INCOMING RESIDENTS FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR
If you are an incoming resident at the University Center and are inquiring about logging into the UC Resident Portal, or how to schedule your move-in time on move-in day, keep checking your NLU email account.
You will receive a Welcome to University Center email from University Center Housing with instructions on how to log into the Portal.
Move-In Day is always the Wednesday before the start of classes, what the UC will send you is how you can schedule your specific move-in time on that day.
Move-in dates are listed on the Important Dates page of the website https://nl.edu/student-services/housing-and-residence-life/important-dates/
Visit the More Info & Moving page on the UC's Resident Portal for more information about the University Center, including move-in day information, what to bring, and unit location.
CURRENT SUMMER RESIDENTS
For those currently living in the UC for Summer Housing, who have an Academic Year room assignment, your tentative move dates are September 6th-8th. There is no gap in housing, you will move from your Summer to Fall assignment. The Summer to Fall Transition must happen prior to new residents arriving, so make sure you are checking your NLU email for information from the UC. The UC will send you specific information about when you will need to transition from your summer assignment to your fall assignment. Until you receive that information you should be prepared to move during these dates.
Once NLU sends over assignments to the University Center, and the UC processes the roster, the UC will email you with move-in information and instructions on scheduling your move-in time for move-in day. You should be checking your NLU email for all housing-related communication.
Visit the More Info & Moving page on the UC's Resident Portal for more information about University Center including move-in day information, what to bring, and unit location.
If you are planning to move in for the start of the Academic Year (Fall Term) you should plan to move in on the posted move-in day on the Important Dates Page. Move-in Day for the Academic Year and prior to any Quarter/Term is the Wednesday before the start of the term. Move-In Dates are listed on the Important Dates page of the website https://nl.edu/student-services/housing-and-residence-life/important-dates/
If you are moving into housing after the term's official move-in day, you must coordinate with the University Center Chicago on your arrival. The UC requires advance notice of your arrival. Students must have their arrival scheduled in advance to ensure there is staff available to check them in, so students who arrive without a move-in appointment may be required to return on another day or at a different time.
Also, on the FAQ page, I have an answer for “What Should I Bring,” which has links to the UC’s packing information list of what to bring. https://nl.edu/student-services/housing-and-residence-life/university-housing-faq/
Due to the limited number of spaces in NLU housing, there are often more applications than rooms available. Room offers and assignments are made in the order students complete the housing process, including application date and deposit status. Once all spaces have been offered or assigned, the remaining applications are added to a waitlist in order of their application date.
Due to the high number of applications, it is not uncommon for students who applied and paid deposits in May to be put on the waitlist. It is all based on the number of applications received, and when students complete the housing process. We appreciate your interest in NLU's housing. Every year is a new housing cycle that starts with applications being launched in April. If you are interested in housing for the future you'll want to make sure you apply as soon as the application launches. All the information for NLU housing, including rates, contract options, process timeline, deadlines, and room types, are available on the NLU Housing & Residence Life website.
If you have been added to the housing waitlist, this means you currently do not have a bed assignment and are not guaranteed a place in NLU housing for the upcoming session.
As other students ahead of you cancel their application or decline their room offer, you will move up the waitlist and may eventually be offered a room. If this happens, you will be notified by email to return to eRezLife and accept your room offer by a short deadline (typically 24-48 hours). After the offer to accept the deadline passes, the offer is canceled, and that room is offered to the next student on the waitlist. Additionally, not accepting or choosing to decline a room offer will result in you giving up your spot on the waitlist.
Unfortunately, we cannot provide an estimated time students may be on the waitlist since there is no way to know when a room will open based on another student canceling. The room offers to those waitlisted will continue throughout the year as rooms become vacant due to cancellations and withdrawals.
If you wish to remove yourself from the waitlist, please know that you are giving up your spot and potentially a bed in NLU housing. To do so, go to https://nl.erezlife.com/, go to your application, and select the link to “Withdraw application.” If you choose to secure other housing off campus, please withdraw your eRezLife application so that time is not wasted on offering you a room, and those still on the waitlist can receive offers more quickly.
One of the reasons for the early housing application deadline is so the assignment process can be completed with enough time to notify those who do not receive a room offer so they have time to find alternate housing. Since you do not have a bed assignment and are not guaranteed a place in NLU housing for this session, you are encouraged to seek alternative housing options. NLU does not provide housing search services for off-campus housing, however, here are some websites that can help you locate off-campus student housing options.
