Indiana University-Bloomington: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Ames, Indiana · Public · Open access · CDS 2024-2025
Indiana University-Bloomington is a public university in Ames, Indiana that admits about 89% of applicants, making it a open access school. The average family pays about $18,165 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Business Administration, Management and Operations, Mechanical Engineering and Marketing, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 75% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 2.4 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Indiana University-Bloomington is a public institution located in Ames, Indiana. For the most recent reporting cycle, Indiana University-Bloomington admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 89%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1199 and an ACT composite around 25. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $18,165 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Indiana University-Bloomington is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Indiana University-Bloomington?
Indiana University-Bloomington has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Indiana University-Bloomington weight in admissions?
Indiana University-Bloomington reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2024-2025). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Academic GPA
- • Standardized test scores
- • Class rank
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Interview
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Character/personal qualities
- • Geographical residence
- • State residency
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
- • Level of applicant's interest
SAT and ACT scores Indiana University-Bloomington typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 560–690, with an EBRW midpoint near 595. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 21–28. Many applicants here submit scores; even slightly below the average can be competitive when combined with a strong GPA and curriculum.
| 25th percentile | 1130 |
| 50th percentile | 1250 |
| 75th percentile | 1350 |
| % submitting SAT | 13% |
| 25th percentile | 21 |
| 50th percentile | 24 |
| 75th percentile | 28 |
| % submitting ACT | 46% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
How much does Indiana University-Bloomington actually cost?
Published tuition is $10,497 for in-state students and $27,683 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $9,726 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $18,165 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 18% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $9,252 |
| Out-of-state tuition | $27,346 |
| Room and board | $10,808 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $18,165 |
| Application fee | $40 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Indiana University-Bloomington
| Reply deadline | May 1 |
| Rolling admissions | Yes |
Will my child graduate from Indiana University-Bloomington?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Indiana University-Bloomington
The most popular undergraduate programs at Indiana University-Bloomington, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Business Administration, Management and Operations, Mechanical Engineering and Marketing. Across all programs, Indiana University-Bloomington confers roughly 2,323 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Business Administration, Management and Operations program report a median income of about $78,149 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 418 | $78,149 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 406 | $88,697 |
| Marketing | 300 | $68,459 |
| Computer Engineering | 295 | $111,313 |
| Animal Sciences | 241 | $55,971 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 225 | $75,665 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 221 | $55,046 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 217 | $61,453 |
Is Indiana University-Bloomington safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Indiana University-Bloomington disclosed 61 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 2.4 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 4 violent offenses and 23 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at Indiana University-Bloomington?
About 31% of undergraduates at Indiana University-Bloomington live in campus housing, so a meaningful share of students commute or live off campus. In Greek life, 17% of men join a fraternity and 18% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in Indiana parents ask about
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Indiana University-Bloomington
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Indiana University-Bloomington recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Indiana University-Bloomington
What GPA do I need for Indiana University-Bloomington?
Indiana University-Bloomington has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission.
What SAT or ACT score does Indiana University-Bloomington typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 560–690, with an EBRW midpoint near 595. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 21–28.
How much does Indiana University-Bloomington actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Indiana University-Bloomington after grants and scholarships is $18,165 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Indiana University-Bloomington realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Indiana University-Bloomington is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Indiana University-Bloomington?
Indiana University-Bloomington accepts about 89% of applicants out of roughly 23,095 who apply each year. It admits the majority of qualified applicants.
Is Indiana University-Bloomington test-optional?
Yes. Indiana University-Bloomington is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at Indiana University-Bloomington?
About 75% of students at Indiana University-Bloomington graduate within six years. 88% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
What does Indiana University-Bloomington look for in applicants?
Indiana University-Bloomington rates course rigor and GPA as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Indiana University-Bloomington a public or private school, and where is it located?
Indiana University-Bloomington is a public institution located in Ames, Indiana.
What are the most popular majors at Indiana University-Bloomington?
The largest undergraduate majors at Indiana University-Bloomington by annual graduates are Business Administration, Management and Operations, Mechanical Engineering and Marketing. The school awards about 2,323 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Indiana University-Bloomington safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Indiana University-Bloomington reported 61 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 2.4 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Indiana University-Bloomington?
At Indiana University-Bloomington, 31% of undergraduates live on campus, 17% of men are in fraternities, 18% of women are in sororities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Indiana University-Bloomington, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.