<p>So I am a junior international student and I was doing some college research. I have a friend who's from Indiana and he told me to go to IU Bloomington for college. Before he told me about IU, I never heard of the college. After I did tons of research, I realized Indiana University Bloomington is a great college.</p>
<p>Bloomington's business (Kelley) and music (Jacobs) program is definitely nationally known. Also, the education and psychology/sociology programs are ranked top 20? (correct me if I am wrong...they seem like good programs whatever the ranking)</p>
<p>With so many great programs, TONS of variation in majors, great social scene, etc...WHY IS IU BLOOMINGTON RANKED 83 ON USNEWS RANKINGS. I constantly thought that usnews was just basing the rankings on a system not of my taste...but other rankings don't have IU even in the top 50.</p>
<p>What is this madness?</p>
<p>Is it actually a rank 83 school?</p>
<p>I heard that it is because the school is big and...I am not sure.</p>
<p>University of Florida and University of Michigan are two HUGE schools that I can think of that are ranked a lot higher than IU...especially Michigan.</p>
<p>IU’s low ranking is due, I believe, to its low admission standards and resulting low retention and graduation rates compared to other state flagships, especially those of Michigan.</p>
<p>Graduation & retention:
IU’s 4-year graduation rate of 50% would be well outside the top 50. The USNWR #51 national university (Boston U.) has a 4 year graduation rate of 80%.</p>
<p>“Great social scene” would be hard to measure objectively, and is not among the USNWR criteria.</p>
<p>I see I see…so why is the acceptance rate so high…</p>
<p>I live in South Korea and even though I don’t have the greatest academic statistics…the standards of me going to at least a decently known school (name reputation) is expected. The thing is…I would love to but IU seems good too…I just wish it was ranked higher and known more so my parents could be satisfied? My parents aren’t like typical parents “GO TO IVY LEAGUES” so it’s all good…I just wish IU was a bit higher :)</p>
<p>How so?
Do you mean that they aren’t based on criteria that you consider important?</p>
<p>I do think many prospective students find the individual statistics useful. For example, many people want to know how selective a school is, so they can assess their own admission chances (or judge the caliber of students attending that school). Many prospective students care about such things as average class sizes or graduation rates, too.</p>
<p>State universities exist primarily to serve students in their own states. Many of the state schools with lower admit rates are in more populous states on the East or West coasts (California, NY, etc.) The San Francisco area has a large population of high-achieving Asian American students, for whom Berkeley is a popular first choice (or back-up to super selective private schools like the Ivies). In other words, demographic factors influence admit rates.</p>
<p>“University of Florida and University of Michigan are two HUGE schools that I can think of that are ranked a lot higher than IU…especially Michigan.”</p>
<p>I guess that means they are better, especially Michigan. :-)</p>
<p>Because there are lots of very good schools in the US. Something many seem to forget. Being 83 out of 3000 means you are top 3%. I’d be pretty happy being in the Top 3% in everything in life.</p>
<p>Look at UIUC, it has acceptance rate of 67 % but has average SAT of 1970. This means only high achieving students apply there. Also, the college readiness of high school students are better than the national average at Illinois. Same case with IU-Bloomington.</p>
<p>Random fact: The state of Illinois has average SAT of 1800, that’s amazing. (2011)</p>
<p>Most in Illinois take the ACT ( I think all hs grads have to take it) so most that also take the SAT are typically applying to highly selective schools in the east. low % of total.</p>
<p>And to build upon barrons’ point, Illinois’ average ACT score in 2012 was 20.9 which is below the national average of 21.1. But just as Illinois’ SAT score is inflated because fewer kids take it, their ACT score is deflated because 100% of HS graduates take it even if they have no intention of going to college. [2012</a> ACT National and State Scores | Average Scores by State | ACT](<a href=“http://www.act.org/newsroom/data/2012/states.html]2012”>http://www.act.org/newsroom/data/2012/states.html)</p>
<p>IU stands out in the business and music sector. kelley and jacobs are widely known, but the rest of the school has mediocre academics. US news is based holistically, now if you are looking at businessweek undergrad rankings, you will see kelley. the curriculum of the school is good, but admissions standards are not very selective. that is another factor.</p>
<p>Michigan is not really comparable, it is on another level above state flagships (same is true for Cal and UVA). Also its undergrad is smaller than IU’s. </p>
<p>I think its best to look at IU and Purdue are combined as one huge state school for Indiana, with Purdue focused on Engineering, Ag, sciences, and IU more on liberal arts and business. There is some overlap. Music at IU is off the charts.</p>
<p>I think IU is a great school for B students, and there is nothing wrong with that. B students run the world in many cases anyway, right?</p>
<p>IU has strong English and journalism programs and, in fact, is excellent in most areas. It also has a gorgeous campus and really nice people! And did I mention basketball?</p>