- https://www.theflatsstudenthousing.com/
- https://www.student.com/us/chicago
- https://en.uhomes.com/us/chicago/u96a1
- https://amberstudent.com/places/search/chicago-1811055213730
Room Selection Lottery
As part of the new housing process in 2024, NLU has implemented a Room Selection Lottery. The Room Selection process is facilitated after housing accommodation assignments and after full-year contracts are placed in their academic year room assignment. The benefit of Room Selection is that instead of being automatically assigned, students have a chance to create Roommate Groups, select preferred room types, and through the Room Selection Lottery, are provided a day and a time when they can enter eRezLife and select a specific room and assign others to their roommate group to live with them. The Room Selection Lottery is the student's opportunity to select their specific roommates.
If students choose not to participate in Room Selection or apply after It has closed, they are assigned manually based on availability. While assignments are made based on application preferences, this is not always possible. The priority is to ensure we assign as many people as possible, so roommate requests are not always able to be accommodated when assigned manually.
Room Change/Swap Process
If students want to swap rooms or live with a different roommate/suitemate, that process will not occur until after move-in. No room changes happen prior to move-in. This means students will need to move-in to the space they are assigned, and then can request a room change/swap after move in. An email notice will be sent after move-in to provide students an option to request a room change. Room changes are not guaranteed, but are facilitated based on availability or if two students agree to swap rooms with each other.
Residents residing within NLU Housing are required to have health insurance. If you have personal insurance, and do not want the insurance plan coordinated by NLU, you must submit a Waiver Form by move-in day. If the waiver is not completed prior to your move in date, you will be charged for university health insurance regardless if it is used or if you have other insurance. For more details, please visit https://nl.edu/student-services/student-health-insurance/
Some students who live with us are attending NLU as part of the P.A.C.E. Program. PACE students live in the University Center and are housed with other PACE residential students. As a result, PACE students do not need to participate in the Room Selection process or other processes explained on the Housing & Residence Life website. Instead, they will receive guidance from the NLU PACE Program team.
The University Center requires all students living in the UC to sign terms and conditions and agreements to live by the institution's policies. PACE students (or legal guardians) will need to log in to eRezLife and submit a housing application. Submitting the application is the only step that needs to be done on the eRezLife site. This is how ALL students electronically sign the terms and conditions the University Center requires before students are allowed to move into the UC.
The eRezLife system is new and just launched for 2024-2025. In the future, we hope to have a PACE-specific process for signing the agreement required by the UC since they have a separate housing process. For now, we have to facilitate this as part of the general housing process. So, you will see that there are many parts of the process that are not applicable to PACE students, but that just need to be selected or checked the application to get to the submission screen.
PACE PROGRAM HOUSING PROCESS 2024-2025
Once you receive your NLU credentials, you can log in to eRezLIfe.
1. Submit a Housing Application through https://nl.erezlife.com/
2. Make sure to select "Yes" to the PACE-specific prompt in the housing application.
- You will work directly with the PACE team for your housing needs, but this will let NLU know that you are interested in housing as part of the PACE Program. Not selecting this will put you in the cue for general housing, which is not available for students participating in the PACE program.
3. On the application overview screen, check the boxes and submit.
- You can disregard all other housing information on the NLU website and in eRezLife, including the process for selecting rooms. You will need to select room preferences as part of the application, but that is just needed to complete the application, it is not relevant for PACE students who receive their housing assignments through the PACE Program. Additionally, you can disregard the online deposit payment. Any financial arrangements are coordinated through PACE.
A: Any NLU student who is taking at least 1 credit hour is approved to live in on-campus housing. Housing is not free, there are added charges and fees. The primary requirement is that in order to live in NLU housing, you must be an enrolled and active student. This means you must be enrolled in courses at NLU. You can be enrolled in online or campus-based courses, but you must be enrolled in at least 1 credit hour. Financial aid options are coordinated through the Office of Student Finance, and specific scholarships, grants, or loans may require you to be enrolled in more than 1 credit hour in order to receive those funds.
However, NLU housing only requires you to be an enrolled and active student. The primary purpose of university housing is to provide housing for students who need it in downtown Chicago, but students attending courses on other campuses are not restricted from applying for campus housing in downtown Chicago. The only housing NLU provides is in downtown Chicago at the University Center Chicago.
Students should consult with their financial advisor to determine if university housing is a good option for them. Since there are added housing charges, students should evaluate the cost, and make sure they have a plan to pay for housing throughout the entire length of the contract before submitting an application.
A: Students interested in residing in university housing must pay a $200 non-refundable deposit. Students can make a deposit payment here or by calling Student Finance to make a payment over the phone at 888.658.8632. Deposits are added as a payment to the student's account and are applied to the student's bill. Deposits are non-refundable.
