More than 2,000 prospective NIU students are expected to attend NIU’s open house from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. today.

Attendance varies at the open houses – at NIU’s last open house in the spring, about 2,400 people attended – but attendance is sometimes as low as 1,800 people, said Crystal Worrell, senior assistant director of admissions.

Open house visitors can park at the Convocation Center and will be taken by shuttle bus to campus, Worrell said.

At the open house, students will take tours of campus given by trained NIU students. Students will also attend the University Information Fair, where they will find representatives from a variety of services and colleges on campus, said Bob Burk, director of admissions. They can get information on housing, financial aid, scholarships and undergraduate colleges.

“Anything they could possibly want to know, there will be representatives for,” Burk said.

The colleges will also host a variety of events throughout the day, including tours, presentations, visits and lab tours for those applicable, Worrell said. A list of events can be found at www.admissions.niu.edu.

Burk said he believes students need to visit the school to make a good, strong college choice.

“There are things like the size and the atmosphere that you really can’t find by looking at a book,” Burk said.

About 75 percent of the students who enroll at NIU have been to an open house, Burk said. He said 75 percent of accepted students who do not enroll never visited NIU.

NIU hosts open houses on high school holidays, including Columbus Day, Veteran’s Day, President’s Day and Good Friday.

Worrell said she finds that having the open houses on the days NIU is in session is beneficial.

“We want the students to see what the campus looks like on a typical day,” she said.