Five ways to get to UIC

You have your books for fall semester — check. All the decor for your new apartment or dorm room — check. 

But do you know how to get to campus? 

If you’re new to UIC and maybe also new to Chicago, you might be feeling overwhelmed with all the commuting choices. Here is a list to help you find the best option for you. The university has parking, of course, but also supports biking, walking and public transportation.

Drive

How long you’ll spend in your car to get to campus will depend on the traffic. Even if your GPS tells you it’ll take 45 minutes, you may want to add a few extra minutes, just to be safe.

On campus, you’ll probably have to pay for parking, unless you’re lucky enough (and early enough) to find free street parking.

There are several lots on both the east and west sides of campus to choose from, and four ways to pay: 

• 24-hour access for one semester is $411 (the rate for the fall 2024 semester). You can leave and enter as often as you want. How does it work? You apply for parking and Parking Services will program your i-card to access the parking garage or lot you choose (depending on availability). You’ll be billed through your student account. 
• If you just need to be on campus in the afternoons (after 3 p.m.) or on weekends, that’s $276 for the semester. You’ll also use your i-card to enter and exit. 
• You can pay per visit at $15 per day. 
• If you will come to campus only occasionally, you could use the Value Card. This way, you pay a discounted $9 per visit and park in a designated visitor lot (on the east side of campus: Harrison Street, Halsted/Taylor and Maxwell Street parking structures and Lot 5; on the west side: Wood Street and Paulina Street parking structures and Lot E). You can’t leave and return; you’ll need to use a Value Card ticket each time you park. Also, you must get Value Card tickets in person at a Parking Services office (Student Center East, Room 317, or the Wood Street Parking Structure, Room 122).

Walk

If you’re walking from downtown, the walking bridge at Peoria Street is a nice way to cross over the highway without dodging cars. It also has a beautiful view of the city! 

The UIC Police Department recommends taking precautions when walking alone (stay alert and don’t wear earbuds!). They also issue Public Safety Advisories to all students, faculty and staff when crimes happen near and on campus.

If you are walking at night, you can request someone to walk with you, a Walking Safety Escort. Or download the UIC Safe app to get a virtual escort who will follow you virtually, by tracking your phone as you walk.

Bike

Want to limit your carbon footprint? Bike to UIC. 

Chicago is threaded with bike lanes, paths and trails. Check out this helpful bike map from the City of Chicago that shows them all.  

And find a bike rack with this map. It shows where racks are located on both the east and west sides of campus.

Need to fix your bike? You can check out a repair kit at Student Center East, Student Center West or the Student Recreation Facility. The student centers have air pumps, too. 

You can take your bike on the train or bus. Just know there are some limits. Bikes aren’t allowed on L trains during rush periods. See how to put your bike on the bus. 

If you don’t own a bike, there are Divvy bikes, light blue shared bikes from Lyft. There are six Divvy bike racks on the east side of campus and three on the west side (find them with Divvy’s interactive map). Get the Divvy app, unlock a Divvy bike and take off. Better yet, get the discounted Divvy membership for UIC students. Divvy also has scooters, another popular option. 

Or ride your skateboard! There are a handful of racks around campus to lock up your skateboard or scooter. On the east side of campus, they are at the Quad entrance at Daley Library, Taft Hall, the west side of Lecture Center C and the West Vernon Park Place entrance to the Behavioral Sciences Building. There’s also a scooter rack at the southeast corner of the Academic and Residential Complex.

Trains: L and Metra

To commute by train, there are two choices: the CTA (L train) and Metra.  

The L gets you closer to campus. The UIC-Halsted stop on the Blue Line is about a five-minute walk from Student Center East.  

For the west side of campus, go to the Polk (Pink Line) or Illinois Medical District (Blue Line) stop and you’ll be right there. 

Although Metra trains go farther out to the Chicago suburbs than the L, even to Kenosha, Wisconsin, Metra doesn’t have as many stops as the L.

The Metra stops closest to the east side of campus are Ogilvie Transportation Center, Union Station and Halsted, each about a 20-minute walk from campus. 

For the west side of campus, the closest Metra stop is Western, about a 30-minute walk from Student Center West. 

See the Metra map to find stations. From a Metra station, you can catch a bus to get to campus; just use Ventra, Transit or another public-transportation app to see how to make that connection. 

UIC has just made it easier for students to use both Metra and the L, with U-Pass+. Students who buy a U-Pass (good for rides on all Chicago Transit Authority trains and buses) can upgrade to a U-Pass+, which adds unlimited Metra rides. 

Bus

By bus might not be the fastest way to go, but it’ll get you there. Chicago Transit Authority buses cover a wide territory, can take you from an L or Metra stop right to campus and are inexpensive. There are bus stops all around campus, including on Halsted Street, Harrison Street and Roosevelt Road. 

If you’re coming from the suburbs, Pace buses are a good option. Use Pace’s trip planner to figure out your route.

UIC shuttle

The UIC shuttle buses cover a broad area between the east and west sides of campus, with routes centered along West Harrison Street and Roosevelt Road. Service is every 30 minutes on weekdays and every 60 minutes on weekends. 

Perhaps the best part? You can use the UIC Ride app to see when your shuttle is arriving. 

Students with disabilities can schedule rides through UIC’s paratransit service. To get that process started, you’ll first need to call the Disability Resource Center.

Some students attend classes at UIC and the University of Urbana-Champaign. For them, there is UI Ride, which runs between the two campuses on weekdays.

And there’s Night Ride. If you’re traveling around campus late at night — after 10 p.m. — you can request a ride to another spot on campus with the UIC Ride app. They’ll also take you home if you live within the boundaries of the service. 

Scavenger hunt, anyone?

Most UIC students commute, and with so many commuters at UIC, it’s no surprise there are events and services just for them. The Commuter Student Resource Center has more information on transportation and lockers commuters can rent. They’re even planning a Commuter Dash scavenger hunt on Aug. 26-30, for new commuting students to meet each other.