A: The total cost of a student's housing is divided into quarterly charges and added to the student's NLU account. Additional fees for lost keys, excessive lockouts, cleaning, etc... are added either monthly or at the end of the contract. Charges are added to a student's account, and from there, they must work with the Office of Student Finance on financial aid (grants, scholarships, loans), to set up payment plans, and make payments. NLU Office of Housing and Residence Life only adds charges and does not manage payment plans. All university account balance information and payment processes are managed through the Office of Student Finance and can be viewed through the student's NLU account. Here is a link to their site with contact information. https://nl.edu/tuition-and-aid/office-of-student-finance/contact-us/
The total cost for housing and the quarterly rate that will be added to student accounts can be found on this page. https://nl.edu/student-services/housing-and-residence-life/housing--meal-plan-rates/
A: Yes, Financial Aid (scholarships, grants and loans) can be used towards paying for on-campus housing. The cost of housing is applied to student accounts each quarter. It is important to meet with a financial aid advisor to discuss your financial aid options. Each student's financial situation is different, so all financial questions should be directed to the Office of Student Finance.
A: We offer students two types of housing contracts. Housing rates are based on the housing room type and the type of contract selected (AY or FY).
The academic year (AY) contract covers housing for the Fall, Winter and Spring quarters. The full year (FY) contract is 12 months and covers Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring. Students signing the full year contract must be enrolled full time during the summer term and move in over the summer. Full Year contracts are not available starting in Fall, and only start in Summer.
Students starting at NLU during the winter, spring or summer with be provided an academic contract for the remainder of the academic year. Example: a student who moves in during the winter term will have a contract for the winter and spring term only. Students are welcome and encouraged to re-contract for the upcoming academic or full year each spring.
Students who are attending NLU on the HOPE Chicago Scholarship and who choose to live in on-campus housing are only eligible to live in the Quad Semi Suites.
Students have asked if they can select a different room type and pay the different out of pocket. This is not an option for those who are using the HOPE Scholarship to pay for housing. By choosing to live in on campus housing as part of the HOPE Chicago program, the only housing option for HOPE studnets is the Quad Semi Suite. HOPE Scholars are assigned to rooms with other HOPE Scholars so they can benefit from living with that cohort.
The exception would be if a housing accommodation for a specific room type (other than QSS) for a specific medical need was approved before the start of the Room Selection process. However, students would have to ask if HOPE would cover the difference in cost or if they would be required to pay out of pocket. Otherwise, students on the HOPE Scholarship only have the option of living in a Quad Semi Suite.
Students who participate in the HOPE program are still financially responsible for housing charges and fees. However, the difference is, that after those charges are added to student accounts, the HOPE Scholarship covers the charges for housing and meal plan.
HOPE does not cover added fees that may be assessed throughout the year (lockout charges, lost ID replacement charges, etc...). Students are responsible for knowing the balance of their student account and connecting with their HOPE contact if they have any questions about outstanding or remaining balances. NLU Housing and Residence Life add charges to student accounts, but students must understand what HOPE will and will not cover financially.
A: On the NLU Housing and Residence Life website, take a look at the application deadline for the contract cycle related to you. After the application deadline, students will receive information on the next step in the process, which is room selection. During the room selection dates (also listed online under the housing timeline), students will be able to log in to eRezLife and select rooms. After submitting an application, students can create roommate groups and search for roommates.
- Prior to room selection, students with approved accommodations are assigned first. This ensures they receive a space that meets their accommodations.
- When room selection opens, those students with roommate groups are given priority to select their rooms. This is to ensure they are able to select a space that meets the preferences of them and the others they've requested to live with.
- Next, during room selection, students who haven't created roommate groups have the option to select from the remaining open spaces. This includes spaces in rooms that might be partially full from those who selected rooms with roommate groups. Room selection blocks are assigned based on the date of application.
- After room selection concludes, remaining students are assigned to rooms based on the preferences selected in their application, and their roommate matching preferences selected in their eRezLife profile. Rooms are assigned in order based on date of application.
After that date, anyone who hasn’t selected a room will be assigned a room based on availability. All communication for NLU housing should be going to your NLU account which should be listed as your email in you eRezLife profile.
Students will receive communication about Room Selection to their NLU email account, so should plan to check their NLU email in mid to late July for instructions.
A: Meal plans are only included in the suite housing rates and are required. Apartments comes with a full size kitchens with appliances that allow for students to make meals in their residence. For students in suite style rooms where the meal plan is required, they do have access to a common area kitchen on the floor to cook meals. Meal plans are available for an additional cost applied to a student account. Once a meal plan is added to a student's account, it cannot be removed for any reason and the full cost of the meal plan will be charged to the student's account. If you are in an apartment and wish to have a meal plan, go to the meal plan. You can select a meal plan upon accepting your room offer in eRezLife.
Micro-fridge requests are facilitated through the UC Resident Portal, which is linked in the move-in information email you will receive from uchousing@peakmade.com. Micro Fridge rentals are provided based on availability.
Living with a roommate can be one of your college career's most rewarding and memorable experiences. But without proper communication and respect it can sometimes be challenging. Completing your profile in eRezLife allows others to see how they match your preferences, and you see how you match with others. Once students complete the application process, they can create roommate groups or find others with similar preferences. The room selection process is where students can select their specific room. After that process, the remaining applications are assigned by NLU's Office of Housing and Residence Life based on answers to questions in student profiles.
