Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis

IUPUI is home to several education programs that date to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These institutions include medical, dental, nursing, physical education, law and art schools. While they began as independent operations, the institutions were later acquired by Indiana University and became a part of IUPUI when it opened in 1969.[12]

The Normal College of the American Gymnastic Union had been in operation since 1866, first in New York, then Milwaukee, and in 1907 finally moving to space in the east wing of the historic Indianapolis building, the Athenæum (Das Deutsche Haus).[13][14] This school trained physical education teachers for schools across the country. An affiliation began in September 1932 between the two institutions: the Normal College and Indiana University. Indiana University incorporated the school in 1941 as a department, calling it the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation of Indiana University, where freshmen and sophomores would spend those years at the Indianapolis campus, and shift to the Bloomington campus in their junior and senior years. This merger therefore brought into Indiana University the oldest American institution for the training of teachers of physical and health education and recreation, called the School of Physical Education of IUPUI as of 1973. Today the school is known as the IU School of Physical Education and Tourism Management.[15]

The Indiana Dental College opened in 1879 following the passage of a law by the Indiana legislature requiring dentists to show proof that they had graduated from a professional dental college or university. At the time, there were few such colleges in the United States and none operating within Indiana. The need for such an institution was met with the creation of the Indiana Dental College in Indianapolis, the first such institution in the state. The college operated independently until 1925, when it was acquired by Indiana University.

Several early law schools combined into what is now known as the Indiana University School of Law Indianapolis. The earliest of these, the Indiana Law School, opened in 1894, soon followed by the Indianapolis College of Law in 1898 and the American Central Law School around 1900. In 1914, the latter two, the Indianapolis and American Central law schools, merged under the name, Benjamin Harrison Law School. In 1936, the Indiana and Benjamin Harrison law schools coalesced, taking the name, the Indiana Law School. This institution then affiliated with Indiana University in 1944.

The IU School of Medicine is a mix of several early medical colleges: In 1869, the Medical College of Indiana opened in Indianapolis. In 1879, two more medical schools opened—the Central College of Physicians and Surgeons in Indianapolis and the Fort Wayne College of Medicine. In 1905, the three colleges merged under the name Medical College of Indiana. Meanwhile, IU Bloomington's own medical program began in 1903. In 1906, a fifth medical school, the State College of Physicians and Surgeons began operation in the state. This program merged with IU in 1907. Then in 1908, IU acquired the Medical College of Indiana. That same year, IU relocated its medical studies program to Indianapolis.

The School of Nursing opened in 1913 as the Indiana University Training School for Nurses. It had originally been a department within the IU School of Medicine, and become its own autonomous academic college in 1965.

The John Herron Art Institute opened in 1902, an effort of the Art Association of Indianapolis. The Institute was the result of a large monetary gift from real estate investor John Herron, and housed both a museum and art school. In 1967, Indiana University acquired the art school and renamed it the Herron School of Art & Design. The museum operates separately as the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

In addition to these early schools, both Indiana University and Purdue University had formerly operated extension centers in Indianapolis. Indiana University began offering informal extension courses in 1891, establishing its downtown Indianapolis extension center in 1916. Purdue University opened an extension center in Indianapolis during the fall of 1946 to provide a site in Indianapolis for students to begin their undergraduate studies prior to transferring to the West Lafayette main campus to complete their degrees.[16]

For more information on the schools that came to form today's IUPUI, see Ralph Gray, IUPUI: The Making of an Urban University.[17]

The Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, located in Inlow Hall.

