69 percent acceptance rate makes IU top choice for ‘B students’

U.S. News and World Reports  named IU a top choice for above average students.

Other Big Ten schools on the “A+ Schools for B Students” list include Purdue University, University of Iowa, Michigan State University and University of Nebraska. The list includes high-ranking schools that accept students with “less than stellar” high school records.

The colleges on the list have strong ratings in the 2012 U.S. News Best Colleges. However, U.S. News has determined they are less selective than other top universities.

According to the list, IU had an acceptance rate of 69 percent in fall 2010.

The average SAT score for IU is 1060-1280, which is the average range of scores, according to the list.

Mary Ellen Anderson, director of admissions, strongly disagreed with that statement and said  she was not aware of the ranking.

“The average SAT score, critical reading and math, for the current freshman class was a 1201. The average ACT composite was a 26 and the average GPA was a 3.6,” Anderson said.

When admissions counselors review an application, they look primarily for college prep courses. Then they consider standardized test scores and grade point averages.

Sarah Booher, director of the Office of Scholarships, said IU’s goal is to recruit the best and brightest students.

“Rankings are interesting,” said Booher. “My advice is to take it with a grain of salt.”

To attract the top students, IU offers automatic merit-based scholarships, Anderson said. If a prospective student meets the requirements for the scholarships, they’ll receive a notice in the mail. Students can also be invited to apply for the Kelley School of Business and the Hutton Honors College.

The Office of Scholarships does a lot of outreach such as sponsoring special events on campus. For example, the office invites prospective students to a pre-football game event on gamedays. This gives high school seniors an opportunity to interact with faculty, staff and students. Restructuring the scholarship opportunities attracts top students, Booher said.

Sophomore Emily Poindexter said five or six years ago IU was seen as a back-up college at her high school and not considered difficult to get into.

“Personally, I believe that IU’s standards over the course of the past few years have increased dramatically,” Poindexter said. “I think it’ll just take some time for the rest of the nation to recognize this change in standards.”

IU has been featured on other lists, including Kiplinger’s “Top-Value College,” and the campus has been cited for one of the most beautiful college campuses in the United States.

“These lists come and go,” Anderson said. “It’s very puzzling how these lists come about. Sometimes it takes months to find out.”