Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus Rankings by Salary Score™

The largest issue with IUP is the Advisors. All advisors are actually just professors. These professors have major roles as educators, as facilitators for clubs and programs, and they also usually have careers in their targeted fields. The advisors aren't bad people, most of the time it is clear the advisors are trying their best to help students. Unfortunately, advisors are trying their best but on the receiving end it does not feel like they are trying to help. I am on my fifth year at IUP, I am on my fourth... Read More advisor, my first advisor passed away, however, I have no clue why I was reassigned advisors so many times. My final advisor is the head of a department, they are an extremely busy person. Who's brilliant idea was it to assign more students to a professor/ head of department who is already maxed out? This is not just my department either. I have met several Bio and science majors who agree, they feel like they don't get proper help from their advisors because the advisors are simply too busy. As many know, you have to plan your course schedule a semester or two ahead, because there are a lot of classes that are only held at certain times of the year. Many also know about prerequisites, this is when you must take a lower level class before taking an upper level class. This specifically is where I and other students experience problems. Advisors would forget about the specific timing of certain classes or they would forget about prerequisites. So students are under the impression everything is planned out, when in reality the plan is not stable. In my experience, these scheduling mishaps have severely effected me financially. One semester I was under the impression that I would be taking 8 credits. Apparently, the one class was not offered that semester, I ended up moving 4 hours away from home, spending money for housing just for one single class. I was only taking 4 credits so no financial aid, no extension on my loan, and no heads up that I will be paying this semester out of pocket!! I do not want this to be focused on the advisors/ professors. This is the school's fault, they are cheap and don't want to hire a department of planning professionals to act as advisors for us. The year I am writing this is the end of 2022, the construction of the new science building is about halfway done. If you are a science student looking to come to school here, RUN AWAY. The current science building is so poorly maintenance, the new science building has been in construction for maybe 2 years, it will probably stay under construction for the next 2-3 years. As a safety major, I don't mind construction, as a student though, I have to say that the construction is such an inconvenience. They also don't put up proper barriers, I'm waiting for a party goer to get into the construction equipment and injure themselves. I think this goes to show how much the leaders of IUP care about the well being of their students. The last notable characteristic of this awful school is that it is dangerous! My second year of school there were several people shot close to campus and just off campus. The President sent out emails expressing that if anyone need emotional support to reach out to the campus. How about you fund safety measures on and off campus? Anyone with a brain knows that college students sent party on campus, they go just off campus to have fun. Why are there no Emergency Help buttons on the far reaches of campus? Even in 2022 there was a shooting threat to the Humanities building. An email was sent by the president explaining the situation and how extra security measures were taken. This was a lie, no extra measures were taken. That day many people could have been harmed or lost their lives, IUP did nothing. This school is not worth the price unless you have a full ride. This school will only be fun if you enjoy partying 4/7 days of the week. It is NOT worth the price and sacrifices.

IUP is the worst institution I have ever dealt with. The financial office is soulless. I am a single mother of two already holding a bachelors degree. I switched jobs which required me to go back to school. I was aware of that when I took the job. I was told that FAFSA would cover it if I was eligible. The program I entered was Vocational Education. They have the courses set up so that they are just under ONE credit for part time eligibility through FAFSA. Unfortunately, my district does not pay for the needed... Read More courses so everything comes out of pocket. I have to work two jobs to maintain my bills and my children's lifestyle because of this. Someone recommended to me that I enter a masters program considering I already have a BS degree. I enrolled in the classes late due to the start of the semester, and my professors were not willing to let me make up the work, at the same time my grandmother became ill and I had to become her caretaker. Needless to say, it was a horrible time to go back to school. With that being said, I had no choice other than to drop my courses. IUP stated that even with the late enrollment, and my personal problems they were still charging me for the courses I was only in for about 3 weeks. IUP sent me a statement of over $9,100. They have a policy that if my bill is not under 1,000 I cannot attend any courses. Therefore I cannot complete the course needed to keep my job. THIS IS THEFT! I am a single mother of two, with a mortgage, already working two jobs to keep up with my bills, both of my daughters are on my insurance..everything rides on my job. I am about to lose my livelihood because of this institution. I hope IUP is proud of the fact that they are putting a single mom on the streets with her children. DO NOT GO HERE, THEY WILL BLEED YOU OF EVERY DIME YOU HAVE!!!!!!!