Roosevelt University teams, known as the Lakers, compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA); the university is a member of Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer and tennis; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball.

Roosevelt University revived its athletic program after a 20-year absence in 2010. Roosevelt recently added women's volleyball for the 2011-12 academic year; followed by men's golf, men's and women's soccer, and softball for the 2012-13 academic year.The expansion of the university's athletics will bring the number of sport offerings from the initial seven sports to twelve.

Roosevelt University currently has three residence hall options, including the new vertical campus. The new Wabash building serves as housing for all incoming Freshman and Transfers. The University Center of Chicago is the other main residence hall, with apartment style options.It was officially opened in the fall of 2004 and is located at 525 S. State Street. The UCC houses students from Roosevelt University, DePaul University, and Columbia College Chicago, totaling 1700 residents from these three schools combined. The second residence hall is Fornelli Hall, with apartment-only options, located in the Pittsfield Building at 55 E. Washington Street, Chicago. It opened in the fall of 2008. It provides apartment-style housing for upperclassmen from Roosevelt and Robert Morris Universities.

The Herman Crown Center, located at 425 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago, was the main residence hall for Roosevelt until it was closed in the spring of 2008.Like the Herman Crown Center, the new 32-story vertical campus is connected to the Auditorium Building and provides direct access between the two buildings.

Student activities

There are many active student organizations at both of the Roosevelt University campuses.

• Alpha Gamma Delta Women's Fraternity: Alpha Gamma Delta is an international fraternity and a member of the National Panhellenic Conference. The Fraternity was installed at Roosevelt in 2008 and was the 182nd chapter.
• WRBC The Blaze: Roosevelt's online student radio station
• The Torch: Roosevelt's student newspaper (7,500/weekly) (noted for first publishing Shel Silverstein)
• Roosevelt Review: Roosevelt's national and award-winning literary journal.
• Student Government Association
• RU Sociological Society (RUSS):Roosevelt University Sociological Society fosters the advancement of sociological study at undergraduate and graduate levels by providing outlets for students to present research, exchange ideas, and build relationships.
• Alpha Phi Omega: co-ed National Service Fraternity
• Black Student Union represents the interests and concerns of black students, faculty and administration at Roosevelt University, and brings together all aspects of black student life for the purpose of improving the campus environment.
• Colleges Against Cancer is an initiative originally started by the American Cancer Society and brought to Roosevelt to educate advocacy, recognize survivors, and participate in the Relay for Life.
• RU Proud: LGBTQ Society is an organization that focuses on uniting students who are accepting of differences. It is an alliance among gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and straight individuals.
• RU Green develops sustainable practices and systems throughout campus to promote an ecologically conscious student body and to implement green methodologies throughout campus.
• Society for Human Resource Management serves as a gateway into the human resources profession by encouraging personal and career growth for our student members.
• Mansfield Institute Student Organization (MISO)
• Students for Sensible Drug Policy