NEIU Student Portal Guide: Your Gateway to Success at Northeastern Illinois University

Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) distinguishes itself as one of the most diverse Midwestern colleges and universities, holding the esteemed designation of a federally recognized Hispanic-Serving Institution since 1997. NEIU is committed to breaking down barriers to higher education and fostering social mobility through scholarships and various forms of financial assistance, making education accessible to all. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the NEIU student portal, NEIUport, and other essential resources to help you navigate your academic journey at NEIU.

Embracing the NEIU Community

At Northeastern, you will definitely feel welcomed as soon as you step foot on campus. NEIU boasts an inviting atmosphere characterized by a supportive community and dedicated faculty. The university prides itself on its faculty-to-student ratio, ensuring personalized attention from instructors. Many students recommend transferring to NEIU for the cost, community, and professors. Whether you're a new student, a transfer student, a graduate student, a readmitted student, or a student-at-large, NEIU offers a welcoming environment and resources to support your success.

NEIUport: Your Central Hub

NEIUport is the University’s online student portal that provides quick, centralized and secure access to information and services for all students, faculty and staff. NEIUport is your one-stop shop for accessing essential information and services throughout your academic career.

Accessing NEIUport and University Accounts

After activating your NEIUport account, you can access additional University accounts and Student Computing Services (SCS) computer lab workstations at all Northeastern locations. To log in to NEIUStar, use your NEIUport credentials, then click the menu on the upper left and select Student Surveys.

Key Features and Functions of NEIUport

Registration Tools: Students can register for classes and change their class schedules by logging in to NEIUport and viewing Registration Tools. Once your NEIUport account is set up, find the "Registration Tools" card/tile and walk yourself through the steps.
Financial Information: NEIUport (the NEIU student portal) provides 24-hour access to view and print tuition and fees statements. The Financial Aid Office will apply the scholarship to your financial aid package so that it is reflected in NEIUport, My Financial Aid tab and your award offer.
Direct Deposit: Instructions for setting up direct deposit are available under Registration Tools in NEIUport. Students can choose to receive their refunds electronically through direct deposit, which is the fastest method for receiving refunds.
Course Management: Students can officially drop the class from his or her class schedule by logging into NEIUport and dropping your courses. To officially withdraw from all courses, students must access the Registration Tools channel in NEIUport and drop each course.

Academic Resources and Support

NEIU provides a comprehensive range of academic resources and support services to help students thrive in their studies.

Read also: A Look at NEIU's Past

Advising Center

The Advising Center is located on the Main Campus, Lech Walesa Hall, Room 0027. During your meeting with a Major Advisor, you will learn about our majors' degree requirements, how to use the degree evaluation tool, and register for classes. View our Undergraduate Advisor Directory. Their contact info can be found here at the Advising Center. If you need help contacting the professor, reach out to the academic advisor for that program. Make an appointment with your Graduate Advisor to discuss the requirements of your academic program and your plan of study, and to ensure you select the most appropriate courses for your first semester. The name of your Graduate Advisor is indicated in your admission letter.

Desire2Learn (D2L)

Desire to Learn (D2L) is an online learning environment that houses syllabi, course materials and tools you will use for many of the courses you will take at Northeastern. D2L also enables you to communicate with the faculty members teaching your courses and your classmates.

Transfer Guides

Transfer Guides provide programmatic information for students transferring from a specific community college to a particular major at Northeastern. For example, a transfer guide may be created for a student transferring from College of Lake County to the NEIU Psychology major. Transfer guides suggest specific community college courses that meet prerequisites for the major or will be accepted into the major at Northeastern. These guides also provide contact information, basic information about the major, admission and degree requirements, General Education requirements and transfer policies.

Orientation Program

All new students must attend an orientation day at the main campus -- to sign up, visit neiu.edu/orientation. NEIU’s Orientation Program is designed to introduce you to all of the resources we have available on campus to help ensure your academic and social transition into our community is as smooth as possible. We want to make sure you have everything you need to be successful once you begin classes, including financial aid information, knowing what is expected of you as a community member, as well as all of the resources and tools available to you, so that you know exactly where to go for help when you need it.

Financial Matters

Understanding tuition, fees, and financial aid options is crucial for managing your finances as a student.

Read also: Embracing Your Future

Tuition and Fees

Upon registering for classes, students become financially liable for the tuition and fees assessed for their registration. Additional tuition and fees will be assessed whenever courses are added to a student’s class schedule. Removing courses from a student’s class schedule - or dropping courses - will result in refunds.

Northeastern Illinois University offers a tuition rate guarantee for undergraduate students who are continually enrolled for four consecutive years. In addition, in-state tuition rates are extended to undergraduate and graduate students admitted from the neighboring states of Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin.

Payment Options and Deadlines

Payment due dates vary by semester and are generally second week of each month.

