Get Ready

Housing

For the most up-to-date information about housing, please visit the Residential Programs and Services (RPS) website or contact them using AskRPS or by emailing askrps@indiana.edu. We’ll cover housing information during NSO sessions.

Dining

Learn about dining at IU—from meal plans and dining options, to helping your student navigate healthy options. You can also learn more at NSO.

Staying healthy

Discover the many health resources available to your student at IU.

Getting around campus and Bloomington

Learn about the transportation options at IU.

Description of the video:

[Video: Arial view of Indiana University. A red bar moves on screen. New words appear in the red bar. They read, “Stadium parking, tickets, passes, meters, and maintenance.” The red bar moves off screen to the left.]

 

Man: Tempted to send your student to IU with their own car?Let's rethink that plan.A car can often be more hassle than help on campus.With limited parking spaces on campus,many students have to park their cars at the football stadium, even if they live on campus.Not to mention that parking tickets, parking passes, meters, and maintenance costs add up quick,especially when they won't be using their car the majority of their time at school.

 

Man: Whether they're traveling across campus or home for break, there are plenty of bettertransportation options for students that allow them safety, freedom, and the ability to focuson what matters most— making the best of their college experience.

 

[Video: Red bar appears in middle of the screen. New words appear in the red bar. The words, “safety, freedom, and ability to focus” appear in the red box then exit the screen to the left. Students walk through the Sample Gates at Indiana University]

 

Man: One great option is to send your student to campus with a bike.IU Bloomington is a scenic campus that is designed to be walking and biking friendly.When the weather takes a turn, they can use both Campus Bus and Bloomington Transit.Both bus systems are fare-free for IU students and provide access all over campus and Bloomington.

 

[Video: A white box with a bike appears in the upper left-hand corner of the video. The video shows footage of a man grabbing his bike from a bike rack. A red box with words appears on the left-hand side of the screen. The words read, “Scenic campus, biking friendly.” The video shows footage of a bus driving toward an intersection. White boxes appear on the left-hand side of the screen. They read, “Campus bus and Bloomington Transit.” Below the white boxes, more words appear. They read, “Fare-free for students and routes throughout the city.”]

 

Man: IU also offers handy car-sharing, ride-matching, and safe-ride options to keepstudents safe and on-the-go.Zipcar is a car-sharing option for anyone on campus who is at least 18, including international drivers.Zipcars can be rented by the hour or day, and insurance is included with the rental.When your student wants to return home for the weekend or on breaks, they can also use Zimride.Zimride is IU's free and exclusive ride-matching platform.Students can offer or request rides from other IU community members for commutes,road trips, events, or anything else.

 

[Video: Footage of a man opening the trunk of a Zipcar. A red bar appears in the middle of the screen displaying white words that say, “Car-sharing, ride-matching, and safe-ride.” New footage of a woman walking to her car is shown. Footage of a woman driving her car. A red bar in the left-hand corner displays a white box with “Zipcar” in black letters. Below the white box, white words appear that say, “Ages 18+, rent by the hour or day, and insurance included.” The red bar moves off screen to the left. A white box appears in the upper left-hand corner of the screen that reads, “Zimride by Enterprise.” A red bar is displayed on the left-hand side of the screen and shows white words that read, “Free and exclusive, offer or request rides, and match rides to anywhere.”]

 

Man: Private charter services are also available for individuals who need easy travel between campus,the airport, and other major metropolitan areas.And to keep students safe late at night, IU offers IU Ride, which provides free,safe rides within Bloomington city limits.All students need to do is use the IU Ride app to request a ride.Want to know more? Visit transportation.indiana.edu.

 

[Video: Footage of a white charter bus. A white box appears in the upper left-hand side of the video with words that read, “Private charters.” A red box appears on the left-hand side of the screen with underlined words that read, “Travel to.” More words appear underneath. These read, “Campus, the airport, and other cities.” Footage of a person scrolling through their phone. A white box appears in the upper left-hand corner that reads, “IU Ride.” A red bar appears and displays the words, “Free and safe, late-night service, and operated by students.” Footage of students climbing into a car. At the top of the screen, a red box with the IU trident is shown. The words, “Indiana University,” are shown in the middle of the screen. Below that, a white box with the website transportation.indiana.edu is shown at the bottom of the screen. Footage of a car driving away.

