Northern Illinois University's goal for football game attendance this year is 6,000 students at each of the six home games. Officials announced a multi-thousand dollar incentive for them to attend.
If a student attends all six home football games and checks into a special app every time to prove they stayed the whole time, they are eligible to enter a drawing to win tuition for the Spring 2016 semester.
Morris White is an associate director for NIU Athletics. He says the athletics marketing department is budgeted to fund about 12 credit hours for that semester for either in-state or out-of-state tuition. That could range from about five to ten thousand dollars.
"I think that, if I was a student and I had the opportunity or the chance to win that, I definitely would go, considering that all of our athletic events are free for students just by swiping their OneCard at football and basketball."
White says undergraduate and graduate students are eligible for the drawing. Other incentives for other home sports events, like volleyball or basketball games, will be announced soon.
Attendance will be primarily monitored by an app called Red Black Rewards, available in app stores. Drawing eligibility for students within groups like marching band has yet to be determined.
