Tomorrow is here and NECC’s new housing contract with Merrimack College is signed and ready! After the college has investigated into housing, the last minute preparations and action finally took place in late August .
The first set of students moved in the last week of August and the first week of September to start the fall semester, almost a week before classes started.
“It models a traditional housing contract for a school. It’s a 10 month contract typically September 1 to June 1,” said Executive Director of Student Life Jessica Eckstrom.
Eckstrom recently shared a lot of information about the housing plan during a recent conversation with the Observer.
“What’s nice about that is you’re not paying for summer housing cause your’re going home for the summer. It’s very traditionally built on a campus calendar,” she said.
Will the units be furnished?
“The apartments come furnished, they come with all of your traditional furniture, a bed, desk, dresser, a fully furnished kitchen, couches, a dinning room table, etc. There’s no in unit laundry but there is free laundry within the complex,” said Eckstrom. “You could bring in your TV, a gaming system, you know a bean bag chair, like decorations that sort of stuff.
“All of the units are two bed, two bath, so they’re four person apartments with two double occupancy bedrooms that would have direct roommates. The units have a living room, a dinning area, and a full kitchen,” she said.
Do the apartments have acess to the Merrimack College housing services?
“The Crest is a huge apartment complex that has access to the Merrimack resident advisors, the professional staff in housing, and they’re supported by campus police and campus facilities , etc. ... So like, your lightbulb goes out, you put in a work order and they come and replace it for you.”
The Crest apartment devlopment is directly across the street from Merrimack College in North Andover.
How much does it cost for students?
“With the fully furnished units, the price that students pay includes heat, air conditioning, cable, WiFi, laundry. The pricing is set by Merrimack College, it is a pricing structure that will shift year after year,” Eckstrom said.
“Campus housing gets billed by semester and it’s roughly $9,000 per person rate for a 10 month contract that’s inclusive of everything I just shared but it doesn’t include a meal plan but you have a full kitchen you can cook for yourself in or you can purchase an optional meal plan through Merrimack that is only for housing students,” said Eckstrom.
Does it include parking too?
“It doesn’t include parking but you can purchase a parking permit from Merrimack. Both meal plans and parking permits are sold per semester,” said Eckstrom. “Those are optional not required costs that students can add on.”
Do you have to be a full time student to qualify?
“You have to be a full time student in good academic standing to qualify for the housing plan,” said Eckstrom.
Is this a pilot program?
“There was not a ton of marketing, there was not a ton of outreach, we only have a limited amount of beds, so it was intentional to pilot with a small group to make sure that their having a good experience and that you know we help problem solve anything that might be going on in the space,” Eckstrom said.
“Our goal for next year is to really grow our partnership and have a lot more students living there. “
W”e are in communication with Merrimack to grow our number of units for next year. Right now the students are in the apartments in the Crest, we will continue to look at is that the best model or would we want to put students if space is available like into a traditional first year residence hall or second year residence hall,” she said.
The department of student engagement will soon create a website for NECC housing with Merrimack where students can visit and apply.
For now, students who wish to participate in the new housing contract can contact Eckstrom directly at her email, jeckstrom@necc.mass.edu.
Students can make a one time request for a pick up/drop off time and location (within 3 miles radius from Merrimack College) for the Merrimack College shuttle, and set it up for the whole semester.
It is better to do this if students need it for a specific place and time. Otherwise, every other request has to be made 70 hours prior to the date and time of pick/drop off by the Merrimack College shuttle.
Other NECC news
The shuttle expands
There is great news! New stops have been added to the NECC shuttle, Haverhill Heights and Merrimack College Crest apartments. Students who need to travel to Haverhill Heights for culinary classes and baking classes can now use the NECC shuttle and they can use it to get to Haverhill campus too. Pickup times from Merrimack College Crest apartments to Haverhill campus are 7:30am, 8:30am, and 11:30am. The shuttle only operates Monday through Thursday.
To check the full Fall 2026 NECC shuttle schedule, students can visit the NECC website at https://necc.edu/contact-us/directions-maps/inter-campus-public-transportation/
Food resources
NECC no longer has a food pantry located on the Lawrence Campus in the lower level of the Dimitry Building (L020) but in the same location they now have a grab an go food resource called the Knights Market.
It provides food, other essentials like hygiene products, toiletries, and soon will have school supplies too for any student in need or facing food and financial insecurity.
Each student can visit daily from Monday through Thursday, from 11am to 1pm and build their own lunch to-go with one entrée, a couple of snacks, and a drink.
If students are unable to make it during those business hours, they can contact community resources directly at communityresources@necc.mass.edu, to set up an order for delivery to Haverhill campus.
Donations are requested and appreciated and can be dropped off in the student engagement office, SC103 or the Student Life office in Lawrence Dimitry building L026 or L028. and here are a list of items the Knights Market request!
Shelf stable meal options
Breakfast foods (oatmeal, cereal bars, etc.)
Individually packaged snacks
School supplies
Toiletries
Students can now use the food vouchers with a new vendor the school has made a 1 year contract with. Michael’s Bristol, a new restaurant located behind the El Helfni building on Essex Street in Lawrence.
It is open from 11am up to late hours at night. With the vouchers, students can purchase 10 dollar meals.
The restaurant will have to-go 10 dollar meals ready for students to buy with the vouchers.