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.

Almost 85% 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. You can get all the details on our residence halls, student employment opportunities, and keep up with our Twitter feed over on our ResLife page.

Register an Overnight Guest

From first-year living to suites, doubles and apartment-style housing, our residence halls offer a variety of specialized living opportunities.

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.

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 heart of Nichols’ campus life is the Fels Student Center. Students come here for freshly made food and gourmet coffee. Student clubs and organizations meet here, and the trading room offers dual-monitor work stations for various classes and student projects. On any given evening or weekend, students might be entertained by singers, comics, guest speakers, or a movie screening.

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.

Nichols’ Center 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.

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

Nichols is home to a tight-knit community. We’re proud of our students, staff, and faculty, and keeping everyone here safe is top priority.

Annual Security and Fire Report

With the exception of residence halls, most facilities are open to the public during day and evening hours, when classes are in session. When Nichols is closed, though, all buildings are locked and only faculty, staff, and students with proper ID are admitted. Entrance to all residence halls is restricted at all times.

Student parking is available for residential and day commuter students within designated areas. All vehicles must be registered with the Public Safety Office before parking on campus.

Public safety officers are on duty at Nichols 24/7, every day of the year. Our officers receive continual training and are certified in emergency medical response procedures, including first responder and CPR. Some members of the force are also licensed as emergency medical technicians (EMT). These men and women are dedicated to maintaining a safe and respectful environment.

Nichols also falls under the jurisdiction of the Dudley Police Department (DPD). The Nichols Department of Public Safety maintains a strong and coordinated working relationship with the DPD. A local community policing effort also helps keep our campus safe.

Public safety officers perform investigations, prepare incident reports and uphold the rules and regulations of the College, including housing regulations and the College’s Standards of Conduct.

The department of public safety performs many non-investigative services throughout the year, including:

If you have questions about safety and security at Nichols, please contact the department of public safety at 508-213-2298.

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.

Hours of the Bison Shuttle

Tuesday and Wednesday: 4 PM-9 PM

Thursday-Saturday: 8 PM-2 AM

Sunday: 12 PM-4 PM

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

About 15% 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.

With commuter meal plans, our Social Programming Board hosting events and giveaways specially intended for commuter students, and lots of lounge space, our commuters find lots of opportunities to enjoy the Nichols community.

Commuter students have access to lounge space on campus that can be found in the Fels Student Center and the Academic Building as well as having full access to the Library – including study rooms! The Fels Center offers lockers to be signed out, just come up to Student Involvement to reserve on!

For leisure time, commuters are able to utilize the Athletic Center, attend games and events happening on campus. Look for weekly emails and flyer advertisements to find out what is happening each week on the Hill!

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 exciting cash options like Jazzman’s Café, WOW, and Tres Habeneros.

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 $75 Bison Bucks for the semester. Cost is $275.00 per block purchase in the 2022-2023 academic year *subject to change

If you have questions about safety and security at Nichols, please contact the department of public safety at 508-213-2298.

Financial Aid to Commuters

To further help commuters, trustee emeritus Gerald Fels and his wife, Marilyn, generously offer a $5,000 scholarship to Dudley and Webster residents who commute to Nichols in their first year. The Fels Commuter Scholarship is renewable for three years, for a total value of $20,000.

Questions about becoming a commuter or financial aid opportunities? Contact the Office of Admissions at admissions@nichols.edu or 800-470-3379.

Every incoming student will have their picture taken during Orientation. ID cards will be issued on move in day/check in day. The cost of a replacement ID card is $25.00. Students are required to carry their Student ID when on campus and present them when requested by a College official.

How to Report a Lost ID