Be a

Huskies dream,
dive in and devour.
They stand up for what’s
right and for one another.

Huskie
They overcome and
get it done.
What does it mean
to be a Huskie?
It means grit and greatness.
It means no matter where
you come from, you
belong. It means being part
of a family, a community
and something bigger
than yourself.

It means
you’re home.

1
 Be
Social
We want you to truly experience what makes Huskie life
so special.
Cheer on our Huskie athletes. Visit our museums and
theaters. Find your community at our cultural resource
centers. Form study groups with fellow Huskies.
Support a cause you believe in. Join something!
We’re just bursting with organizations and activities. Be
sure to take part in the big ones like Week of Welcome
and Homecoming, but don’t stop there. We have more
than 300 student organizations that fall into all sorts
of categories. Academics. Community service. Culture.
Student government. Recreation and sports. Religion.
You get the idea.

Just put yourself out there.

Make memories.

2
Be
Supported
Our top priority is to serve you. Now and
in the future.
Whether living on campus or off,
you’ll be surrounded by opportunities,
individualized resources and everything
you need to thrive.
We’ll personally walk you through financial
aid and scholarship opportunities. You’ll
have access to career advice, tutoring,
writing and research support and study
strategies to help you succeed.
And we provide a range of programs to
help you stay healthy, emotionally well
and prepared to change the world,
like Huskies do.
You’ve got this.
And we’ll help.
3
Be
Innovative
An NIU education is so much more
than a degree.
As a Huskie, you’ll combine your passions
with your pursuit through countless
opportunities for hands-on learning.
You’ll enter the workforce with strong and
transferable skills as well as the mindset of
a true innovator.
4
Maybe you’ll conduct research — even as a
freshman — alongside a professor
who’s just as curious. We call this
Research Rookies, and our Office of
Student Engagement and Experiential
Learning has this and other programs that
can even pay for your work.
Maybe you’ll advocate for social change,
volunteer for a community organization
or channel your artistic desires into one of
our Themed Learning Communities.
Whatever lane you
choose, you’ll go places
you never expected here.
And you won’t look back.
Be
Adventurous
You’ll have access to recreation facilities
throughout campus. Lift weights, squeeze
in some cardio, or join a pickup game or
fitness class at our Recreation Center.
Or how about a swim in our
Anderson Hall pool?
More of an outdoorsy type? Enjoy our
bonfire pit or hang a hammock at our
East Lagoon, one of the most scenic spots
on campus. Feel free to canoe or kayak
in the water. Or rent a boat through
Outdoor Adventures.
Be sure to venture beyond campus, too.
DeKalb’s late-August Corn Fest is one of
the remaining free music fests in Illinois.
And the city’s 44 parks offer space to
explore on foot, bike or skates.
You’ll find more to DeKalb than you expect:
the historic Egyptian Theatre, deemed the
heartbeat of downtown DeKalb; concerts
in the park hosted by the DeKalb Park
District; bookstores and quirky spots like
the throwback Star Worlds Video Arcade
and the Fargo Indoor Skatepark.
Explore. Conquer.
Go all in.
5
Be
Successful
No matter what you study, an NIU degree
and experience will make the difference in
your future.
Along with caring faculty, high-quality
academic programs, hands-on research
and engaged alumni, we offer a multitude
of career services: internships, practicums,
jobs, multiple career fairs and one-on-
one career counseling. More than 3,500
jobs and 1,500 internships are posted by
employers who love to recruit
from NIU.
6
You don’t have to have everything figured
out right now. Our team at the Academic
Advising Center will help you identify your
interests, values and skills, and suggest
career paths that play to your
many strengths.
Our graduates started where you are right
now. Today, they’re contributing in ways
they never imagined.
You’ll exceed
your own expectations.
Be
Proud
Smart, tough, relentless.
That’s what makes you a Huskie. You work for it.
Every. Single. Day. Your circumstances don’t define you.
They inform you, and you overcome. You excel.
Huskie pride is everything.
Huskies think they can change the world.
Sound impossible? The thing is, they do.

And you’ll change the world, too.

7
Huskie
Fast Facts
100+
areas of study.
16,234 areas of pre-professional studies such as
awesome
16:1
pre-law, pre-medicine and pre-pharmacy.
NIU students.
student organizations.
student-to-faculty
ratio.

80%
• •
DeKalb Chicago Over

65miles
NIU undergraduates who
receive financial aid
and scholarships.
from the
world-class

Northern Illinois University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. Printed by authority of the state of Illinois. niu.edu 53811 9/21
cultural
city of resource centers,
Chicago. serving as a home away
from home for Huskies.

3.0 GPA means

guaranteed
admission
to NIU.
School Colors: Red and Black.
No
249,649 application
75
countries where
fee.

Huskies
study abroad.

50
states
median early career salary
for NIU graduates. (payscale.com)

that
Huskies
call home.

Mascot: We are the HUSKIES!