                                                    

[End of Video]

Financial know-how

Find out what you should know before your student’s first bill is due. Learn about the following in Student Central—IU’s one-stop shop for taking care of the business of being a Hoosier. You can ask questions on the Student Central website 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Description of the video:

[Cheerful music plays.]

 

[Video: The screen is red. The words Indiana University appear, then move offscreen to the left. New words move in from the right of the screen. It reads student central. The word central is then rolled as if on dial and new words appear in rotation. The new words that appear next to student are accounts, then records, then it stops rotation on financial aid so that it reads student financial aid.]

 

[Video: The red screen and words fade away and a new slide appears with an image of the outside of the Student Central building, with large glass doors and many windows. There is a red graphic on the left of the screen that features the IU trident logo and the words student central. Over the image of the building are the words financial aid.]

 

Juliet: Hello again. This is Juliet with Student Central, your one-stop shop for questions about financial aid, enrollment, and a student bill.  In this video, we'll share some of the tips you'll need to access and avoid delays to your financial aid. When you get your financial award notice or summary, review it carefully. If you're offered loans, decide whether you want to accept the full amount, reduce the amount you're borrowing, or decline your loans completely. You'll do this in one IU each year. While you have until August to make any changes to your financial aid package, if you choose to reduce or decline your federal loans, you can and should do so before they post to your student account which is usually 10 days before classes begin. If you do not accept your loans, they will not disperse to your student account to pay your bill. You don't need to accept grants or scholarships; you'll receive those automatically.

 

[Video: The screen clears and a new slide appears titled money matters. There are two bullet points on the screen. The first point reads in one IU go to view or manage my financial aid information. There is a graphic next to this showing the task tab from one IU. The task tab has the same name and an illustration of a calculator and dollar bill. The second point reads visit student loans dot gov if you plan to borrow federal funds.]

 

Juliet: If you accept your loans, you'll also need to complete loan entrance counseling which is a 30 minute tutorial the federal government requires you to complete to ensure that you understand the responsibilities and obligations you're assuming. You'll also need to sign a Master Promissory Note, or MPN, which is a legal document in which you promise to repay your loans and any accrued interest and fees to the US Department of Education. It also explains the terms and conditions of your loans. You'll do this at student aid dot gov. Should you decide to apply for a private student loan, be sure to do so with enough time for us to receive and certify the loan. We encourage all students applying for private loans to do so no later than July to allow adequate time for processing. The same time frame applies for federal Parent PLUS Loans. You can find more information on Federal Parent PLUS Loans at student aid dot gov. Be sure to manage your financial aid closely and keep in mind that the decisions you make, such as a change in course load or degree plan, may affect your financial aid.

 

[Video: The bullet points of the slide change so that a new point is shown. This point reads calculate estimated costs at money smarts dot IU dot e d u. Below this is a sample of a form. The form reads I want to create an estimate for spring 2020, and spring 2020 is a dropdown menu option. It then reads I am an undergrad student from Indiana attending IU Bloomington, where undergrad student, Indiana, and IU Bloomington are dropdown options. The form then reads I plan to take 15 credits in the blank, and 15 is a dropdown option, as is the blank space. The form finishes with I plan to take zero credits online, where zero is a dropdown option. The bottom of the form has a get started button.]

 

Juliet: What if you don't know if you need financial aid because you don't really know how much it's going to cost to attend IU? Getting an IU education is a great way to set yourself up for a successful future but only if you can afford it. Our Money Smarts team has created a cost estimator to help you estimate what it might cost you to attend IU for a semester. You can find this by visiting money smarts dot IU dot e d u. You'll notice there are many variables that you'll need to input so that it's personalized to your student experience. For example, you'll need to select the term you're inquiring about, whether you're in state or out of state, the campus you're attending, your school, as well as how many credit hours you'll be enrolling in. At IU, we have a flat fee where you can sign up for 12 to 18 credits and it's all the same cost. So if you sign up for 18 credits, you're not paying any more money than if you were only taking 12 credits. Most degree programs require you to average 15.5 credit hours per semester to graduate in the traditional eight semesters, with most courses being three credit hours. If you need help determining costs or navigating the calculator, we're here for you. The final video in this series covers the timeline for paying your bill, and some of the most common ways to pay for college.

