Is Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana Right for You

With more than 200,000 enrolled students, Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana includes 23 campuses, an online course system, and is the nations largest community college system. Ivy Tech offers associate degrees and certificate programs to give students work skills, while also providing the foundation for transfer to four-year colleges. Non-Traditional Students at Ivy Tech Community College Amy Martin, a non-traditional student and mother of 8 who returned to college in her late 30s, chose Ivy Tech because the colleges options allow her to work around my schedule and I can take some of my courses online or at our local learning center. Amy is representative of the typical student at Ivy Tech; the average age of students at Ivy Tech, according to Jeff Fanter, vice president of Communications and Marketing, is 27.3 years. Many are displaced workers or non-traditional adult learners seeking a career change. Others are boosting current job skills while working; 81% of Ivy Tech Community College students attend part-time. Ivy Tech campuses include: BloomingtonIndianapolisFort WayneLafayetteEvansvilleSellersburgTerre HauteSouth BendColumbusMuncieKokomoValparaisoRichmondGary Classes are held at 75 different locations throughout Indiana, and Ivy Tech Blackboard options using Campus Connect let students enroll in online courses as well. Online Associate Degree and Distance Learning Distance learning is an integral part of the schools approach, and according to Fanter, We offer approximately 350 different online courses each semester. About 30% of Ivy Tech students take at least one class online each semester. There are approximately 30,000 students taking classes online at Ivy Tech. The online enrollment alone through Ivy Tech Campus Connect is more than the entire student population at many large colleges and universities in the United States. Ivy Tech offers more than 350 e-learning courses at any time and students benefit from hybrid options, combining on-campus classes with online degree work. Associate Degrees At Ivy Tech - One Year Programs and More The Chronicle of Higher Education featured Ivy Techs one-year associate degree program in its April 25, 2010, edition; the innovative experiment launched in August 2010 with a $2.3 million grant from the Lumina Foundation and $270,000 from the Indiana Department of Education. Students at the Ivy Tech Indy and Fort Wayne campuses can attend college from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. five days a week for one year; tuition is paid for and students receive a weekly stipend. At the end of one year, the student earns an associate degree from Ivy Tech. The experiment is designed to combat dismal graduation rates from two-year colleges. Just 25% of students who start out in associate degree programs actually earn an associate degree nationwide; the Ivy Tech one-year associate degree trial is designed to improve attrition rates. Tuition and Fees at Ivy Tech In-state students pay tuition based on the number of credit hours they are taking per semester. Â  A typical Ivy Tech associate degree can be completed for under $7,000 and all federal financial aid applies. In addition, Ivy Tech offers a unique Financial Aid TV series online, with videos that answer frequently asked questions about paying for college. For more information on non-traditional student enrollment at Ivy Tech, visit their website or call 888-IVY-LINE.