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Northern Illinois University
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Northern Illinois University - Parking - College ProwlerCollege Prowler2.69

Parking

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

Comparable Schools' Parking Grades:

Quick Stats

Student Parking Lot? Yes
Freshmen Allowed to Park? Yes
Approximate Parking Permit Cost $37–$75 per academic year
Common Parking Tickets
  • Failure to remove a non-current NIU parking permit: $5
  • Failure to use flashers in a loading/unloading space: $5
  • Handicapped space use violation: $250
  • Meter violation: $10

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

The only saving grace when it comes to parking at NIU is that even freshman can get a parking permit their first year on campus, and for a fair price, too. However, the lack of parking in the most popular locations is frustrating, and tickets can pile up very quickly if you aren’t careful. Parking enforcement is unbelievably stringent. Many students are convinced that parking enforcement employees could find Osama Bin Laden if they put their minds to it. Instead, they devote their days to writing tickets for even the most petty infractions, bringing in more than 400 thousand (!) dollars each year from fines that range from reasonable to heart attack-inducing. Students don’t help the situation at all when they drive to classes that they could easily walk to, taking away spaces from commuters who are often seen driving around parking lots for nearly an hour to find a space that is both legal and open. Still, a car is a must if you want to have a life at NIU, so you just have to grin and bear it—something which they aren’t fining students for . . . yet.

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Northern Illinois Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Parking at Northern Illinois University

herefordjohnson

'15

Electrical and Electronics Engineering

1.5
D+

Do Not Bring a Car

You'll have no where to park except the weekends when everyone leaves.

Jan 22, 2012

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Report as inappropriate/inaccurate

Parking at Northern Illinois University

Joyre

'14

Music

1.5
D+

Awful Parking

The parking for students with cars at Northern Illinois University is very inconvenient. Students must buy overpriced parking permits or deal with constantly having to move their cars out of certain zones at very precise hours. Its a nightmare.

Dec 15, 2011

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Parking at Northern Illinois University

finx3

'12

Art Teacher Education

3.1
B-

Not Enough Parking

There's never enough parking for students with permits. And the parking that is free is always after night classes start so it's hard for students to drive to class when it gets late.

Dec 10, 2011

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Page 1 of 9

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate the campus parking on the following topics

How convenient is off-campus parking?

Facts

Getting a Parking Permit

Parking permits are obtained from Campus Parking Services and through their Web site. They are easily attainable by all NIU students.

Did You Know?

Best Places to Find a Parking Spot:
The Convocation Center has tons of spots, although it is quite far away from campus. The lot at the Newman Catholic Student Center near the Campus Life building is almost always open, has a convenient location, and sells daily parking permits.

Good Luck Getting a Parking Spot Here:
The lot located next to the Chick Evans Field House and across from DuSable Hall is always filled and contains spots for permits that no one seems to have. Just as bad is the lot for the Recreation Center, which will certainly give students’ nerves a workout.

Parking ServicesWhat's This?

NIU Campus Parking Services
121 Normal Rd.
(815) 753-1045
www.niu.edu/parking

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Most Recent Student Author

College Prowler guides are in the hands of students throughout the entire process. Because you can't make student-written guides without the students, we have students at each campus who write, edit, and survey their peers for every guide that we publish. Thanks to our most recent student author at NIU

Name: Alex Aguilar

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