Let's build a better future together.
At NEIU, our mission is you.
Bring your passion to life.
At the Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies, you have the freedom to be yourself and live your hopes and dreams.
Located in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood, the Carruthers Center is deeply connected with Chicago’s history, culture and political discourse. The Center is a hub that serves as a creative laboratory in which students express ideas and share experiences that shape the future.
Earn your degree and advance your career
Northeastern Illinois University offers dozens of majors that will inspire you in new and unexpected ways. At the Carruthers Center, you can take general education courses or complete a program in:
Our students are provided with educational experiences and programs that reach out into the community to foster student engagement and opportunity. Carruthers Center students actively participate in events ranging from thought-provoking guest lectures to exciting musical performances.
"The Carruthers Center is so important to me as an African-American student. The professors allowed me to challenge what I thought I knew and gave me scholastic strength to be able to convey a style of leadership better than I had before.”
Alicia Ozier
Interdisciplinary Studies
Why Northeastern’s Carruthers Center?
Historical Impact
The Carruthers Center has earned a reputation for influencing cultural and political narratives. Over the decades, the building has hosted artists such as Lorraine Hansberry and Richard Wright, and activists such as Malcom X, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and Fred Hampton.
Competitive Value
Our tuition is among the most affordable in the Chicago area. Among Midwest regional universities, our students graduate with the least amount of debt, and we are Illinois’ top regional public university for social mobility—or moving graduates up the socioeconomic ladder—according to U.S. News & World Report.
Convenient Location
The Carruthers Center is situated in Chicago’s historic Bronzeville neighborhood, making the commute from any point in and around the city accessible by car or public transit. Students can take advantage of the Carruthers Center’s small class sizes for personalized attention, and convenient day, evening and weekend class schedules.