 

[Video: The screen now goes red and the IU trident logo appears at the top. The words Indiana University appear in the middle of the screen, and below that is the website address student central dot Indiana dot e d u.]

 

[Video: A photo of the Student Central building appears, with lush trees and flowers in front.]

 

[End of transcript.]

 

Description of the video:

[Cheerful music plays.]

 

[Video: The screen is red. The words Indiana University appear, then move offscreen to the left. New words move in from the right of the screen. It reads student central. The word central is then rolled as if on dial and new words appear in rotation. The new words that appear next to student are financial aid, then records, then it stops rotating on accounts so that it reads student accounts.]

 

[Video: The red screen and words fade away and a new slide appears with an image of the outside of the Student Central building, with large glass doors and many windows. There is a red graphic on the left of the screen that features the IU trident logo and the words student central. Over the image of the building are the words student accounts.]

 

Juliet: Hello again. This is Juliet with Student Central, your one-stop shop for questions about financial aid, enrollment and the student bill. In this video, we'll focus on some of the key facts you'll need to keep your bill paid on time.

 

[Video: The screen clears and a new slide appears titled payment options. There is a screenshot of the website with a menu of options regarding costs, financial aid, and paying your bill. The title of the screen from the website reads need to pay your bill, here’s how. It then lists payment options, including use your bank account, use a credit or debit card, use an automated service, use a payment plan, use a college savings plan, use a foreign currency, and third-party sponsors.]

 

Julie: You're responsible for paying tuition, fees and all other charges by the due date on your bill. We'll email you and your third-party users when you have a bill to review. Make sure you're checking your IU email account daily. That's where we'll send your billing notices and other official communications. Your tuition, fees, and amounts owed to the university units like Residential Programs and Services, the IU Health Center, and IU Libraries are added together to represent the total amount due on your student account. Each month, we'll create an electronic bill that shows new activity and the amount that's due by the due date. It's important to note that you need to check your bill every month and it's always due on the 10th of the following month. You'll start to see charges posted to your account in July. Your first bill will be sent in August with a due date of the 10th of September. You can access your bill online through one dot IU. The easiest and most convenient way to pay your bill is by e-check. There's no fee for an e-check transaction  and once you input your bank routing number and your bank account number, the system will store that information for you so you don't have to go looking for it every time you make a new payment. Again, this is a free transaction and it's very easy to use. If you choose to use your debit card or credit card, there's a transaction fee. This is why we recommend using your bank account or an e-check transactionto pay your bill. It's free and it's easy and you don't have to worry about the transaction fee. Another way of paying your bill is the payment plan. Many families take advantage of this because they may not have the ability to pay the entire bill at once. The payment plan allows you to split the bill into four monthly installments, September, October, November and December. It costs $70 to take part in the payment plan each semester. On the day you sign up, the system will automatically draw your first payment plus the payment plan fee from your bank account. This means that if your bill is $12,000, your first payment would be $3,070. This breaks down to $3,000, or 1/4 of the $12,000 total due, plus the $70 fee for being on the plan. The next payments will be pulled automatically from your bank account on the 5th of each month: the 5th of October, the 5th of November, and the 5th of December. You might have questions about why the payments are pulled from your account on the 5th when the bill due date is on the 10th. This is so that the payments will have time to process and post by the due date. If you like how this plan works for you in the fall, remember to sign up for it again in the spring because it does not automatically rollover from one semester to the next. Another payment option is the 529 College Savings Plan. If you're going to pay with a 529 plan, we encourage you to have a conversation with your plan administrator, whoever is holding those funds. There are many different plans and they all have different rules and regulations. Your administrator is the expert on your plan. They'll be able to tell you which charges are covered and which are not. We recommend your plan administrator send the funds directly to you rather than to IU because we want you to stay in control of your money. When you're in control, you get to decide when and how you send the funds to IU. This allows you to stay better informed on when payments are made and how they're sent to IU. You can review other payment options on our Student Central website.

