OneCard and Huskie Bucks
Your OneCard is your campus ID if you are a student. It is important to keep with you at all times for identification, and for other privileges linked to your card. For example, if you live in the residence halls, you will need your card for after-hours door access. It is the only method for doing laundry on campus (Huskie Bucks required). It is also required to print in the labs with Managed Print stations.
To get your NIU OneCard, stop by the OneCard office with a driver's license, state ID, military ID or passport after you have registered for classes on TRACS. The OneCard office is located in the lower level of the Holmes Student Center.
Huskie Bucks is a Prepaid Debit Account that can be put on your NIU OneCard ID for copying (see copier locations below), laundry in the residence halls, food services on and off campus, and much more. For a complete list, visit go.et.niu.edu/onecardvendors.
- Residence Hall Students: The easiest way to set up a Huskie Bucks account is to specify how much money to allocate to Huskie Bucks with Housing and Dining when you sign up for your meal plan. The money is then put into your Huskie Bucks account on your OneCard ID at the beginning of the semester. The charge is added to your Bursar account.
- Off-Campus Students: To add a Huskie Bucks Account to your OneCard ID, you will need to fill out the Huskie Bucks Account Agreement which you can obtain anytime in the OneCard office.
Adding Value to a Huskie Bucks Account
- Bursar Office: deposit by cash or check
- Value Transfer Stations: Deposit cash into a VTS Machine at any of the locations on campus (page 73)
- Online Web Payment Portal: go.et.niu.edu/onecarddeposit
- OneCard Office: make a deposit with cash or check
- Stevenson Corner Store: convenient deposits right in your residence hall on the west side of campus
- Mail: download a PDF “Huskie Bucks Mail Deposit Form” from the OneCard site and send a check payable to NIU
"Huskie Bucks" is the not the same as the TCF Bank account, nor is it the same as the student's meal plan.
- The TCF Bank account is a standard bank account set up with the bank that can be used anywhere in the United States. Students have the option to link their OneCard ID to their TCF Bank account and then may use the OneCard as an ATM/debit card.
- A Meal Plan is a weekly dollar amount budgeted for food purchases that the student specifies with NIU's Housing and Dining. This option is only available for students living in the residence halls.
- A Huskie Bucks Account is additional money that can be used at NIU for photocopies, food purchases on and off campus, and laundry.
Visit the OneCard web page for a list of account privileges, Huskie Bucks online information, transaction history, customer service information, and more www.niu.edu/OneCard
Lost or Stolen OneCard
Get your OneCard suspended immediately to stop it from working. This prevents theft of the balance that you have on your card. Use either of these methods:
- Connect to the “Online Card Office” and suspend your own OneCard www.niu.edu/onecard
- Call OneCard at 753-9569 and they will suspend your card. If you call during non-business hours, voice mail will give you the option to connect to the NIU Police to suspend your card.
If your OneCard is connected to your TCF Bank account, you will need to call TCF Bank at 753-9363 to have the ATM/debit portion of your card suspended.
Residence Hall Students: If you think you may find your card, leave your card suspended while you search for it.
- You can get a temporary card at no cost that will work for about 48 hours for your Huskie Bucks, Meal Plan, door access, etc. You may acquire this card from the office in the cafeteria of your residence hall. It will not function as a TCF ATM/debit card.
- If you don't think you will find your card, stop by the OneCard office to purchase a replacement card.
Off-Campus Students: If you think you may find your card, leave your card suspended while you search for it.
- If you don't think you will find your card, stop by the OneCard office to purchase a replacement card.
If you find your card, you will need to bring it in to the OneCard office to reactivate it. OneCards will not be reactivated over the phone or online. There is no reactivation fee, but you will need a second form of ID to verify that you are actually the cardholder. Other valid forms of ID include driver's license, state ID, military ID, and passport. If you had a temporary card, make sure you bring it with you.
Locations of VTS and Public Copiers
Using your NIU OneCard with Huskie Bucks, you will be able to make black and white copies, color copies, and use network printing across campus.
You can also purchase a Huskie Bucks card or add value to your existing NIU OneCard account at one of the Value Transfer Stations (VTS). VTS machines are located at the following locations:
- Founders Memorial Library, main floor
- Holmes Student Center, main floor
- Swen Parson Hall, lower level vending
- Swen Parson Hall, Law Library
- Gabel Hall, Learning Center, room 8
- Campus Recreation, by vending
- NIU Hoffman Estates Library
- NIU Naperville Resource Center
- NIU Rockford Library
Public copier locations that accept Huskie Bucks cards:
- Anderson Hall – library, room 221A
- Art Building – third floor
- Barsema Hall – first and second floors
- Davis Hall – first floor and map library
- DuSable Hall – first floor west
- Engineering – room 125
- Faraday Hall – west lobby and library room 212
- Founders Memorial Library
- Ten on the first floor by the west windows
- 1 each on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors
- 1 self-service color copier, first floor near west windows
- Gabel Hall
- 2 in the Learning Center, room 8
- 1 on the first floor by room 150
- Holmes Student Center – 2 on the main floor
- Lowden Hall – lounge, room 104
- Montgomery Hall – second floor
- Music Building – library
- NIU Hoffman Estates – library
- NIU Naperville – resource center
- NIU Rockford – library
- Nursing – by vending machines
- Psychology Building – third floor
- Reavis Hall – by vending machines
- Residence Halls
- 1 Douglas Hall
- 1 Grant North
- 1 Grant South
- 1 Lincoln Hall
- 1 Neptune Central
- 1 Stevenson North
- Still Gym – room 203
- Swen Parson
- 2 in the Law Library
- 1 by the Bursar’s office
- Wirtz Hall – first floor, NE hall
- Zulauf Hall – third and eighth floors
Additional copying services are available through the Huskie Prints office such as book copying, thesis paper, transparencies and outgoing faxes. Printing services are available through ITS Document Services such as resumes, flyers, handbills – just to name a few.
For additional information, please visit the Huskie Prints desk in the Founders Memorial Library first floor west windows, 753-1662, or call 753-8383, or visit us at www.its.niu.edu and select “Copy Services” on the left navigation bar.
