Transportation and U-Pass
Getting around
Northwestern has a service to help you navigate campus safely: the Northwestern Help App's Safewalk feature.
In addition to walking or driving to Northwestern, there are several transportation options available to TGS students:
- Public Transit- including both CTA and Metra
- Full-time graduate students are eligible for The Graduate School’s U-Pass program
- Bicycle Riding
- Car Sharing with Enterprise CarShare and Zipcar
- PACE Rideshare
U-Pass
The Graduate School (TGS) and Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) provide the CTA University Pass (U-Pass) to full-time graduate students through a quarterly TGS Activity Fee. The CTA U-Pass program uses fare cards called Ventra, a contactless payment system that serves as a U-Pass. Benefits of this system include:
- Can be used 365 days a year when you choose to opt in each quarter
- Can be used on CTA buses and trains
- Can be used on Pace buses as a fare card (charges apply)
- Can be changed to a full-fare card once you are no longer enrolled full-time
- Personalized with your photo and name
Note: New students must submit a valid photo to the Wildcard Office in order to receive a U-Pass. New students typically obtain a Wildcard the week before classes start.
Students enrolled part-time or in TGS 512 will not be eligible for a U-Pass. Should you have any questions, please see the U-Pass FAQs page or contact tgs-u-pass@northwestern.edu.