College is expensive, especially if students have to factor in the additional cost of living. But dorms offer more than just a place to sleep: students are close to campus, have a place to rest between classes and may find lifelong friends from their assigned roommates.
IU Indianapolis offers four options for on-campus housing: University Tower, Ball Hall, North Hall and Riverwalk Apartments. University Tower is reserved for freshmen only, and Ball Hall is also geared toward first-year students, leaving fewer housing options for upperclassmen and graduate students. The lack of housing options on campus impacts students in many ways, especially if they do not live in close proximity.
According to IU Indianapolis Housing and Residence Life, room rates for the 2026-27 school year range from $3,476 to $6,153 per semester. Those rates cover utilities, internet, laundry and furniture, but students in Ball Hall, University Tower and North Hall are also required to have a meal plan, which costs $4,873 for the academic year. Spread across a semester, that puts the cost of housing on par with a one-bedroom apartment in Indianapolis, which averaged about $1,032 per month in July 2026, according to Trulia. However, apartments downtown near campus start higher, apartment rent usually does not include utilities and dorm rates are charged per student, even when students share a room.
Students pay for dorms in various ways. It does not matter if the students are getting their money from college funds, federal loans, part-time jobs or scholarships, the housing still has to be paid for. Housing is expensive, and this is hard for students coming out of high school or not supported financially by family members. Some IU Indianapolis students have had prior experience with paying rent, buying houses or dealing with a lease contract, but the majority are trying to wrap their heads around the fact that a roof over their heads is no longer provided for free. So how are these students paying for college, and do they line up with the assumed ways listed above? Are they attempting to pay with Monopoly money?
The fact that there is not enough housing, even though IU Indianapolis is considered a commuter school, is widely concerning. This is leading to many students struggling to secure campus housing. Yes, there are plenty of apartment options, but those are difficult for students with no prior experience of paying rent or dealing with landlords. Campus housing is easier to deal with, learn and digest for first-time college students. This may lead to an actual reduction in out-of-state students or even students who have to drive over two hours to attend IU Indianapolis, because how are they expected to attend their 9 a.m. courses when they have to commute due to a lack of housing and being waitlisted?
"I am not a happy camper," said Shaela Weitzel, a sophomore majoring in psychology.
There was an issue during spring 2026 with Weitzel's housing application, and she was No. 249 on the wait list.
"Why did [IU Indianapolis] accept [so many students] when there is not enough housing for those who want to live on campus? Why don't we provide extra housing for those who are waitlisted … and can't commute because they don't have housing anymore?" Weitzel said.
Weitzel was then informed she had been accepted for housing two weeks before classes started and had to rearrange her class schedule because she planned on only commuting Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Besides the lack of housing, many students wonder how the cost of IU Indianapolis' housing compares with other colleges in the area. Butler University's housing ranges from $4,115 to $7,050 per semester, which is a little more expensive but not an extravagant difference. The main difference is that Butler is a private school. Would it not be fair to assume that, since IU Indianapolis is a public school, there would be quite a drastic difference in housing prices compared with neighboring private schools?
Upon a quick search, it is also evident that the University of Indianapolis' prices, which range from $3,410 to $7,350 per semester, are comparable to IU Indianapolis'. One reason that IU Indianapolis' prices may be higher is that the housing options are located almost in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. It is less than a 30-minute walk to get to amazing places, such as TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park, the Indianapolis Zoo and many great museums. Also, do not forget the large number of hospitals in the area.
While Purdue University in Indianapolis' current on-campus housing is LUX on Capitol downtown, a new building with student housing is being built. The Academic Success Building, a 15-story, 248,000-square-foot building with classrooms, labs, dining and housing for up to 500 students, will stand directly across from the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. Students have probably seen this building rising while walking to class. This building will provide more housing options for the students and is expected to be complete in 2027.
Purdue Indianapolis' student population is a bit minuscule compared with IU Indianapolis', but they are providing more student housing options, which is progress. IU Indianapolis, by contrast, has had an influx of students attending, and if this trend continues upward, more housing should be built for the sake of all the students who live on campus.
Raegan Nelson is a sophomore studying psychology in hopes of becoming an art therapist in the future. She is passionate about the arts, literature and psychological issues in the past and present. In her free time, she loves to paint, draw, read or watch horror movies.
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