Is IU Online Legit [Accreditation, Rankings, Majors, Aid, etc.]

Indiana University – Bloomington (IU Bloomington) is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana.

Founded in 1820 and ranked #72 in National Universities by US News, it’s the flagship school of Indiana University (IU), which has an online campus for non-traditional students and adult learners.

IU Online is an accredited school on the internet. It offers more than 200 online programs, over 60 of which are undergraduate programs. Students enrolled in the online school are each assigned an IU campus, where they have access to student resources.

There are more than 8,220 students attending IU Online.

Thinking about working on a college degree over the internet?

Read on to learn more about this online campus of IU. By the time you are through checking out this article, hopefully, you will have a much better idea of whether or not it’s the right online school for you.

Indiana University Online Accreditation

Indiana University Online is a regionally accredited institution.

That’s because its accreditor, which is HLC, is one of six regional institutional accrediting agencies existing in the US.

The most recognized form of college or university accreditation in the country comes from regional accrediting agencies.

Sometimes, it’s not enough to check that an online school you wish to add to your college list is accredited.

It’s also a good idea to figure out beforehand whether it’s regionally or nationally accredited.

First things first: both regional and national accreditations are recognized and thus considered legit.

However, regional accreditation, compared to national accreditation, tends to have more rigorous quality standards than national accreditation.

As a result of this, credits earned from a regionally accredited school, such as Indiana University Online, are more widely accepted and thus highly transferable to other institutions with regional accreditation.

Besides credits, undergraduate degrees earned from a regionally accredited institution are more likely to get accepted by graduate schools, including especially selective and prestigious ones.

One of the main challenges of applying to an online college or university is ensuring that it’s not a diploma mill.

Making the mistake of attending a diploma mill is a no-no for someone who wants to earn a degree and, eventually, get a high-paying job.

That’s because the degrees it confers are worthless — employers do not honor them.

As mentioned earlier, Indiana University Online is accredited by HLC.

Founded in 1895, HLC accredits many different degree-granting educational institutions located in the North Central region, which includes Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and, of course, Indiana.

Unlike the make-believe accreditors of diploma mills, the one responsible for the accreditation of the Bloomington, Indiana-based online school is fully recognized by the US Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

History of Indiana University Online

Indiana University was established in 1820, making it the second-oldest state university in the US.

However, it was only in 1989 when the public research university offered its first online class.

Now, Indiana University Online has over 200 online programs and, as of this writing, nearly 8,000 students.

As a part of the Indiana University system, the online programs and courses offered by Indiana University Online are also developed and taught by the faculty members who teach on the system’s seven campuses.

This means that the online programs earned from it are the same as the programs earned by on-campus students.

Upon completion of your chosen online program, you will receive a diploma that says “Indiana University” and not “Indiana University Online”.

The same is true for the transcript you will get — it will have no indicator that you attended the institution via the internet.

So, in other words, it’s just like you went to Indiana University as a traditional student.

One of the nicest things about Indiana University Online is that you can attend it no matter where you are in the US or on the planet.

48% of students from the country are out-of-state and there are students from 67 countries.

What is Indiana University Online Known For?

Indiana University Online is particularly known for its Business and Psychology bachelor’s programs. It is also known for its various graduate programs, including Education and Business Administration.

Unlike other online schools, Indiana University Online students enroll at their preferred home campuses.

Being a part of the flagship institution of Indiana makes Indiana University Online easily recognizable.

Another thing that sets it apart from other online schools is that attendees have a home campus — Bloomington, East, Kokomo, Indianapolis, Northwest, South Bend or Southeast.

Needless to say, application requirements, cost of attendance and academic calendar can vary from one home campus to the next.

It’s important to choose the right campus if you are planning to earn a degree from Indiana University Online because you will practically become an attendee of it.

As a matter of fact, you will be given access to the many different resources of your home campus, which you can leverage to your advantage as you work on your chosen online degree.

The school is also known for having various highly ranked online programs — there are those for undergraduate and graduate students as well as for veterans.

In a few, we will talk about some of the rankings of Indiana University Online’s programs — so keep reading if you want to have the best possible online learning experience.

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Indiana University Online?

