How IU Indianapolis Supports College Access

Discussions about attitudes towards higher education in Indiana often highlight the fact that the college-going rate in the Hoosier state has declined from 65% to 53% over the last decade. Kudos to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (ICHE) for examining the factors that influence Hoosier attitudes towards higher education and for translating these into helpful strategies that can be implemented. Click here for a summary of these findings.  The findings are interesting, timely, actionable, hence useful.

Key Takeaways:

• Over 80% of high school students and 86% of parents believe education beyond high school is important.
• Nearly 80% of high school students and 81% of parents see higher education as a worthwhile investment.
• High school students and their parents associate higher education with success that leads to better careers and jobs that nurture a sense of accomplishment for students, and peace of mind for parents.
• Cost—including tuition, books, and fees—is the most significant barrier.
• The second most important barrier is a lack of knowledge about careers to pursue, followed by personal anxieties and fears.
• A third of respondents do not believe the reported in-state tuition costs and almost all believe that the cost of higher education is significantly higher than the reported tuition.
• Despite concerns, 80% of high school students and their parents believe they can find a way to pay for their student's education.
• Parents and guardians are more influential in the choices made by their children than they believe themselves to be, and career coaching and guidance in selecting a career is a real top challenge cited by parents and students.

ICHE’s efforts to improve parent engagement through the Indiana Pre-Admissions program, Career Coaching grants, and career discovery meetings helps us all. In addition, in 2023, thanks to the launch of the automatic enrollment for the 21^st Century Scholars Program, enrollment into this program grew by over 20,000 students!

For our part, as the public, urban, R1 ranked research university in the state, we are committed to reducing the bureaucracy in higher education, simplifying the admissions process, and helping our learners better understand the actual tuition and fees associated with earning a 4-year degree. More to come through these weekly blogs on ways IU Indy is connecting with parents and students to demystify college, but for this week, did you know that:

• IU Indy has agreements with 25 Indianapolis high schools to automatically admit students with a 3.0+ GPA—no application required. Students only need to submit a simple acceptance form. This initiative has been well received, and more schools are eager to participate.

• At IU Indy, tuition and fees per year are around $11,000 (some programs like Nursing cost more and average $15,500).

• Notably, 80% of resident undergraduate students receive some form of financial aid.

• If you remove aid that comes with a repayment obligation of some kind, over 68% of our students at IU Indy receive some form of gift aid (includes campus-based, donor funded, Federal, or State aid via scholarships or grants, where there is no repayment obligation).

• All forms of aid help to reduce the actual out-of-pocket funds needed to graduate with a 4 year degree.

IU Indy is committed to reducing barriers and ensuring students and families understand their opportunities. Stay tuned for more updates on how we’re making college more accessible.

Go Jags!

Latha Ramchand
Chancellor