 

[Video: The screen clears and a new slide appears titled have questions, email us at s c u at Indiana dot e d u. There are social media usernames below that. On twitter, the username is at s t u central IU. On Instagram the username is student central IU. On Facebook the username is student central IU. At the top of the screen is a graphic that shows a search bar and an ask button. In the search bar it reads questions for student central. Under the ask button, it reads student central dot Indiana dot e d u. Then it lists financial aid, student accounts, and student records. Below the graphic is the website address again, student central dot Indiana dot e d u.]

 

Juliet: We just gave you a lot of information in a very short amount of time, which means you're probably going to have questions. We encourage you to use our Ask Student Central tool. This tool is available at the top of every page on our website. If you have a question about paying a bill, type in “how do I pay my bill” using real language instead of keywords. The tool will provide generic answers and guide you to the right place on our website where you can learn more about whatever topic you have questions on. The best part, it's available 24 slash seven, anytime you need it. Also feel free to email or give us a call. We're here to assist you and help you get through the processes of getting ready for your first semester at IU.

 

[Video: The screen now goes red and the IU trident logo appears at the top. The words Indiana University appear in the middle of the screen, and below that is the website address student central dot Indiana dot e d u.]

 

[End of transcript.]

Safety

Check out important safety tips and learn all about how IU keeps students safe.

Description of the video:

[IUPD logo comes into frame, then fades into video of Chief Jill Lees in an room in the IUPD offices with a window behind her and bookshelves beside her.]

 

[Chief Lees] Hi, my name is Jill Lees Indiana University Police Department. On behalf of IUPD, we would like to welcome you to this great campus. We're here today to talk to you about some very important safety tips. I first would like to share the very important download of the Rave Guardian app. This is IU's premier safety app on campus. This is the one that we follow and this is the only one that we recommend to keep you safe. Contained on this app, you have important links to different organizations, different websites, important numbers that you might need while you're on campus this fall. You can call 9-1-1 from this app and also call IUPD. Some very important features here also that you can send texts via Tips to IUPD, and you can do that anonymously. So this is where see something, say something is so important to keep our campus safe. You also have on here a safe walk timer where your friends can keep track of when you leave the library and walk home after a late night studying. And finally, you have an inbox. And the inbox will allow you to receive messages of very important emergency alerts and different crimes that might occur on campus. At IUPD we want to keep campus safe because safety is our number one priority. So please download the app on your app store. And now I'd like to turn it over to Deputy Chief Shannon Bunger for even more safety tips to keep you safe this fall.

 

[Video: image changes to one with Deputy Chief Bunger in the same room as Chief Lees but in tighter shot]

 

[Deputy Chief Bunger] Hi, I'm Shannon Bunger and I'm the Deputy Chief of Police for the Indiana University Police Department here in Bloomington, Indiana. On behalf of IUPD, welcome to the greatest university in the country, in my opinion. Just a quick couple of safety tips today. Number one, Uber safety. When you're calling an Uber make sure you're getting into the correct car. Yes, people have gotten into the wrong cars and it has caused some confusion. So check the license plate to make sure it's the right one and check the driver to make sure it's the right driver that you've requested to. Cell phones. Make sure your cell phones are charged up. It's easy to go to bed at night and forget to put it on the charger, and then you lose a charge during the day and then you don't have it when you might need it. So keep those phones charged up. Third, take care of each other while on campus. If you go to a party, and yes, students go to parties, if you go to a party with three or four friends, make sure you come home with those three or four friends. Take care of each other. It's very important out here that we look out for each other. Fourth, keep it yours, lock your doors. If you're gonna be gone from your dorm for even five minutes - yes, lock your door. If you're going down to the shower, lock your door. It's important that you lock your doors all the time. Even if you're in your room, keep your doors locked, so you don't get that uninvited visitor into your room in the middle of the night. And finally, social media. Be careful about what you post on social media. Things can be hurtful, and also it can come back to haunt you down the road when you're looking for a job. So just be careful with your social media. Again, we know this is not the way you wanted to see a spring session with your university police, but it's where we're at today. We're looking forward to seeing everyone in August and having a great freshman year at Indiana University. And as always, Go Hoosiers!