The cost of earning a degree from Indiana University Online can vary from program to program or whether the student is in-state or out-of-state.

Typically, Indiana residents pay $235.59 to $306.67 per credit hour, while students from elsewhere in the country or on the planet pay $340.92 to $1,131.07 per credit hour.

Based on the figures above, an online bachelor’s degree from Indiana University Online can have a total cost ranging from as low as $40,910.40 to as high as $135,728.40.

Many students who want a degree are quick to assume that earning it online is so much cheaper.

Unfortunately, that is not always the case. It’s true that attending Indiana University Online does not involve using physical classrooms and other facilities, which means less expense.

However, there are still other expenses such as new technologies, expanded student services, instructional design and remote proctoring.

Despite this, an undergraduate degree from Indiana University earned online is cheaper than one earned from it in the traditional manner, whose estimated cost can range anywhere from $109,824.00 to $220,512.00.

Does Indiana University Online Accept Financial Aid?

Indiana University Online offers a variety of financial aid opportunities for students enrolled in graduate and undergraduate degree programs.

They include scholarships, grants and student loans. Up to 78% of students receive financial aid each year, each one receiving an average of $11,213 in awards.

Filling out the FAFSA is of utmost importance, especially for students from low-income backgrounds.

It’s the first step to take by those who wish to qualify for federal financial aid as well as institutional and private aid — many colleges and universities as well as private organizations use the FAFSA when determining the eligibility of students.

The FAFSA becomes available starting October 1. Meanwhile, a month in advance, September 1, the IU General Scholarship Application becomes available.

Simply put, it allows Indiana University students, including those who are taking online courses from the school, to explore available scholarship opportunities.

However, it’s not just undergraduate and graduate students at Indiana University Online that can take advantage of institutional scholarships.

Faculty and staff members of the Indiana University system who are taking online classes can also enjoy them by means of the IU Employee Tuition Benefit.

By the way, a student’s financial aid eligibility is based on enrollment at his or her chosen home campus.

Does Indiana University Online Offer Special Benefits for Military Personnel?

Past or current US service members or their dependents may be able to take advantage of military education benefits offered by Indiana University Online.

Through the school’s Center for Veteran and Military Students, active US service members and veterans can determine their eligibility for benefits.

Since its founding in 1820, Indiana University has been supporting military service and veteran education.

And this extends to those who are interested in completing degrees at Indiana University Online today — military benefits are just some of the various forms of financial aid available at the online institution.

In order to be considered for military education benefits, applying to Indiana University Online is the first step.

It is also recommended for active service members, veterans and their dependents to fill out the FAFSA even if they are planning on using their military education benefits to pay for college in order to receive the maximum amount of aid.

What GPA Do You Need to Get Into Indiana University Online?

Like most traditional and online schools, Indiana University Online does not have any published minimum GPA applicants have to meet.

Since some Indiana University campuses require applicants to have a GPA of at least 2.0, it’s safe to assume that having a 2.0 GPA or higher may increase admissions chances.

It’s not uncommon for different programs being offered by a particular college or university to have different eligibility requirements interested students should meet.

According to its admissions office itself, Indiana University Online wants to make it easy for incoming freshmen undergraduate students to apply through the IU Online application.

So much so that it can be completed from start to finish in just around 10 minutes. And unlike some other application forms, it comes free of charge.

But before you apply, you can have an idea of what it’s like to take a course from Indiana University Online.

This can be done through what the online school refers to as the IU Online Test Drive, which will require you to create an account so that you may be able to preview various online courses, some of which include Principles of Business Administration, Western Civilization I, Hispanic Sociolinguistics, and Women and Literature.

How Many Transfer Credits Does Indiana University Online Accept?

Students who are applying for an online undergraduate degree offered by Indiana University Online can transfer as many as 64 eligible credits earned from an accredited community college.

Meanwhile, they can transfer up to 90 eligible credits earned from a regionally accredited four-year institution.

Earlier, we established the fact that regional accreditation is better than national accreditation, and one of the perks that come with it is the easy transfer of earned credits.

This benefit becomes very clear when applying to Indiana University Online.

