Indiana University-Bloomington

Public · Moderately Selective · IN

Photo: MARELBU (CC BY 3.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationIN · Midwest

SettingUrban

Undergrads37,806

Student:faculty18:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate69.3%

6-yr grad rate80.2%

Drop-out rate8.9%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$12k

Out-of-state tuition$42k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity34.7%

Gender diversity49.9%

International4.5%

Identity—

Overview

Indiana University Bloomington is the state's flagship, set on a limestone-and-woodland campus regularly ranked among the most beautiful in the country, with landmark features like the Sample Gates and a campus core built largely from local Indiana limestone. It carries the scale and research depth typical of a major public flagship while maintaining an unusually strong undergraduate culture of tradition and school identity that shows up everywhere from its music school to its bike race.

Academics

The Kelley School of Business and the Jacobs School of Music are the two most nationally recognized draws, each with a reputation that extends well beyond the university as a whole; Jacobs in particular is regarded as one of the finest music schools in the country, with conservatory-level training inside a large public university. The School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs are both well-regarded and less widely known outside admissions circles. Kelley's undergraduate curriculum builds toward an integrated core sequence taken as a cohort, a structure distinct from a typical business major. The Hutton Honors College gives students smaller seminars inside the larger university.

Campus & student life

Bloomington is a classic, self-contained college town, and traditions like the Little 500 bike race, made famous by the film Breaking Away, give the school an identity distinct from generic Big Ten sports culture, even as football and a storied basketball program remain central to campus life. Greek life is large and visible, and the Indiana Memorial Union anchors a campus social scene built around the idea that a big university can still feel personal. Housing options range from traditional dorms to Greek houses to off-campus apartments within walking distance of downtown Bloomington.

Getting in

Indiana's process is holistic but manages a large applicant pool, with particular attention paid to intended major for direct-admit programs like Kelley and Jacobs, both of which are meaningfully more competitive than general admission to the university. Jacobs applicants go through a formal audition process on top of standard academic review, and Kelley increasingly expects demonstrated interest in business coursework or activities.

After graduation

Kelley graduates place strongly into finance, consulting, and corporate business roles nationally, drawing heavy recruiting attention from major firms, while Jacobs produces working orchestral musicians, opera singers, and music academics at a level unusual for a public university's music program. The broader university maintains a large, active alumni network concentrated in the Midwest but genuinely national in reach.

Worth knowing

Direct admission to Kelley or Jacobs is meaningfully more competitive than general IU admission, and applicants aiming for those schools should treat them as a distinct, higher bar rather than an automatic add-on once enrolled. Prospective music students should also know the Jacobs audition process runs on its own timeline, often earlier than standard application deadlines, and needs to be planned for well in advance.

iu.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate78.2%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1170–1400 · ACT 27–33

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early actionNov 1

Regular decisionFeb 1

Applying (2026-27 cycle)

Apply through Common App or Own application.

Priority / scholarshipNov 1

Early Action is non-binding and gives the strongest admission and scholarship consideration; applications after February 1 are only reviewed on a space-available basis.

Supplemental essays (1)

IU-specific essay (Apply IU applicants)
In 200–400 words, describe your academic and career plans and any special interest (for example, undergraduate research, academic interests, leadership opportunities, etc.) that you are eager to pursue as an undergraduate at Indiana University. Also, if you encountered any unusual circumstances, challenges, or obstacles in pursuit of your education, you may share those experiences and how you overcame them.
400 words · Required · 200-400 words. Required only when applying through the Apply IU application; Common App applicants complete the standard Common App personal essay instead of this prompt.

Verified from the school’s admissions pages ↗