 

[Video: image fades out and back in with Deputy Bunger in the same office]

 

[Deputy Chief Bunger] Our next video is going to talk about frauds and scams. Unfortunately, we take reports every day on campus from people that got frauded out of their money and was scanned out of their money. This next video was shot by the Investigations Unit a couple of years ago, and it has great information on it. Detective VanLeeuweun and Detective Koontz.

 

[Video: image fades and changes to one with both Garth VanLeeuwen and Nate Koontz, which contains subtitles.]

 

[Det. VanLeeuwen] Hello, I'm Garth VanLeeuwen.

 

[Det. Koontz] And I'm Nate Koontz. We're detectives at the Indiana University Police Department in Bloomington.

 

[Video: Shot focuses on Det. VanLeeuwen]

 

[Det. VanLeeuwen] Today we're going to talk about scams, more specifically online scams from websites like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and Offer Up.

 

[Video: shot changes to only Det. Koontz]

 

[Det. Koontz] If somebody's asking you to pay them in the form of iTunes gift cards, it's fake, it's a scam. There's not a single legitimate organization on the planet outside of iTunes that wants payment in the form of iTunes gift cards.

 

[Video: shot focuses back to Det. VanLeeuwen]

 

 [Det. VanLeeuwen] A good practices is, is that if it's too good to be true, it probably this. Nate, tell us a way that we can check to see if it's a scam.

 

[Video: shot changes to one with both Det. in the screen, as Det. Koontz explains how to check if they are scams, then focuses on Det. Koontz mid sentence]

 

[Det. Koontz] Listen, just Google it. Okay, you can Google phone numbers, websites, Google the set up. Chances are, if it's a scam, somebody's posted it on one of the alert websites and it'll come up on Google.

 

[Video: shot changes to display both det.]

 

[Det. VanLeeuwan] Good point. That's all we have for today.

 

[Det. Koontz] Listen, it seems fishy, don't take the bait.

 

[video: image fades back to Deputy Chief Bunger]

 

[Deputy Chief Bunger] So a big thing popped up on campus a couple years ago and across the country: Scooters. So it's very important we have scooter safety while on campus. There's over 45 thousand students that attend Indiana University, plus faculty and staff, and visitors. So it's very crowded, and throw in scooters and it gets even more crowded. So watch a short video that I did a couple years ago on scooter safety.

 

[Video: clip changes to Deputy Chief Bunger riding a scooter while wearing a helmet close to 17th St with traffic sounds behind him. He parks the scooter next to a bike rack. He explains reminders about riding scooters on campus and around town. ]

 

[Deputy Chief Bunger] Oh, hi. I'm Captain Shannon Bunger with the Indiana University Police Department. Just a couple reminders about scooters on campus. When riding, always wear a helmet. You're on the road, rules of the road apply. Stop at stop signs stop at them stop lights. You're on the sidewalk make sure you're yielding right of way to the pedestrians, and always park your scooter at a bike rack or near. Don't block an ADA ramp, doors to buildings, and don't throw them in the street. Yes. We've seen them thrown in the street. With your help, we can make Indiana University more scooter friendly. And as always, Go Hoosiers!

 

[Video: camera lowers to focus on the bike rack and image returns to Deputy Chief Bunger in the room sitting down]

 

[Deputy Chief Bunger] And this next video will talk about bicycle safety on campus. Enjoy.

 

[background music]

 

[Video: short video plays where it explains the safety rules of riding bikes, bringing up the Indiana Law on how they are similar to those on driving and riding motorcycles and gives a website at the end to visit “protect.iu.edu”]

 

[Video: Image fades to both Chief Lees and Deputy Chief Bunger standing next to a IUPD car in front of Assembly Hall]

 

[Chief Lees] Deputy Chief Bunger and I are proud alumni of Indiana University. And again, we'd like to welcome you to IU, the Big Ten.

 

[Deputy Chief Bunger] And as always, Go Hoosiers!

 

[Video: Image fades out and into the IUPD logo]

Technology

Get updated on all the tech things your student needs to know as a new student at IU with University Information Technology Services (UITS).

Information presented may have changed since these videos were produced. We have done our best to keep the information current, but if you have questions, it is best to connect directly with the sponsoring office.