Off-Campus Housing Marketplace

Our Mission

Are you looking for off-campus housing or roommates near NIU? Northern Illinois University offers an off-campus housing platform that helps students find housing, roommates, and sublets near campus. Browse our list of resources and click on the active housing list for the most complete list of off-campus housing near NIU. 

Resources for Renters

Tips for First-Time Renters

Considerations Before Signing a Lease

Roommate Survival Guide

Security Deposits

 

Student Support

Center for Student Assistance

Commuter and Off-Campus Programs

Support for Housing Insecurity

Huskie Food Pantry

 

Transportation and Safety

Huskie Bus Line

Campus Parking Services

Motorist Assistance
NIU Safe Walk

Subscribe to City of DeKalb Text Alerts

NIU encourages all students to contact Students’ Legal Assistance for free lease reviews. Knowing what is in your lease before signing is an essential aspect of becoming a new renter.

 

If you want to be released from your housing contract, please complete one of the following forms:

Fill out a residence hall contract release request if you wish to move out of your residence hall due to marriage, Greek membership or another exceptional cause.

Fill out an application to commute if you're a freshman who wishes to commute from home instead of living in the residence halls.

 

First Steps
First Steps

What type of rental are you looking for? Do you need roommates? What is your budget? Consider these things before starting your search!

Search Listings

Search Listings

Head to the Listings page to view properties near NIU. You'll be able to use filters to narrow down your search based on what you need.

Contact Landlords

Contact Landlords

Once you've found rentals that you like, reach out to the landlords via call or email to set up a showing!

FAQ

What kind of support does NIU provide for students who life off campus?

Our Center for Student Assistance provides a Campus and Community Resource Toolkit that can point you to food and personal care, financial guidance and assistance, and more. Students Legal Assistance offers free legal services to current NIU students. Contact them for advice on breaking a lease, eviction, maintenance and repairs, reviewing leases and security deposits.
While many students continue to live on campus past their freshman year because of the convenient locations and amenities, it’s only required for your freshmen year. The university residency requirement stipulates that all single students classified as freshmen (fewer than 24 hours of NIU accepted college credit, and enrolling directly after graduation from high school) and has not reached their 21st birthday by Sept. 1, and not residing with their parents or legal guardians (within 50 miles of the DeKalb campus), must live in a Northern Illinois University residence hall for a full academic year (August-May) or the following full academic year, if admitted in spring semester.
Yes! There are many dining options on campus. We also offer Off-campus Student Meal Plans that combine Dining Dollars and meals to provide flexibility to commuters and students living off campus. You can use meals seven days a week at any of the all-you-care-to-eat dining centers. Dining Dollars are accepted at all Campus Dining locations across campus. You can also use your allocated meals and Dining Dollars to treat friends and family.