DEKALB, IL — At Northern Illinois University, it pays to live on campus.

The latest in the university’s ongoing efforts to reward talented students and reduce costs, NIU’s new AIM HIGH Campus Housing Grant awards up to $10,000 over four years to eligible students. Beginning with the fall 2025 class, incoming freshmen who live on campus and meet GPA, residency, family income and other criteria could earn up to $2,500 a year by simply taking advantage of everything campus life has to offer at NIU.

The grant can be combined with NIU’s growing financial aid and scholarship opportunities, including merit scholarships, the Rockford Promise at NIU and an expansion of the university’s popular AIM HIGH Huskie Pledge.

Eligible incoming freshmen not only could have a significant portion of their housing costs covered, they also could pay no tuition costs or general fees for their first year at NIU—and potentially beyond.

“We’re thrilled to offer this grant as even more financial incentive for students to not only attend NIU, but also to live on our beautiful campus, where they’ll have so many opportunities to connect with one another and countless resources,” NIU President Lisa Freeman said. “It’s never been a better time to live and learn at NIU.”

More than one-third of NIU’s students graduate without debt. With these additional opportunities, talented freshmen who otherwise might struggle to afford college could save thousands of dollars.

Supported by the State of Illinois’ AIM HIGH Program, the new AIM HIGH Campus Housing Grant is based on AIM HIGH eligibility requirements. In fall 2024, more than 1,000 entering first-year students met the criteria. Among key requirements, students must:

• Have an overall GPA of 3.0 or above.
• Be an Illinois resident.
• Be a graduate of an Illinois high school during the 2024-2025 school year.
• Apply for admission to NIU and file a FAFSA or the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid by the priority deadline of Feb. 1, 2025. Grants will continue to be awarded after the deadline as funds remain available.
• Have a household income at or below eight times the poverty level. For example, the maximum income for a family of four to qualify is $240,000. (See chart for more information.)
• Indicate they plan to live on campus. The grant can be applied toward any residence hall on campus, including NIU’s unique residential communities that allow students to connect even more with fellow Huskies and faculty.

“We hope this new grant entices students to choose NIU and live on campus, where they’ll be as close as they can get to classes, food and fun activities,” said Sol Jensen, vice president for Enrollment Management, Marketing and Communications. “NIU offers such a tremendous value, and we’re continually working to find ways to ease the financial burden for our students.”

The Many Ways NIU Invests in Students

Under the university’s test-free admissions and merit scholarship processes, NIU awarded more than $6.3 million in merit scholarships to new freshman in fall of 2024.

In addition, NIU is expanding the AIM HIGH Huskie Pledge eligibility for the second time in two years. For eligible students, the Huskie Pledge guarantees that tuition and general fees will be met by grants and/or scholarships for their first year at NIU and potentially beyond. In the past, the eligible family adjusted gross income was raised from at or below $75,000 to $100,000. That threshold is now raised to $115,000—a move that will allow many more students to qualify for the program.

The Rockford Promise Program also continues to grow, with 365 Rockford Promise scholars working toward their degrees without the burden of worrying about how to pay for tuition and fees. University leaders expect the new AIM HIGH Campus Housing Grant to entice even more of these scholars to campus.

“Rockford Promise at NIU has been life-changing for hundreds of our students,” said Ehren Jarrett, superintendent of Rockford Public Schools. “Although many now commute to NIU, it is my hope that this new AIM HIGH Campus Housing Grant will help them make the choice to live on campus. I’m thankful for NIU’s tremendous commitment to keep housing costs down for our talented, hard-working students.”

Created in 2021, the Rockford Promise Program at NIU offers scholarships and/or grants to help meet tuition and general fees to eligible graduates of Rockford Public School District 205 (RPS 205) whose families reside within the City of Rockford limits.

“It’s been a game-changer honestly,” said Eddie Hoffman, a 20-year-old Rockford Promise student majoring in History. “I wouldn’t have been able to go to college without the Rockford Promise.”

Why Live on Campus?

Hoffman lived on campus his first two years at NIU, becoming a Northern Ambassador and joining several clubs, including the Fencing Club, the History Club and the Anthropology Club.

“Living on campus just makes it a lot easier to get involved in the different opportunities college has to offer,” he said. “It’s easier to make new friends when you actually live there.”

In addition to the social engagement, students living on campus tend to do better academically. A national study done by the Association of College and University Housing Officers – International (ACUHO-I) in 2021 found that living on campus has a profound impact on students. First- and second-year students that stayed on campus were more likely to return to college the following year and succeed academically.

Those who opt to live in one of NIU’s residential communities benefit as part of cohorts with common interests and direct access to resources and activities they enjoy.

“Everyone I live around is doing similar work to me,” said Sophie Elliot, a biomedical engineering major from Harvard who lives in the Engineering House. “It’s nice to have people with shared experiences so close to me.”

Those living on campus also enjoy the convenience of campus dining, from residential dining halls to popular chains like Starbucks and QDOBA Mexican Eats.

“I usually walk or bike, and it does not take that much time at all to get to my classes,” said Yael Monzalvo, a Biomedical Engineering major from Bensenville. Monzalvo is a Northern Ambassador and a member of the NIU Marching Band. “If I am getting hungry and it’s wintertime, I can just walk to the dining hall and get a meal without freezing. It’s always been a good experience for me, and living on my own has helped me become independent.”

Media Contact: Jami Kunzer

About NIU

Northern Illinois University is a student-centered, nationally recognized public research university, with expertise that benefits its region and spans the globe in a wide variety of fields, including the sciences, humanities, arts, business, engineering, education, health and law. The Wall Street Journal and CollegeNET recognize NIU as a leading institution for social mobility, or helping its students climb the socioeconomic ladder. Through its main campus in DeKalb, Illinois, and education centers for students and working professionals in Chicago, Naperville and Rockford, NIU offers more than 100 areas of study while serving a diverse and international student body.