Living at Illinois Tech

Two students talking in a dorm room inside State Street Village

Combine the fun of summer camp with the quest for knowledge when you attend one of Illinois Tech’s Pre-College Residential Programs. You’ll live and learn on Illinois Tech’s Mies Campus, named “one of America’s most beautiful college campuses” (Forbes), located less than a mile from Lake Michigan. Illinois Tech is small, but mighty, giving you that small campus experience in a big city setting.

Sample Daily Schedule

7:30 a.m. Floor meeting

8–9 a.m. Breakfast

9 a.m.–Noon Program meets

Noon–1 p.m. Lunch

1–3 p.m. Program meets

3–4 p.m. Professional development workshop

4–5 p.m. Downtime

5–6 p.m. Dinner

6–9 p.m. Residential activities

Check-In/Check-Out

For your convenience, please note the check-in and check-out information for our residential summer programs. Check-in will take place on the Sunday before your program begins, from 2–4 p.m. and will be followed by an orientation session. Please plan to arrive within this timeframe. Check-out is scheduled for 5–8 p.m. on the Friday when your program concludes. Additional details regarding the location of check-in and check-out will be provided in the welcome packet that you will receive prior to the start of your program. 

Residence Halls

Residential students live in Illinois Tech’s residence halls, all of which are near the center of campus and within a few minutes walk of everything that they’ll need. Students are randomly assigned to either double or triple rooms on single-gender floors. This year, students will be staying in Cunningham Hall.

All residential spaces provide an extra-large twin-size bed, desk, chair, dresser, and closet space for each resident. A loaner package of linen is provided to each residential student at the start of their stay. Included are sheets/comforter, a pillowcase, and a towel.

Supervision

Students are supervised by the STEM learning intern (SLI) team, which is a group of Illinois Tech undergraduate and graduate students who serve as summer program camp counselors. There are also professional staff and administrators on call to respond to student issues 24 hours a day. Students are not permitted to go off campus unless accompanied by a member of the Elevate College Prep team.  

Dining

Meal plans are included in the total cost of your payment. Meals will be served in The Commons dining hall. The Commons is an “all-you-care-to-eat” venue, and allows a wide variety of food options for students, including vegetarian, vegan, and allergen-controlled options. From a fresh salad bar to made-to-order pasta and stir-fry, students will experience a wide range of flavors and options. Deli sandwiches, grilled and fried items, and comfort foods are available all day in The Commons. 

Personal Enrichment and Community

Each evening and on weekends, our SLIs and Summer Programs staff will host fun activities to build community between participants. You’ll attend movie nights, play frolf (frisbee golf) on Illinois Tech’s own campus course, hang out in The Bog, and take field trips into the vibrant city of Chicago to White Sox games, architecture boat tours, Navy Pier, and more. 

Health and Safety

The Department of Public Safety strives to keep Illinois Tech’s campus safe and secure. All Illinois Tech buildings are secure and only accessible to Illinois Tech students, faculty, and staff. You will be assigned a HawkID upon arrival, which will give you access to academic buildings and your residence hall, and act as your ticket for meals.

All parents and students can sign up for IIT Alert, an emergency alert notification system that Illinois Tech uses to broadcast important information via text, phone, and email in the event of severe weather or an ongoing situation that affects the safety of our campus community.

Our SLIs and summer staff are trained in emergency response. They are ready to support students and guide them to emergency medical care if needed.