3-story buildings
Bathrooms: Private
Coed: Yes
Residents: Full-time students at least 21 years of age
Room Types: One-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments
Special Features: Free utilities, cable, and high-speed Internet, computer lab, play room, game room, playground. Apartments come with full kitchens, laundry machines, and high-speed Internet access

Become a Contributing Author Learn more »

Most Recent Student Author View all

Name
Alex Aguilar

College Prowler is seeking talented student authors to assist with writing and updating the College Prowler guides to their schools. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain experience and tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college.

Buy the eBook "Northern Illinois University 2012: Off The Record"
AmazonBarnes & NobleGoogleSmashwords
Download a FREE Printable Summary (PDF)

Find a college

Find a major

Scholarships

Reviews

Search College Prowler

Company

How do we get our information? Find out here or report an error here. The statistics on our site are from the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS database.
We update this information twice annually, most recently in May 2012, but it may not be the most recent information available for a particular school.
For additional information we encourage you to visit school websites or contact the schools directly.