If you have credits earned from a college or university with regional accreditation, Indiana University Online can accept up to a maximum of 90 of them.

That’s equivalent to 75% of all credits you will have to complete in order to earn a bachelor’s degree.

Needless to say, you can be as little as two semesters away from graduating!

Indiana University Online has a Credit Transfer Service that can help you transfer credits you have already worked hard for and ensure that you will only take the courses you need.

How Many Students Attend Indiana University Online?

As of the last academic year, there are a total of 7,877 students enrolled at Indiana University Online. Of those, 37% are taking undergraduate degrees.

Meanwhile, 63% of attendees are taking graduate degrees. Since 2017, the number of students attending Indiana University Online has increased by 68%.

Earlier, it was mentioned that Indiana University Online is a part of Indiana’s flagship institution.

Besides being the crown jewel school of the Hoosier State, it is also the largest university in the state population-wise — it is home to more than 40,000 degree-seeking students.

It’s not just the physical campuses of Indiana University that are populated but also its virtual campus.

As of this writing, there are nearly 8,000 students attending it, although it’s important to note that there were a total of 8,224 students at Indiana University Online the previous year.

Around 52% of all students at Indiana University Online are residents of the state of Indiana — the rest are from other US states and outside the country.

According to the online school itself, its studentry represents more than 60 countries all over the planet, which makes Indiana University Online a global institution.

Some students attending Indiana University physically are also taking one or more online classes at Indiana University Online — they make up 52% of the total population.

How Much Time is Spent Online by Indiana University Online Students?

Indiana University Online students can expect to spend about 12 to 14 hours per week for every course, which consists of three credit hours.

While most classes are 16 weeks long, there are also six-, eight- and 12-week options. The majority of classes at Indiana University Online are mostly 100% online and asynchronous.

Because courses at Indiana University Online are the same courses at any Indiana University campus, it’s still a must for non-traditional students to devote enough time and energy to their studies as traditional students.

The good news is that 100% online classes at Indiana University Online are mainly asynchronous.

So, in other words, you can access your courses only when it’s convenient for you — it’s completely up to you to come up with the most practical study schedule, which will enable you to spend the recommended 12 to 14 hours per week per course.

However, it’s important to note that there will be due dates to follow.

There are some classes at Indiana University Online that are not 100% online.

For instance, some classes may require students to come to their respective home campuses for at least one meeting, such as to take exams or attend an orientation.

Some classes, on the other hand, may require students to attend live video classes.

What is the Ranking of Indiana University Online?

Many of Indiana University Online’s programs are highly ranked by US News.

Some of those with #1 rankings are General Management MBA and Business Analytics MBA programs.

The college ranker ranks the online school #29 in Best Online Bachelor’s Programs and #40 in Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans.

It’s true that you should take college rankings with a grain of salt. However, considering a highly ranked institution or program can give you peace of mind that your resume will not look ordinary.

Indiana University Online shares the #29 in Best Online Bachelor’s Programs ranking by US News with other colleges and universities offering online undergraduate programs.

They include Charleston Southern University, Pace University, the University of Alabama – Birmingham, and the University of Illinois – Springfield.

Online bachelor’s programs available such as Psychology and Business are ranked #8 and #17, respectively.

US News also ranks Indiana University Online #40 in Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans.

There are many highly ranked graduate programs from Indiana University Online by US News:

• #1 in Best Online Master’s in Business Programs (Excluding MBA)
• #1 in Best Online MBA Programs
• #1 in Best Online Finance MBA Programs
• #1 in Best Online General Management MBA Programs
• #1 in Best Online Master’s in Educational/Instructional Media Design Programs

Is Indiana University Online Accredited

There is no denying that Indiana University Online is not a diploma mill. Besides being accredited by a US Department of Education- and CHEA- recognized regional accrediting agency, it is also a part of the flagship institution of the State of Indiana, which is Indiana University.

Indiana University Online offers certificates as well as undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Before you include Indiana University Online on your college list, consider its cost of attendance, types of online classes and programs offered, and weigh their pros and cons.

See if the benefits of attending it outshine the perks of attending another accredited and reliable online institution.

There are other good online schools, and you can read more about our top 20 list here.

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