Pre-Arrival Information

Congratulations on your acceptance to Northwestern University! The International Office staff looks forward to meeting you and assisting you with your immigration and acculturation needs during your time at NU.

Port of entry and inspection
Getting to campus from the airport
Housing
Health insurance
Financial Aid
Life at NU


PORT OF ENTRY & INSPECTION

During the flight to the U.S. airline personnel will have passed out a white I-94 card to be filled out and submitted to immigration in the airport. Upon inspection, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer will ask for several documents, these are:

  • Northwestern issued I-20 or DS-2019;
  • A valid passport (valid six-months into the future);
  • A valid F-1 or J-1 visa stamp (placed inside the passport at the consulate or embassy abroad);
  • I-94 card.

These documents should be kept with the traveler at all times. Be prepared to present these documents to CBP upon arrival.

It is very important that this entry is recorded correctly and you may need to confirm with the CBP officer entrance in F-1 or J-1 student status. A few points to keep in mind:

  • Entry stamps are required on the I-20 or DS-2019, I-94 card, and inside the passport.
  • The CBP officer will tear off and keep the arrival portion of the I-94 card and will return the "departure" portion.
  • All three entry stamps should indicate a written "F-1" or "J-1" depicting the recorded entry status.
  • All three entry stamps should also note "D/S," which stands for "Duration of Status."

Duration of Status (D/S) indicates you have been admitted to the U.S. in F-1 or J-1 status for the duration of your academic program. This period of time is indicated on the I-20 and DS-2019. If you are not provided a "D/S" on entry, ask the CBP officer for clarification.

See Department of Homeland Security's website for more information: "Arriving at a U.S. Port of Entry ... What a Student Can Expect"  

GETTING HERE FROM THE AIRPORT

Chicago O'Hare International Airportis approximately an hour from Northwestern's Evanston campus. There are several optionsfor getting from the airport to campus, depending on time and budget:

Go Airport Express Shuttle

Airport express provides sharedrides from the airport to campus, and as a Northwestern student, you willreceive a discount. Reserve your spot online AT LEAST 24 hours before your flight. You must be able to show yourI-20/DS-2019 from Northwestern to receive the student discount. If you areattending our Undergraduate Orientation Program, they should drop you off atFoster Walker. Cost is about $28.

Public transportation—Pace and CTA

You can take Pace, the suburbanpublic transit system into Evanston, and switchto the CTA, Chicago'spublic transit system. Pace is $1.75, and the CTA is $2.25. To do this, take the airport shuttle (free) tolong-term parking/Pace. From there, take Pace bus route 250 from O'Hare to the Davis Street CTA station in downtown Evanston, and then pickup the CTA bus route 201 to campus. Get off at Foster.

Taxi/Cab

There are Taxi lines outside ofthe baggage claim area. You should join the line of others waiting for a taxi,and take the cab at the front of the line. Make sure that you only take cabsfrom the official taxi line, and do not accept rides from anyone solicitinginside the airport. This will cost roughly $40-45 with tip.

HOUSING

International students have many options regarding housing. Students can decide to live on-campus, either in Evanston or Chicago, or off-campus in the university's surrounding neighborhoods.

See general Housing Resources. 

The following list is comprised of on-campus and off-campus resources as well as information regarding temporary housing.

The University has four housing offices to help students find housing on- and off-campus:

Many international students choose to locate housing in the Evanston or Chicago area. The following is a list of resources to help in that search:

Newspapers (classifieds section)

The Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Reader

Apartment Locators (FREE)

Grad Properties by Colfax Realty
The Apartment People

Popular Locations Evanston:

Evanston: The Park Evanston
Evanston Place

Popular Locations - Chicago:

McClurg Court Center

Temporary Housing

There are many options for short-term housing. These are listed in order from least to most expensive:

Health Insurance

All students at Northwestern mustsubmit the Admission Health Record and proof of immunizations as required bythe state of Illinois. NOTE: Penalties for not fulfilling health requirementsinclude a hold on subsequent registration and a non-refundable $100 late fee.

All international students entering or continuing at Northwestern are required to hold valid health insurance. You may fulfill this requirement by enrolling in the insurance program available through the university or by enrolling in another program approved by the university.

Insurance plans in the United Statesfor your dependents are limited and expensive. You are therefore advised, if at all possible, to seek appropriate coverage in your home country for your dependents before coming to the United States.

Student Health Services (Evanston campus)
Student Health Services (Chicago campus)

Financial Aid

Financial resources are limited at Northwestern, but the IO has compiled the following for students interested insearching for outside funding opportunities.

Undergraduate International Student Aid - Each year, in cooperation with the Office of Undergraduate Admission, the Office of Financial Aid will award a limited amount of need-based financial aid to qualified citizens of foreign countries who are applying for admission to Northwestern as freshman under Regular Decision, and who indicate that they wish to be considered for this limited assistance program.

Office of Fellowships - The Office of Fellowships at NU is acomprehensive resource for all students searching for national andinternational fellowship competitions.

Life at NU

International students make up approximately ten percent of the overall student population at Northwestern. The international population at NU is diverse with students and scholars coming from more than 100 countries from around the world. See how many students/scholars are at NU from your home country here!

Find you niche! Check out International Student Groups/Associations.

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