Starting Oct. 2, 2023, a 2.50% ($3 minimum) convenience fee will be applied to all credit and debit card transactions for student accounts. Starting Feb. 23, 2023, the convenience fee will increase to 2.95% for domestic credit and debit card transactions and 4.25% for international credit and debit card transactions. Student account payments that are made in person by credit card will be assessed a 2.50% ($3 minimum) convenience fee. International students sending payments from outside the United States can do this via Flywire, a company with whom NEIU has contracted in order to facilitate safe and affordable international payments. A $15 fee is assessed for each returned check received by the University. After two returned checks, the student will not be permitted to make a payment by check for the next two years. Students who miss payment deadlines will be assessed a non-refundable deferred payment fee of $10 and/or a late payment fee of $50.

Financial Aid

Domestic students who are pursuing a bachelor’s degree can determine eligibility for federal and state student aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible, making sure to include Northeastern Illinois University school code 001693 on the application.

Undocumented students may be eligible for in-state tuition. Complete the Affidavit for Eligibility for In-State Tuition form, available in your application status portal. Additionally, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission states that the Retention of Illinois Students & Equity (RISE) Act allows eligible undocumented and transgender students disqualified from federal financial aid due to failure to register for Selective Service to apply for all forms of state financial aid. The Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid provides a way for these qualified students to apply for the Monetary Award Program (MAP), the state's largest need-based grant program for low-income college students.

Financial aid disbursements begin after the 10th day of classes and continues overnight every week night.

Students who completely withdraw from all classes prior to the 60% point of term must repay a portion of financial aid funds received. The amount repaid will be based on the amount of time the student attended classes. In most cases, students are entitled to keep the percent of aid that equals the amount of time spent in class during the term. Department of Education (Pell Grants, SEOG Grants, TEACH, Loans or Direct Loans) and charges the amount to students’ billing account. Students who do not attend classes will be responsible for repaying 100% of all financial aid received (including State Grant assistance).

Refunds

Depending upon when you dropped the course(s), you may receive a percentage refund or reduction of tuition and mandatory fees. Once tuition and fees have been paid, students with a credit balance may use their NEIU ID to purchase textbooks and approved supplies from Follett Bookstore through the second week of classes, while they wait for their refund. If a student never attends a class in which he or she is registered, or decides to stop attending the class, he or she should officially drop the class from his or her class schedule. The student will be responsible for any financial consequences if he or she does not drop the course before the appropriate refund deadline. If students do not attend classes due to extenuating circumstances (e.g., a death in the family, medical issues, etc.), they may submit a petition form to the Student Billing/Late Withdrawal committee to request a refund or reduced tuition and mandatory fee charges.

Payment Plans

Students can contact Student Payment Services to enter into a payment plan. Students’ classes will not be dropped due to non-payment; however, students having difficulty meeting payment deadlines should immediately contact the Accounts Receivable Department at (773) 442-5165 to discuss options, including entering into a payment plan.

Accounts Receivable Holds

Students with outstanding balances will have an “Accounts Receivable” hold placed on their account until the balance is cleared. The Accounts Receivable hold prevents students from being able to register for the next semester due to an outstanding balance. When an account balance is past due, an Accounts Receivable hold is placed on the student account. Students must either pay in full to have the Accounts Receivable hold removed or agree to a payment plan that will allow the Accounts Receivable hold to be temporarily removed in order to alter a class schedule or to register for the next term. All registration exceptions are subject to approval and a payment upfront is required.

1098-T Form

Per IRS regulations, the 1098-T form contains qualified tuition and related expenses posted to student accounts in a given calendar year. Many students register for spring term courses in the calendar year previous to that spring term. Thus, these amounts will appear on the previous year’s 1098-T form. It is possible that you did not provide the University with your Social Security number. It is necessary for the University to have your Social Security number in its records in order to provide you with a 1098-T form and to report this information to the Internal Revenue Service.

Contact Information

Accounts Receivable employees can answer students’ questions about tuition and fees charged to their student accounts. For example, a student might ask why a certain charge remains on his or her account after withdrawing from a class. Additionally, the Accounts Receivable staff assist students with establishing payment plans for account balances. If necessary, staff in this area also review a student’s record when an accounts receivable hold has been placed on the account due to an account balance. Student Loans staff process refunds for students each semester and, along with the Accounts Receivable staff, can answer questions related to student refund amounts and when refunds may be processed.

Key Financial Contacts

Accounts Receivable: (773) 442-5165

Health and Safety

NEIU prioritizes the health and safety of its students, faculty, and staff.

Immunization Records

All students must provide documentation of immunization/vaccination history to Northeastern Illinois University Student Health Services. It is highly recommended that all students receive their COVID - 19 vaccinations, including boosters.

N-Safe Alert System

N-Safe is the system the University uses to provide students, faculty and staff with security and school closure alerts.

Additional Information

Housing

New students are not required to live on campus, but limited space is available. June 1, 2025 is the priority deadline for Fall 2025 lease applications. Limited housing scholarships are also available.

FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) provides for the confidentiality of student records. This means that unless you authorize your parent to have access to your record, the University is not permitted to discuss your student account with your parent.

Important Reminders

Let us know if you plan to attend NEIU! This will help us prepare for your arrival and guide you through the important next steps.
If you do not plan to attend your courses, you must officially drop them by logging into NEIUport and dropping your courses.
All registrations for classes and changes to class schedules must be performed by the students.

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