• Herron School of Art and Design
  • Departments of:
    • Fine Arts (Art Education, Art History, Art Therapy, Ceramics, Furniture Design, Painting, Photography, Printmaking and Sculpture)
    • Visual Communication Design
• Kelley School of Business
• School of Dentistry
  • Departments of:
    • Endodontics
    • Oral Biology
    • Oral Pathology, Medicine, and Radiology
    • Oral Surgery and Hospital Dentistry
    • Orthodontics and Oral Facial Genetics
    • Pediatric Dentistry
    • Periodontics and Allied Dental Programs (composed of Peridontics, Dental Hygiene, and Dental Assisting)
    • Preventive Community Dentistry/Oral Health Research Institute
    • Restorative Dentistry (composed of Prosthodontics, Operative Dentistry, and Dental Biomaterials)
• School of Education
  • Departments of: Elementary Education (includes Physical Education and Music Education) • Secondary Education (includes Natural Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Social Sciences, Language Arts, Foreign Languages)
• IU Fairbanks School of Public Health
• IU School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
  • Departments of:
    • Health Sciences
    • Nutrition and Dietetics
    • Occupational Therapy
    • Physical Therapy

The Informatics Building on the IUPUI campus

• IU School of Informatics and Computing
  • Departments of: Human-Centered Computing, BioHealth Informatics, and Library and Information Science.
• IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law
• IU School of Liberal Arts
  • Departments of:
    • Anthropology
    • Communication Studies
    • Economics
    • English
    • General Studies
    • Geography
    • History
    • Journalism and Public Relations
    • Philosophy
    • Political Science
    • Religious Studies
    • Sociology
    • World Languages and Cultures
    • Museum Studies
• IU School of Medicine
  • Departments of:
    • Anatomy and Cell Biology
    • Anesthesia
    • Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
    • Cellular and Integrative Physiology
    • Dermatology
    • Family Medicine
    • Medical and Molecular Genetics
    • Internal Medicine
    • Pediatrics
    • Microbiology and Immunology
    • Neurology
    • Obstetrics and Gynecology
    • Ophthalmology
    • General Surgery and other Surgical specialties
    • Otolaryngology
    • Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
    • Pharmacology and Toxicology
    • Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
    • Psychiatry
    • Radiation Oncology
    • Radiology
    • Urology
• IU School of Nursing
• IU School of Physical Education and Tourism Management
  • Departments of:
    • Exercise Science and Kinesiology (includes Exercise Physiology and Biomechanical Sciences)
    • Military Science
    • Tourism, Conventions, and Event Management
• O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs
  • Departments of:
    • Public Affairs
    • Criminal Justice and Public Safety
    • Indiana University Public Policy Institute[18]
    • SPEA Executive Education Program[19]
• IU School of Social Work
  • offering a BSW, MSW, and PhD program. MSW concentrations include: school social work; child welfare; leadership; mental health and addictions; children and families; and healthcare social work.
• IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy

• Purdue School of Engineering and Technology
  • • Biomedical Engineering
    • Computer Engineering
    • Electrical Engineering
    • Energy Engineering
    • Interdisciplinary Engineering
    • Mechanical Engineering
  • • Computer Engineering Technology
    • Computer and Information Technology
    • Computer Graphics Technology
    • Construction Management
    • Electrical Engineering Technology
    • Healthcare Engineering Technology Management
    • Interior Design Technology
    • Mechanical Engineering Technology
    • Motorsports Engineering
    • Music Technology
    • Music Therapy
    • Organizational Leadership
    • Technical Communications
• Purdue School of Science
  • Departments of:
    • Biology
    • Chemistry and Chemical Biology
    • Forensic & Investigative Sciences Program
    • Computer and Information Science
    • Earth Sciences
    • Mathematical Sciences
    • Physics
    • Psychology (including Neuroscience)

• The U.S. News & World Report 2022 edition of "Best Colleges" ranked the university tied for 196th among national universities and tied for 99th among public universities, tied for 46th in the "Most Innovative Schools" category, 67th in "Best Value Schools", and tied for 114th in "Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs" [29]

• The 2022 Niche College Rankings ranked the university 187th among public universities in America. [30]

• The Washington Monthly 2021 edition of "National University Rankings" ranked the university tied for 190th among national universities. [31]

• The 2021 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) ranked the university 301st-400th internationally and 90th-110th nationally. [32]

• The 2021 Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) ranked the university 387th internationally and 114th nationally. [33]

IUPUI has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1972. Many individual programs at IUPUI are accredited by discipline-specific accreditors.

