You have a variety of housing options, including university-owned or privately-owned, to select from. If students have questions or need assistance with housing, please contact the MSPE office. We have a staff member who will assist new students locate housing upon their arrival to campus.

We caution you about signing a lease for an apartment without having seen the property first, as some advertisements may not accurately depict the apartment’s condition. We highly recommend you contact the university’s Off-Campus Community Living website for assistance in the housing search as well as have them review a lease before you sign it.

• Visit Champaign County

The university contracts the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD) to provide bus service to students. Students are assessed a mandatory Transportation Fee each semester, which provides unlimited “fare free” access to all routes and services at all times. Note some routes requires students to show their university i-card (identification card) as proof of fare.

Market Place Mall is the largest shopping center in C-U, and it is located on Neil Street just north of Interstate 74. Many other retail stores are located along north Prospect Avenue near Interstate 74.

Parking is available on-campus at a substantial cost. For more information about parking, visit the university’s Parking Department website.

Current full-time Illinois students are automatically members provided they have been assessed the Service Fee. Therefore, new students will not be able to access the Campus Recreation facilities until after they have registered for classes.

Consult the ISSS Driving in the U.S. web page for information.

Bicycles can be purchased, both new or used, in many ways. The Bike at Illinois website has many suggestions.

Note that all bicycles on campus must be registered. Registration is done online and there is no charge to students.

Campus offers a dockless bike-share program called Veoride, where you can purchase a one-time ride or a membership to ride any time you need, depending on the company. 

The Graduate College Quick Guide contains complete instructions on how to accomplish both of these as well as other helpful information.

If you have any questions about your NetID or changing your password, consult the Technology Services web page.

The i-card is the official University of Illinois identification card. Students use their i-cards to pay for meals, borrow library books, access campus facilities, ride the MTD city bus free of charge, and more. I-cards can be obtained from the Urbana ID Center, which is located in the Illini Union Bookstore.

A complete list of what academic credentials (transcripts, certificates of degrees, translations) you need to submit was listed on your official Notice of Admission. 

Details about document requirements and how to submit them to the Graduate College can be found at  Admitted Student Final Credential Requirements | The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

You must present your documents before the end of the fall semester or you will not be able to register for spring semester classes.

Currently registered students must retrieve their student account billing information online. The “student account” shows real time account transactions such as payments received, and charges and credits for tuition, fees, and housing.

For more information about student accounts, consult the University Bursar's website.

When some or all of a student’s tuition and fees are paid by a sponsoring organization, the student and organization may qualify to participate in Sponsor Billing at the University of Illinois.

If you do not meet the qualifications for sponsor (third party) billing, an alternative is to invite the sponsor to be an Authorized Payer.

If you do not plan on paying your student account balance in full by the billing due date, the university offers an optional Payment Plan.