On Wednesday, May 27, IU President Michael McRobbie announced that instruction will take place on campus as well as online for fall 2020. We will welcome students back to campus for the start of the fall semester on August 24.
As our campus continues to outline what to expect for the 2020–2021 academic year, this page will provide answers to your top questions, including questions about scholarships, tuition, and your class schedule.
We will update this page as more information becomes available.
Top takeaways from President McRobbie's message
Classes will resume on campus for fall 2020 where instruction will be a blend of in-person and online.
The academic calendar will run from August 24 to May 9. The fall semester will include special 3- and 13-Week Sessions. From December 21 to February 7, we will have a new winter session that is online-only. This session will allow students to finish fall semester, to begin spring semester, or to create new intensive courses.
Residence halls will be single occupancy with an exemption process for students who wish to have a roommate.
For more information regarding COVID testing requirements, please visit the Fall 2020 website.
For the 2020–2021 academic year, you will have a blend of in-person and online classes. Your classes will make extensive use of technology while preserving as much as possible the most important elements of the in-person experience. Use this guide to start familiarizing yourself with the various ways classes will be offered this fall.
A variety of measures are being put in place to help ensure the health and safety of our IU community once we return to campus, including, but not limited to: providing cloth face coverings for all students, faculty, and staff; implementing rigorous cleaning protocols; adapting to lower-contact dining services; and reducing the number of people on campus at one time. For a detailed and updated look at what the university is doing, visit the Return to Campus section of the fall 2020 website.
You can also learn more about a new agreement with IU Health to screen and test any member of the IU community who is symptomatic for COVID-19.
The campus is preparing for this possibility. Plans for this will be updated on the fall2020.iu.edu website.
As of July 15, fall classes have been updated to reflect their new instructional mode, time, and location. If needed, you may adjust your schedule anytime between now and the first week of classes. For the 2020-2021 academic year, the drop/add access fee will not be assessed.
When revising your schedule please keep in mind any credit requirements needed to keep your financial aid or to satisfy your academic objectives.
If you find that you need to move to online learning for a COVID-19 related reason this semester, we are committed to doing all we can to support your academic progress.
If you are taking a face-to-face class and are isolated or in quarantine for a few weeks, instructors in classes should be able to accommodate your absence with alternative instructional activities.
If you are taking a face-to-face class and decide you need to switch entirely to online learning for the rest of the semester, we advise the following steps:
You should discuss options for taking the class remotely for the remainder of the semester with your instructor. Some courses will be able to accommodate a complete shift to online learning, but others may be designed in such a way that face-to-face interaction is essential to course goals.
If a course cannot accommodate long-term online learning, contact your advisor to see if there is a different section of the same class that works with your schedule, can accommodate online learning, and can accept another student. If such a section exists and the instructor approves, you may transfer to that section without incurring any change fees.
If a course cannot accommodate long-term remote learning and you cannot find an alternate section, you should drop the course. Your advisor can work with you to find an alternative option for the semester, such as a second 8-week course or an intersession course.
If you need to drop a course and wish to not receive a “W” for the course, your advisor can help you use the standard process for requesting an exception to the “W” policy through your dean.
You can locate your academic advisor's information in One.IU using the Advisor app.
The academic year will be structured similarly to previous years. We'll still be semester based, with 16-week, 8-week, and 3-week courses available, along with newly-added special 3- and 13-week courses. The biggest change will be in where you take your classes. Some classes will be online while others will be face-to-face. During December and January, the heightened flu season, we'll be asking students to stay safe by finishing the fall semester online and starting the spring semester online.
We’ve also increased the number of credit hours you can earn under the flat tuition rate. Instead of up to 36 credit hours across two semesters, you’ll be able to take advantage of 40 credit hours across fall, spring, and our August and winter intersessions—for the same cost. That’s another course or two, for the same price.
Additionally, IU is partnering with other Big Ten institutions to offer free online courses. Learn more and see how you can take a class at another Big Ten school!
We've charted the academic year so you can see when you'll be on campus and when you'll be fully online.
Since financial aid is specific to the individual, we encourage you to contact our office regarding your situation. If you are an incoming freshman student, it’s important to verify living options on the Residential Programs and Services website.
Payment for the fall semester is due September 10. If you aren’t able to make a full payment by September 10, there are payment plans available that help break your payment into smaller increments throughout the semester. These plans help you to pay off your account in up to four payments over the term, depending on when you enroll in the payment plan.
If you are enrolled in all online classes, and you are not located in Bloomington, you have the opportunity to petition to receive a discount on mandatory fees. Please complete the2020 Fall Combined Mandatory Fee Discountform to affirm you understand the discount.
Please note:
You must submit this form by the end of the 4thweek of classes, September 20, 2020.
The discount does not apply to tuition. Tuition will not be discounted or reduced.
To receive the discount you cannot be located in Bloomington during the term unless Bloomington is your permanent residence.
To receive the discount you cannot be enrolled in any courses marked as:
P - in person
HY - Hybrid - On Campus & Online
The mandatory fees have now been combined into a single fee. IU charges the Combined Mandatory fee based on your total enrolled hours, whether you're taking classes for credit or auditing them.
If you are enrolled in all online classes, and you are not located in Bloomington, you have the opportunity to petition to receive a discount on mandatory fees. Please complete the2020 Fall Combined Mandatory Fee Discountform to affirm you understand the discount.
Please note:
You must submit this form by the end of the 4thweek of classes, September 20, 2020.
The discount does not apply to tuition. Tuition will not be discounted or reduced.
To receive the discount you cannot be located in Bloomington during the term unless Bloomington is your permanent residence.
To receive the discount you cannot be enrolled in any courses marked as:
P - in person
HY - Hybrid - On Campus & Online
While the deadline has passed for the 2020–2021 Office of Enrollment Management scholarship resources, we recommend checking out our Non-IU Scholarships page, which provides free resources that can connect you to non-IU scholarships. This resource is frequently updated as we find new opportunities from external organizations.
Students and families who have questions related to financial hardships or have seen changes to their individual or family financial status should contact Student Central.
To assist in social distancing and allow for cleaning of classrooms, the standard passing period has been extended to 25 minutes. With this, the Office of the Registrar has instituted new standard meeting times for both Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters, which are listed in the below tables.
