Indiana University is located in Bloomington, a friendly city of approximately 80,000 people in the beautiful hills of southern Indiana.
Your student will love exploring our lively, diverse community on and around campus. Bloomington is an incredibly welcoming place, and Indiana residents—we all call ourselves “Hoosiers”—are known for their hospitality across the U.S. While your student is here, IU is home, and we hope someday you can visit IU, too.
IU and Bloomington have a vibe and energy like nowhere else. Your student will be comfortable in Bloomington, which is home to people from around the world. Our city has several international food markets, events such as the annual Lotus World Music and Arts Festival, and about 40 ethnic restaurants that serve food from different countries.
Several cultural centers reflect the diversity of IU and Bloomington, too. These centers are gathering places for students and community members, and they introduce students to other beliefs and ways of life.
Your student may be nervous about moving to another country and beginning college. That’s a normal feeling, even for students moving a few hours away. That’s why there are two important IU events to help everyone adjust to life here.
International student orientation takes place before classes begin. Your student will get their paperwork in order, register for classes, meet other international students, and get comfortable with IU and Bloomington.
Welcome Week is held in August, as all students prepare for the fall semester. Its exciting activities and traditions will help your student meet other U.S. and international students and begin to feel like an IU student.
Your student will always be able to find something interesting or entertaining to do at IU or in Bloomington.
IU has more than 750 student organizations, where students can pursue their interests, make friends, and gain leadership experience. About 35 organizations have an international focus or connection. There are groups for students from Africa, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, and many other countries and regions.
The Office of International Services offers a variety of ways for your student to find their place in the campus community, including international and multicultural student organizations, language practice sessions, and virtual concerts performed by international students. Each fall, we host a campus celebration of International Education Week with dozens of international-themed events, including IU World’s Fare and a photo contest.
See how your student can connectFirst-year undergraduate students are required to live on campus. Other students can choose to live on or off campus.
IU’s 24 residence halls and apartment buildings offer dining, high-speed wireless internet, fully furnished rooms, and more.
Your student can also request to live in one of IU’s learning communities. Each learning community has a focus such as business, computers, visual arts, or international culture.
Learn more about housingYour student can attend services from any of the more than 40 religious denominations in Bloomington. There is a mosque serving the Muslim community, a campus Hillel organization for Jewish students, and an international Buddhist community. There are also dozens of Protestant churches and three Catholic churches in town.
Bloomington has a temperate climate with four distinct seasons. Average high temperatures range from about 30 degrees Celsius in July to about 3 degrees Celsius in January. We get an average of 112 centimeters of precipitation each year, including 48 centimeters of snow.