HOUSING ACCOMMODATION REQUESTS
To request a housing accommodation, such as a specific room type for a medical need or to have an Emotional Support Animal or Service Animal in the residence hall, you’ll need to start by submitting an accommodation request.
Once a request is approved by NLU’s Center for Student Accessibility Resources (CSAR), we send the approval over to the University Center, which will require some additional paperwork to be signed. Here is a link to submit an accommodation request with documentation https://nl.edu/ada-accessibility-services/services-and-accommodations/
Accommodation requests must be received by the housing application deadline. Accommodations received after the assignment deadline cannot be guaranteed due to assignments being finalized but will be accommodated based on availability.
The University Center suggests bringing the following:
- Alarm clock
- Bathrobe
- Bedding (Twin XL / Extra Long Twin)
- Computer
- Desk lamp (no halogen lamps/bulbs)
- First aid kit
- Fun bedroom décor
- Garbage can
- Headphones
- Iron
- Personal hygiene products
- Towels
Students can visit www.ucresidentservices.com and select More Info & Moving, Packing Info for a complete list of what to bring or not bring. Linked here: https://peakcampusuc.starrezhousing.com/StarRezPortal/7FEF514D/18/66/Explore_UC-Things_to_Know
At some universities, the residence halls close during breaks. At NLU, the University Center does not close during breaks. However, there are adjustments to the dining center schedule around breaks, and dates when the dining center is closed. Inactive Meal PLan dates are posted at the bottom of this page. https://nl.edu/student-services/housing-and-residence-life/2024-2025-housing-process/
NLU students have access to the University Center residence hall from the start of their contract to the end of their contract, so are not required to move out until the end of the contract or they withdraw from NLU.
A couple of things to keep in mind regarding move-out. You will see a variety of move-out dates on the Important Dates calendar. This is for students with approved contract cancellations for a future term or who withdraw from NLU.
Students are required to move out of the University Center 72 hours after they have withdrawn from NLU. If you decide to withdraw from NLU classes during the term (quarter or semester), then you must make preparations to cancel your contract and move out by this 72 hour deadline. It is important you notify NLU Housing & Residence Life and complete a Housing Contract Cancellation Request through the NLU website to properly cancel your contract. Cancellations do have a required cancellation fee. Refer to the housing contract/agreement you read and acknowledged through eRezLife and the contract cancellation page for more information: https://nl.edu/student-services/housing-and-residence-life/housing-contract-cancellation/
For students who withdraw from future terms (quarter or semester), they must plan to move out byt he move-out dates posted online. You will see Move-Out dates listed for PACE, 10-week, 11-week, and 12-week schedules. It is important for you to know your academic calendar. Were your classes on the quarter-calendar or semester-calendar. Only a couple graduate programs are on the semester-calendar. Most undergraduate programs are on the 10-week quarter-calendar. Kendall College students are on the 11-week academic-calendar. Those who plan to withdraw for the next term (not current term) should still submit a contract cancellation request through the NLU Housing and Residence Life website, and plan to move out by the corresponding deadline posted on the Important Dates page on the website: https://nl.edu/student-services/housing-and-residence-life/important-dates/
A couple of things to keep in mind regarding move-out. You will see a variety of move-out dates on the Important Dates calendar. This is for students with approved contract cancellations for a future term because they have withdrawn from NLU and will need to move out at the end of the term.
Students are required to move out of the University Center 72 hours after they have withdrawn from NLU. If you decide to withdraw from NLU classes during the term (quarter or semester), then you must make preparations to cancel your contract and move out by this 72-hour deadline. It is important you notify NLU Housing & Residence Life and complete a Housing Contract Cancellation Request through the NLU website to properly cancel your contract. Cancellations do have a required cancellation fee. Refer to the housing contract/agreement you read and acknowledged through eRezLife and the contract cancellation page for more information: https://nl.edu/student-services/housing-and-residence-life/housing-contract-cancellation/
For students who withdraw from future terms (quarter or semester), they must plan to move out by the move-out dates posted online. You will see Move-Out dates listed for PACE, 10-week, 11-week, and 12-week schedules. It is important for you to know your academic calendar. Were your classes on the quarter-calendar or semester-calendar? Only a couple of graduate programs are on the semester calendar. Most undergraduate programs are on the 10-week quarter calendar. Kendall College students are on the 11-week academic calendar. Those who plan to withdraw for the next term (not the current term) should still submit a contract cancellation request through the NLU Housing and Residence Life website and plan to move out by the corresponding Move-Out NLU deadline posted on the Important Dates page on the website: https://nl.edu/student-services/housing-and-residence-life/important-dates/
