Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Statistics

Students Say - Academics
An affordable school that has something to offer everyone, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) serves up "excellent academic programs" that are "academically challenging but not impossible if you make an honest effort." "Music, nursing, and education are the school's greatest strengths," one student says. Others laud the "fantastic fine arts program;" IUP's "very good College of Business;" and solid programs in theater, mathematics, chemistry, criminology, and English. Students here enjoy "awesome professors" who are "concerned with [students'] welfare and academic growth," and the students find their teachers "ridiculously easy to get into contact with-no need to make an appointment." The vast majority of students here are firmly focused on their post-graduation earning potential; they tell us that the school "is about learning to be the best at your career in the future." Students with higher intellectual and academic ambitions usually find their way into the Robert E. Cook Honors College, which "teaches students to think critically, participate in cultural events, and take active roles in the global community." The program has "fewer than 100 students in the freshman class, which means that we can have very small classes. Our professors know who we are and are able to give us more individual attention than would be possible with a larger group."

Students Say - Campus Life
Indiana, Pennsylvania, is the kind of town John Mellencamp would sing about- small, working-class, but not without its charms or bars. In fact, some claim the town "has a lot to offer kids to do. Malls, skating rinks, restaurants, movie theaters, ice hockey rinks, sports events, and campus events keep most of the students busy." Others aren't so sure; one writes, "Indiana is a small town with little to do, especially in the winter, when we get a lot of snow," which is why "people drink," and "when we aren't drinking, we think about the next time we will be drinking." Students concede that "Sometimes IUP gets a bad rap being known as a party school," but they point out that "college is all what you make it. The academic programs are exceptional," and those students "who want no alcohol/drugs involved in their college life whatsoever" will find options available to them, including trips to town, "movies and games," and "outdoor activities when the weather is nice." The school also boasts a "good selection of clubs" that provide a quick way "to meet people." If you need a taste of city life, "Pittsburgh is an hour away by car" and has "lots to do."

Students Say - Student Body
Most IUP undergrads "are from the surrounding small towns," which are "predominantly white," but the school remains "more diverse" than the region (although "less diverse than U.S. Census percentage numbers") by drawing from other areas, including the city of Pittsburgh. Students describe the population as "very mixed," affording "the opportunity to interact with more people" than they would at "many other colleges." "No matter what your interest is, it wouldn't be too hard to find someone that you can share this interest with," one student tells us. Students view themselves as "down-to-earth" and pragmatic; as one explains, "This is the kind of school where intellectual growth is not the primary concern; it seems as if people are interested in getting a degree to get a better job...The few that are here for intellectual growth and enlightenment suffer from an apathetic community."

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