Perspective

Indiana University of Pennsylvania (or IUP) is a public university located in the borough of Indiana, Indiana County, Pennsylvania, and USA. The university is 55 miles (89 km) northeast of Pittsburgh. It is the largest university in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PaSSHE) and is the commonwealth’s fifth largest university. It is governed by a local Council of Trustees and the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. IUP has branch campuses at Punxsutawney, Northpointe, and Monroeville.

Since its founding in 1875, Indiana University of Pennsylvania has progressed and evolved to match the changing needs of those it serves. Today, IUP has a diverse, vibrant, research-based, and student-centered community comprising distinguished faculty members and more than fourteen thousand undergraduate and graduate students from across the nation and around the world.
With a network of grant-funded centers, IUP’s faculty members are fully engaged in a variety of research projects in which they involve graduate and undergraduate students. Students enjoy a supportive learning environment that prepares them for meaningful careers as well as productive and meaningful lives of leadership, service, and distinction.

At IUP, students learn from Fulbright Scholars, Rome Prize winners, and other faculty members who have been recognized by numerous learned societies for dedication to their respective fields. As a result, the university has an alumni body that includes leaders in the corporate world, in government, and in public service. IUP alumni include many Army generals, the CEO of Sodexho, the CEO of ExxonMobil Exploration, numerous school district superintendents, several college presidents, and a number of scientists and manufacturers who hold patents. For example, Chad Hurley went here, and then he invented You Tube.

An IUP education is an intensely personalized intellectual journey that not only allows you to explore your field of study in depth but also enables you to go beyond disciplinary boundaries and geographical borders to build a broad foundation of knowledge for the future. IUP offers roughly 140 high-quality undergraduate degree programs in fields ranging from education, business, and music to nursing, criminology, and nuclear medicine technology.

In addition to rigorous, research-based, theoretical learning, IUP undergraduates also learn by taking advantage of a variety of experiential opportunities. These include research collaborations with faculty members on projects of real-world importance; they also include prestigious internships at home and beyond, from the New York Stock Exchange to the European Parliament. Further, IUP’s global partnerships also allow students to benefit from a range of invaluable study-abroad opportunities.

IUP students don’t just graduate to rewarding careers and become highly sought-after employees. They also become ethical and service-minded leaders of distinction within the workplace, within their communities, and beyond. Currently, IUP alumni, who live and work in every state and more than seventy-seven countries, include university presidents and state system chancellors, chief executives of leading companies and industries, playwrights and authors, and professional athletes.

“The faculty I have taken classes from, especially within my major, are some of the most brilliant people I have ever known. I have learned more from them than I could have imagined four years ago. I have also had the opportunity to work for the university as a student employee in different roles—I like to think of it as an opportunity not many students find, a four-year internship. Both academics and my employment at IUP have had such a positive impact on my college experience that I have been able to exceed every single one of my goals.”—Jamie Berryhill, Political Science.

Scholarships are awarded to students based on characteristics that may include academic performance, athletic ability, special talents, or affiliation with a particular organization or group.

Funds received through scholarship programs do not have to be repaid. Some scholarships are one-year awards while others may be renewable. Be sure to be aware of the criteria for maintaining eligibility if one receives a renewable award.
There are numerous sources of scholarships, including IUP, state and federal government, foundations, clubs and organizations, religious groups, and other entities.

IUP faculty has won nearly 60 Fulbright Exchange Awards since 1959, enabling them to study and conduct research in 27 countries. Two faculty members have been awarded the Rome Prize. In addition, the university’s John P. Murtha Institute of Homeland Security has garnered numerous grants. It facilitates research and trains first responders and members of the military to prevent potential terrorist acts.

Arts are a big part of IUP culture as evidenced by continual theatrical appearances at venues such as the Kennedy Center and Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh. IUP’s “Legend” Marching Band is known as “The Pride of Pennsylvania” and “The Beast of the East” and is well-known throughout the region.

IUP is included in the rankings of the magazine’s “Best Colleges” 2010 edition and is one of the top 216 national doctoral universities recognized in the rankings. This recognition follows IUP’s ninth consecutive year of inclusion in The Princeton Review’s “Best Colleges” guidebook, and IUP’s selection as a “Best Northeastern College” by Princeton Review guidebook editors.
“Coming on the heels of the Princeton Review’s honor of being among the nation’s top universities academically, the recognition by ‘U.S. News & World Report’ again supports IUP’s national status among the best doctoral universities in the United States,” IUP President Tony Atwater said.

For further information regarding the admission any one can visit the following website: http://www.iup.edu/admissions/undergraduate