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Shuttle Service, Parking & Maps

2023 Parking & Shuttle Maps

Parking & Transportation

Once you are on campus, some parking is available at Ryan Field. Please see the Commencement App for details. If you park on campus, there will be campus shuttles that traverse a 7-stop loop north on Sheridan from campus to Ryan Field. Shuttles begin one hour prior to an event’s start time. Plan travel time accordingly - shuttles take longer with stops and traffic on this day.

Directions to the Evanston Campus

Travel times from both O'Hare International Airport and Chicago Midway International Airport can range from 45 minutes to one and one half hours.

  • From O'Hare, take Mannheim Road north to Oakton Street. Turn right and follow Oakton east to Gross Point Road. Turn left and follow Gross Point north to Dempster Street. Turn right and follow Dempster east to Chicago Ave.. Turn left on to Chicago Ave. to the campus.
  • From Midway, take Cicero Avenue north to Interstate 55 (Stevenson Expressway). Follow I-55 east to Lake Shore Drive. Follow Lake Shore Drive north to Sheridan Road. Follow Sheridan into Evanston to the campus.
  • From the west or north, take Interstate 294 (Tri-State Tollway) or Interstate 94 (Edens Expressway) to the Dempster Street east exit. Follow Dempster to Chicago Avenue in Evanston and turn left to reach the campus.
  • From the east or south, take Lake Shore Drive north to Sheridan Road. Follow Sheridan into Evanston to the campus.

Public Transit: From downtown Chicago, take Metra’s Union Pacific North (UP-N) commuter train to the Evanston Central Street station. Another option is the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) elevated Red and Purple Line trains (“L” train) to the Central Street stop. Each stop is a short walk to Ryan Field.

Parking & Drop-Off

University parking permits are not required for parking in campus lots. A map indicating campus and public parking lots as well as shuttle bus route are found on the maps provided on this page. If you take a taxi or rideshare vehicle, direct your driver to drop you off in the east parking lot.

Accessible Parking & Drop-Off

Accessible parking is available in all campus parking lots. Parking for vehicles displaying a valid handicapped tag as well as a drop-off site for guests with disabilities are available at the stadium. The accessible drop-off is located at the south end of Ryan Field.

Shuttles

The University provides complimentary shuttle bus service between the main Evanston campus and Ryan Field. Shuttles will begin one hour prior to events at Ryan Field and will conclude approximately one hour after the completion of convocations. Parking in the Ryan Field area will be limited. It is highly recommended that graduates and their guests take shuttles early to avoid long wait times at shuttle stops.