Transportation and U-Pass
Getting around
Northwestern has free, dedicated services to help you navigate campus safely. Safe Ride has partnered with Via on-demand transportation service to provide a safe and free alternative to walking alone at night. Additionally, the NUGuardian App is a peer-to-peer mobile app that turns your smartphone into a personal safety device.
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, part-time, and online 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 eligible full-time, part-time, and online TGS graduate students through a quarterly TGS U-Pass Transit Card 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 in the BS/MS program, TGS 512 (continuous registration), or TGS 514 are not eligible for a U-Pass.
Should you have any questions, please see the U-Pass FAQs page or contact tgs-u-pass@northwestern.edu.