Student Life

As Nichols students learn and train for their careers, they also thrive in a tight-knit community. Whether they live on campus or off, our students enjoy activities that express who they are and what they love to do.

With all that goes on here, it can be tempting to stay on campus 24/7. But Nichols is just twenty minutes south of Worcester, a historic college town, and one of America’s top ten small cities to live in, according to Forbes Magazine. We’re also within an hour’s drive of Boston and Providence.

Campus life is a key part of how our students grow into confident leaders. It’s also all kinds of fun.

Our Campus & Community

We foster a vibrant, tight-knit community of students and professionals with an open exchange of ideas and a variety of academic, athletic, and service-oriented activities.

The Fels Student Center

The heart of Nichols’ campus life is the Fels Student Center, a vibrant hub for dining, entertainment, and student engagement. Home to multiple dining options, ice cream shop, and the campus bookstore, Fels provides inviting lounge spaces, seminar rooms, and private meeting areas for clubs and organizations. The center buzzes with activity throughout the week, featuring events like bingo, craft nights, movie screenings, and live performances from singers, comedians, and guest speakers. Students can enjoy recreational games such as ping pong, access resources like a first-floor printer, and utilize the trading room’s dual-monitor workstations for coursework and projects. Managed by the Office of Student Involvement, Fels serves as the central gathering place where campus connections thrive.

• Bazzies Cafe
• Bookstore
• Career and Professional Development Center
• Community Standards
• Dean of Students
• Mail Room
• Malt & Main Dining in Fels Main Lounge
• Residence Life
• Student Life
• Student Involvement
• Student Belonging

Athletics Facilities

Our athletics center offers a basketball gym, squash and racquetball courts, a weight room, a fitness room, four locker rooms, and an indoor climbing wall. Elsewhere on our campus, we’ve got volleyball courts (outdoor and indoor), tennis courts, outdoor basketball courts, soccer fields, softball fields, and the Chalmers Field House, with indoor basketball courts, an aerobic room and another weight room. If you’re looking for an excuse not to work out, you won’t find it here.

We play all of our home football, field hockey and lacrosse games on the Michael J. Vendetti Multi-Purpose Field. Men’s and women’s soccer teams also play some of their home contests here. The field includes an eight-lane rubberized quarter-mile track surrounding a turf field surface and Musco lighting. It’s a beautiful place to cheer on the Bison.

The Office for Student Involvement

Nichols Office for Student Involvement works to maximize the personal growth and development of our students facilitating a variety of opportunities for involvement, service, and leadership in co-curricular activities.

In addition to professional staff, Student Involvement employs students as Front Desk Workers in the Student Life Suite and Fels Center Coordinators. These students are responsible for the operations of the building during the day and night; they are available to answer questions and assist with technology and events. Fels Student Center Coordinators also host events each week. Check out the bulletin boards in Fels to learn about events and programs.

If you have questions about campus life and getting involved, please contact the Office for Student Involvement at 508-213-2104.

Student Housing and Dining

Almost 80% of our students live on campus. It’s convenient and it keeps you in the middle of our active community. We have 10 residential communities to choose from, so you’re sure to find one that suits you.

We offer traditional rooms in single-sex and co-ed residence halls, suite-style living and modern apartments, along with a variety of specialized living and learning opportunities.

Every residence hall has cable television, wireless Internet access, easy and secure card access to your building, free washers and dryers, and much more. From first-year living to suites, doubles and apartment-style housing, our residence halls offer a variety of specialized living opportunities.

Dining

Nichols students find a wide variety of dining options on campus, in addition to a more traditional dining menu in our Lombard Dining Hall. For students looking to explore beyond campus, we have the Bison Bucks program, which allows you to use your student card to make purchases as select local establishments. Each meal plan comes Dining Dollars that can be used on campus and Bison Bucks to be used on or off campus.

Nichols College Dining, managed by American Dining Creations (ADC) provides an exciting and innovative dining services program for the entire Nichols community. You’ll find great food, honest values, and a comfortable atmosphere in which to enjoy it all. You have a variety of locations to choose from, all conveniently located within walking distance of on-campus housing and class spaces, as well as the ability to spend your Bison Bucks at locations in the area (visit www.bisonbucks.com for more information).

Any questions, feel free to email dining@nichols.edu.

Commuting Students

About 20% of our students commute to campus. It’s a great choice for students looking to balance personal or family commitments with their education, and for students already working full time while enrolled at Nichols.

Commuter students have access to lounge space on campus that can be found in the Fels Student Center, Academic Building, Davis Hall, as well as having full access to the Library – including study rooms! For leisure time, commuters are able to utilize the Athletic Center, attend games and events happening on campus. Look for bi-weekly emails and at the bulletin boards around campus to find out what is happening each week on the Hill!

The Commuter Club offers commuting students an opportunity to meet other commuting students and attend programming and events. Be sure to follow the club on Instagram @nicholscommuters for special events and information.

Meals:

Commuters have full access to the Bison Bucks program to make dining on campus easy. You can register for meal plans, or take advantage of one of our cash options.

Commuter Students can purchase a meal plan designed specifically for you. Our Commuter Meal Plan comes with 25 meals per semester to be used in Lombard Dining Hall as well as $50 Bison Bucks for the semester. Cost is $350 per block purchase in the 2025-2026 academic year *subject to change

Bison Shuttle Service

Student Life offers a student-driven shuttle that travels to various area locations. The shuttle operates 6 days a week, and is available to students on a first come, first served basis. The shuttle pick-up location is in front of the Daniels Auditorium. The shuttle can also be reserved by clubs and organizations for trips. Be sure to save the Bison Shuttle contact to call for a ride during operating hours, 774-438-2035.

Hours of the Bison Shuttle
Tuesday and Wednesday: 5pm-9pm
Thursday – Saturday: 8pm-1am
Sunday: 12pm-3pm

Here are some of the places the Bison Shuttle can take you:

• Area grocery stores, pharmacies or Target when you are running low on necessities
• Trips to the Shoppes at Blackstone Valley and Cinema de Lux in Millbury
• Worcester Union Station and Boston Logan Airport before and after campus breaks
• Special weekend trips to locations such as Wrentham Outlets, Patriot Place, Providence and more!

Be sure to follow the @ncbisonshuttle on Instagram for hours of operation, events and more