Sustainability efforts began at IUPUI in the early 1990s with the development of a paper-recycling program. In 2005, the efforts became more formal through the development of an interdisciplinary campus coalition, with the formation of the IUPUI Office of Sustainability[49] in 2011. The Office of Sustainability was formed to create a culture of campus sustainability and to make IUPUI a place where students, faculty and staff are engaged in research, teaching and learning about urban sustainability and its best practices. IUPUI has been named a Tree Campus USA for its campus forest management.[50]

The Office of Sustainability conducts recycling and waste reduction programs; initiated energy savings projects including LEED Gold Certification achieved by the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Eye Institute and solar photovoltaic panels on the IU Kelley School of Business; implemented pollution prevention programs; created sustainable transportation on campus including the installation of bike maintenance stations and additional bike racks, supporting the development of a bike hub and establishing a partnership with Zip Cars; and developed an IUPUI Sustainability Certificate for students.[50]

LEED is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and certification provides independent verification of a building’s green features. Several buildings on the IUPUI campus are LEED certified:[51]

• Eugene and Marilyn Glick Eye Institute (LEED Gold Certification)
• Science and Engineering Laboratory Building (LEED Silver Certification)
• IU Neurosciences Research Building (LEED Gold Certification)
• Rotary Building (LEED Silver certification)
• North Hall (LEED Gold Certification)[52]

IUPUI has been honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its efforts to expand the campus’s reliance on green power, earning recognition as the Summit League’s most successful practitioner as gauged by the EPA’s 2014-15 College & University Green Power Challenge.[51]

New York Street IUPUI campus garden

IUPUI students maintain two urban gardens on campus: The New York Street Garden located across from the intersection of Lansing St. and New York St., and the Central Garden located between the University Library and Science Building.[53] These organic gardens produce a variety of vegetables and herbs for use by IUPUI Food Services, the Office of Sustainability’s campus sponsor, and the IUPUI Campus Kitchen.

Sponsored by the Office of Sustainability, the Campus Kitchen opened in 2014[54] and is a student-led food rescue and distribution operation that transforms used food from IUPUI’s dining hall and gardens; area grocery stores, restaurants and farmers’ markets; and Eskenazi Health into meals delivered to local agencies serving those in need. IUPUI’s Campus Kitchen is the first in Indiana and is one of more than 60 such facilities across the country.

IUPUI hosts a produce market the 3rd Thursday of every month at its Campus Center.[53] The market offers a large variety of fresh fruits and vegetables from IUPUI’s New York St. urban garden, as well as cooking demonstrations with recipes and limited tastings.

View of downtown Indianapolis skyline, looking south-southeast from Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital

On-campus housing[58] can currently accommodate approximately 2,400 students and includes Ball Residence Hall, University Tower, Riverwalk Apartments, The Townhomes at IUPUI and the newest addition, North Residence Hall.

• Ball Hall and University Tower are traditional co-ed halls that house 324 students and 650 students, respectively, in single, double and triple rooms and are dedicated to the housing and development of first-year students.
• The Townhomes at IUPUI house 60 residents in one- or two-bedroom fully furnished units averaging between 650 and 800 square feet and feature private individual residences.
• Riverwalk Apartments feature one-, two-, and four-bedroom fully furnished units and house 750 undergraduate, graduate and professional students.
• North Hall, which was completed during the summer of 2016, is located on North Street near University Tower. The first new residence building on campus, it accommodates 700 undergraduates along with spaces to support student life activities, fitness programs, a computer lab, game rooms and laundry.

Ball Hall, University Tower, Riverwalk Apartments and North Hall offer Residential Based Learning Communities on designated floors, areas or buildings where students request to live near others that share an interest in a particular social cause or academic area. There are 12 different themes including International House, Living Your Freshman Experience, Women in Science, Purdue House and others.

IUPUI also offers a dining hall in the heart of campus inside of University Tower. Tower Dining is open to students, faculty, staff and the general public and seats 470 simultaneously. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served Monday through Friday and brunch on Saturday and Sunday. Tower Dining offers six different dining options, including special dietary menus such as vegetarian and low-fat.

