How to Get Into Indiana University Bloomington: Acceptance Rate and Strategies
August 12, 2025
In 2025, enthusiasm for Indiana University-Bloomington extends well beyond the Hoosier State. In fact, the majority of the record 67,000+ applications received by IU Bloomington for the Class of 2028 came from out-of-staters and international students; only 54% of those who eventually enrolled were state residents. The school鈥檚 popularity is further evidenced by the 9,600 freshman enrollments seen for the Class of 2028. Accordingly, the Indiana University Bloomington acceptance rate has dropped steadily over the past several years.
Without a doubt, becoming a Hoosier has never been a more common dream for quality applicants from around the globe. To help you gain an edge in the admissions process, we will cover the following topics:
- Indiana University (IU) Bloomington鈥檚 Class of 2028 acceptance rate (plus how to predict your chances with our free admissions calculator)
- Indiana University (IU) Bloomington’s in-state vs. out-of-state acceptance rate
- GPA, class rank, and SAT/ACT scores of enrolled IU-Bloomington applicants
- Admissions trends from the Class of 2028
- IU-Bloomington鈥檚 system for rating applicants
- A look at the demographics of IU-Bloomington undergraduates
- The percentage of accepted students that attend the university (yield rate)
- Tips for applying to IU-Bloomington
- How to assess whether applying to IU-Bloomington is even worth the $65 application fee (for you)
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Indiana University (IU) Bloomington Acceptance Rate 鈥 Class of 2028
For the Class of 2028, Indiana University-Bloomington received a staggering 67,647 applications. Of those Hossier-hopefules, IU accepted 52,907. Therefore, the Indiana University-Bloomington acceptance rate for the Class of 2028 was 78%.
Historical Indiana University acceptance rates are as follows:
| Applicants | Admits | Acceptance Rate | |
| Class of 2027 | 54,279 | 43,624 | 80% |
| Class of 2026 | 50,080 | 41,272 | 82% |
| Class of 2025 | 46,548 | 39,543 | 85% |
| Class of 2024 | 44,129 | 35,469 | 80% |
Indiana University (IU) Bloomington In-State vs. Out-of-State Acceptance Rate
In an interesting twist, the out-of-state acceptance rate is typically higher than the in-state acceptance rate. For the Class of 2028, in-staters were accepted at a 75% rate versus nearly 81% for non-residents.
What GPA do you need to get into IU-Bloomington?
Students who enrolled in the Class of 2028 had an average high school GPA of 3.76. Moreover, 64% of students who submitted GPAs held one that was 3.75+, and just over 40% graduated with a GPA of 4.0 or better.
What class rank do you need to get accepted to IU-Bloomington?
Among enrolled 2024-25 first-year students, 62% placed in the top 25% of their graduating high school class; 29% placed in the top tenth.
What is the minimum SAT or ACT score for IU-Bloomington?
According to Class of 2028 statistics, the mid-50% SAT range for enrolled freshmen was 1180-1390. The mid-50% ACT score was 27-33.
Although IU is test-optional, over half of students submitted test scores alongside their applications.
Admissions Trends & Notes
- 21% of the 2024-25 class identified as a historically marginalized population.
- Between 2023 and 2024, the number of applications rose by 25%.
- The average GPA for admitted students (different from enrolled) was 3.98.
- 54% of the incoming Class of 2028 were Indiana residents.
How IU-Bloomington Rates Applicants
There are four factors that IU-Bloomington ranks as being 鈥渧ery important鈥 to their admissions process: rigor of secondary school record, GPA, class rank, and standardized test scores (although these are now optional). The application essay and standardized test scores are viewed as being 鈥渋mportant.鈥
Straight from the IU admissions office:
- 鈥淎dmission to IU is selective, and we consider factors that emphasize academic performance and preparation, such as the level and rigor of your coursework, the individual grades and cumulative GPA you have earned through these courses, your SAT and/or ACT scores (if applicable), and the additional insights offered through your application essay.鈥
- 鈥淵our cumulative GPA, as well as the grades you have earned in the 34 courses required for admission, will be an important part of the application review process. If your school computes a weighted GPA and includes this GPA on your transcript, we will consider it as part of our review for both the admission and scholarship processes.鈥
- 鈥淎s part of our holistic review process, we may consider supplemental information鈥攚hen provided鈥攕uch as leadership experience, extracurricular activities, community service, work experience, and counselor or teacher recommendations. Please note, however, that letters of recommendation are not required. If you do choose to submit them, we will accept one counselor recommendation and one teacher recommendation.鈥
Who Gets Into IU-Bloomington?
Let鈥檚 look at the demographics of the current undergraduate class.
Geographically, the greatest number of current undergrads tend to hail from the following states (outside of Indiana, which was #1):
- New Jersey
- California
- New York
- Texas
- Michigan
- Ohio
- Florida
- Missouri
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
Competition is harshest among those hailing from states with endless streams of qualified applicants (the entire Northeast & the West Coast). If you come from a less populated state like Alaska, North Dakota, or Montana, your location is more likely to provide a boost to your admissions chances.
Looking at ethnic identity, the breakdown for current undergrads is as follows:
- White: 62%
- Asian: 12.8%
- Hispanic: 9.7%
- African American: 5%
- International: 3.9%
- Two or more races: 5.5%
The countries sending the greatest number of students into the IU-Bloomington undergraduate body are:
- India
- China
- South Korea
- Mexico
- Saudi Arabia
The breakdown by gender for the Class of 2028 is as follows:
- Male: 49%
- Female: 51%
IU-Bloomington鈥檚 Yield Rate
IU-Bloomington鈥檚 yield rate鈥攖he percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admitted鈥攊s 18.1%. For comparison, other popular public universities sport the following yield rates: UIUC (29%), Purdue (23%), and Ohio State (30%).
Tips for Applying to IU-Bloomington
If you plan on joining the 54,000+ Hoosier hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:
- IU Bloomington for the 2025-26 cycle.
- IU offers an early action deadline of November 1 and a regular deadline of February 1.
- Recommendation letters are considered in the IU admissions process.
- IU-Bloomington does not consider 鈥demonstrated interest鈥 so you will not be judged on whether or not you made a campus visit (in non-pandemic times), contacted an admissions officer, etc. Still, given the school鈥檚 lower yield rate (compared to some other comparable schools), it is never a bad idea to reach out to an admissions officer with a question, attend a virtual session, or engage with the school on social media.
- For the 2025-2026 application cycle, there are no supplementary essays for the majority of applicants (with the exception of applicants to the Kelley School of Business).
Should I apply to IU-Bloomington?
Those who fare best in gaining acceptance to IU-Bloomington will boast a transcript of mostly A鈥檚 and B鈥檚 in a fairly rigorous selection of classes. Given their test-optional policy, students with strong transcripts can be successful even without SAT or ACT scores.
However, those aiming to study in certain programs need to bring even more impressive credentials to the table. For example, direct admits to the highly ranked Kelley School of Business are going to require higher grades and test scores than applicants to the College of Arts and Sciences. In order to be eligible for admission to Kelley (without a petition), applicants must have an ACT score of 30, an SAT score of 1370, and an unweighted 3.8 high school GPA.
Indiana University (IU) Bloomington Acceptance Rate 鈥 Final Thoughts
Regardless of their credentials, all college applicants need to develop a balanced college list consisting of multiple 鈥渟afety鈥 and 鈥渢arget鈥 schools to go along with their 鈥渞each鈥/dream schools.
Ready to start putting your college applications together? Consider checking out the following: