IU South Bend acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
With an acceptance rate near 84%, IU South Bend is an accessible public university in Indiana. Because it admits most qualified applicants, admission turns on the strength of your whole profile rather than any one number.
Use this page to see what IU South Bend weighs, where it ranks among Indiana schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1100, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What do students study at IU South Bend?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into IU South Bend?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into IU South Bend, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into IU South Bend?
IU South Bend admits most qualified applicants (around 84%), but that overall rate is not your personal chance. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for IU South Bend in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is IU South Bend hard to get into?
IU South Bend is accessible: it admits most qualified applicants, with about a 84% acceptance rate. Meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
What GPA do you need to get into IU South Bend?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at IU South Bend, but admitted students span a wide GPA range, with many in the 2.8 to 3.5 band. IU South Bend reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at IU South Bend by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at IU South Bend for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 3 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at IU South Bend with a 3.1 GPA and a 1070 SAT?
About 98% (Safety), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.1 unweighted GPA and a 1070 SAT, the middle of IU South Bend's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.4 GPA with a 1190 SAT comes out near 98%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/iu-south-bend.
How to get into IU South Bend
Built from IU South Bend's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Here is how to get into IU South Bend, built from what its admitted class actually looks like and what the school says it weighs.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at IU South Bend carries about a 3.08 core GPA and a 1140 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Meeting it puts you in the admitted range for most applicants.
The admitted middle 50% is 950 to 1190 SAT (21 to 23 ACT). Submit a score at 1070 or higher; below 950, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
IU South Bend rates rigor of secondary school record and academic GPA highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
Most public universities read early applicants first without a binding commitment. Apply by IU South Bend's early or priority deadline (confirm dates at iusb.edu), and if you are out of state, know that residency changes both the bar and the price.
How many students apply to IU South Bend, and how many get in?
For the fall 2023 entering class, IU South Bend received 2,777 applications and admitted 2,388, an acceptance rate of 86%. 886 enrolled. Roughly 37% of admitted students enrolled, a typical yield for a school in this range. IU South Bend enrolls about 3,933 undergraduates in total, 65% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 15 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for IU South Bend?
Admitted students at IU South Bend post SAT scores of 950 to 1190 in the middle 50%, with an average of 1081. On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 21 to 23. A score above 1190 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 950 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. IU South Bend is test-optional: scores are considered if you submit them but not required. Send a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one and let your transcript lead.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What IU South Bend looks for
What IU South Bend weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
In its review, IU South Bend leans most on rigor of secondary school record and academic GPA. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from IU South Bend's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at IU South Bend
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does IU South Bend cost after financial aid?
The full sticker price at IU South Bend (tuition, fees, housing, food, books) is about $17,364 a year. Tuition and fees are $8,424 for IN residents and $22,811 for out-of-state students, a $14,387 gap that makes residency the single biggest lever on cost. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $8,653 a year, and it ranges from $4,637 for families earning under $30,000 to $15,825 for families earning over $110,000. 43% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do IU South Bend graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Median earnings for IU South Bend students ten years after entry are $44,947 ($41,388 at the six-year mark). 40% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 65% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $21,355; 35% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How IU South Bend compares in Indiana
IU South Bend ranks #29 most selective of 40 schools in Indiana in our database.
Among the 40 Indiana schools we track, IU South Bend ranks #29 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like University of Notre Dame (11%) and Purdue University (50%) sit nearby, which makes Indiana a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list. As a public university, residency matters: in-state applicants generally see meaningfully better odds than the headline rate suggests.
Similar to IU South Bend
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
Build around IU South Bend with peers at a comparable selectivity, such as Purdue University Fort Wayne, University of Iowa, and Youngstown State University. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is IU South Bend's acceptance rate?
IU South Bend admitted 2,388 of 2,777 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 86% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 37% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for IU South Bend?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 950 to 1190 on the SAT and 21 to 23 on the ACT. A score above 1190 is in the top quarter of admits. IU South Bend is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is IU South Bend test-optional?
Yes. IU South Bend reports that test scores are considered but not required. Submit a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one.
How much does IU South Bend cost after financial aid?
The average net price at IU South Bend, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $8,653 a year against a sticker price of about $17,364. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $4,637 on average.
What do IU South Bend graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering IU South Bend are $44,947 a year among students who received federal aid, and 40% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does IU South Bend value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, IU South Bend weighs rigor of secondary school record and academic GPA most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does IU South Bend favor in-state applicants?
As a public university, IU South Bend generally admits in-state applicants at a higher rate than out-of-state applicants, so your home state affects your odds. CollegeCalcAI applies an in-state residency boost when you select your state.
How can I improve my chances at IU South Bend?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at IU South Bend specifically.
How does residency affect admission to IU South Bend?
As a public university, IU South Bend typically admits in-state students at a higher rate, and tuition differs sharply by residency. Select your home state in the calculator to fold the in-state effect into your estimate.
What are the admission requirements for IU South Bend?
IU South Bend reviews GPA, course rigor, test scores (where submitted), activities, and essays. With a more accessible acceptance rate, meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.