IUPUI offers more than 400 organizations in which students can get involved.[59] Students can join an existing organization, start their own organization and/or plan, work at or attend a campus activity. Campus Center and Student Experiences helps students find matching activities outside of the classroom to their coursework, as well as to their academic and career goals. The Spot is a one-stop-shop portal[60] that contains a comprehensive list of student organizations, events, FAQs, and grant information.

At IUPUI, there are two recognized university student organizations representing graduate, professional, and undergraduate students.

• Undergraduate Student Government, which consists of elected executive officers and student representatives from student organizations serving as liaisons to the student body, campus partners, and university officials.[61]
• Graduate and Professional Student Government, are elected executive officers from the General Assembly and each academic school as representatives that serve the graduate and professional student experience.[62]

IUPUI is home to 24 nationally recognized fraternities and sororities that span across four governing councils and include the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the College Panhellenic Council, Multicultural Greek Council, and the Interfraternity Council. Student membership in IUPUI's fraternities and sororities has tripled since fall 2010.[63]

• The National Pan-Hellenic Council consists of six of the Historically Black Greek-Letter-Organizations from the National Pan-Hellenic Council: Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Delta Sigma Theta sorority, Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, Zeta Phi Beta sorority, and Sigma Gamma Rho sorority.[64]
• The Panhellenic Council currently consists of six National Panhellenic Conference sororities: (Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Delta Zeta, Phi Mu, Sigma Kappa, and Zeta Tau Alpha)[65]
• The Interfraternity Council consists of six North American Interfraternity Conference fraternities (Alpha Sigma Phi, Delta Sigma Phi, Phi Delta Theta, Phi Gamma Delta, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and Tau Kappa Epsilon)[66]
• The Multicultural Greek Council consists of five organizations Delta Kappa Delta sorority, Gamma Phi Omega, La Unidad Latina/Lambda Upsilon Lambda fraternity, Sigma Lambda Upsilon/Senoritas Latinas Unidas sorority, and Sigma Psi Zeta sorority.[67]

Through the Center for Service & Learning[68] and Division of Student Affairs,[69] IUPUI gives students the opportunity to volunteer on campus and in the Indianapolis community through numerous campus-wide service and civic engagement events. During the 2014–2015 academic year, 8,750 students participated in 303,061 hours of service to 438 community partners.[70]

Campus Recreation[71] provides activities that facilitate healthy lifestyles for a diverse population of students, faculty and staff at IUPUI. Membership provides access to swimming at the world-class IU Natatorium, fitness classes, three weight and fitness rooms, recreational open gym, access to the new IUPUI Outdoor Recreational Complex (outdoor basketball courts) and participation in the intramural program, which includes basketball, broomball, dodgeball, flag football, golf, inner tube water polo, kickball, racquetball, soccer, softball, ultimate Frisbee and volleyball.

IUPUI also has a partnership with the National Institute for Fitness and Sport[72] and offers discounted fitness opportunities to NIFS for all full- and part-time IUPUI students. Through this partnership, the NIFS initiative fee will be waived and the monthly membership dues will be reduced for full and limited memberships.

The IUPUI Jaguars compete at the NCAA Division I level in the Horizon League in 16 men's (7) and women's (9) sports.[73] The Jaguars have earned NCAA Tournament bids in volleyball,[74] NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship, women's soccer, men's golf, NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship and women's tennis, as well as The Summit League championship in volleyball, men's tennis and women's soccer. Nine athletes have been recognized as Summit League Athletes of the Year, with seven coaches earning Coach of the Year honors. Prior to 1995, IUPUI athletic teams were known as the Metros and competed in the NCAA Division II.

IUPUI is home to the Indiana University Natatorium, host of numerous national swimming championships including the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Diving, and the IU Michael A. Carroll Track & Soccer Stadium, host of the 1987 Pan American Games, 2006 & 2007 USA Track & Field Championships and several NCAA Championships. Additionally, the stadium serves as the home field for the Indy Eleven soccer team of the North American Soccer League.