Student Life

  • A group of IUP students laughing and walking together through a street
     

  • You’ll work hard at IUP, but there are also plenty of opportunities to step back from your studying and enjoy your life on campus. You’ll have access to everything you need to strike that perfect balance while you earn your degree.

    Your Home Base From Day One
    Want to be in the center of it all?

    A student studying in her room

    Residence hall life has it all. You are close to classes, close to shows and sporting events, close to all campus dining options, and close to fitness and health areas. It’s your home base from day one of college and where many students make long-lasting friendships as they begin college life together. In IUP’s Living Learning Communities, you can start out sharing a hallway with others who share your interests. You’ll find there’s a lot to love about living in the heart of IUP.

    So Many Entertaining Options
    It’s time to see your first touring Broadway show!

    Bernadette Peters performing on stage

    There’s so much to do at IUP. The Lively Arts brings in big name performers and touring shows, while STATIC, the student-led entertainment organization, schedules popular music, comedy, and movie events. You can cheer on the Crimson Hawks or check out the University Museum and Kipp Art Gallery. You’ll also find interesting movies and speakers through IUP’s multicultural and student success program and the Six O’Clock Series.

    Clubs, Open Auditions, and More
    Join a club—Ultimate Frisbee anyone? Want to hunt for ghosts?

    Students live on air in the TV studio

    Sing at open mic at the HUB—the audience is very chill (clapping guaranteed). Get involved in IUP-TV, run a radio show, or write for the Penn. Try out for chorus or a play—most have open auditions—or help with a community service project like making home repairs for a veteran. Join a club, play your favorite sport on an intramural team, or join a professional group like the Student Accounting Association, which holds an impressive career fair. 

    Support Gives You Strength
    Pet a “Just Paws” Therapy Dog – Do you have a “lab” on your schedule today?

    Students studying together

    College can be challenging, but there are resources here to help you stay at your best and take on those challenges—from the fitness center and pool to the writing center and tutoring services. IUP offers multicultural resources and services and a Military and Veterans Resource Center. There are also groups on or near campus that support various religious beliefs. Not feeling well? See a nurse at the Health Center. For confidential counseling, contact the Counseling Center. There’s help available when you need it, just ask.

    Walk Downtown and Explore

    Just two blocks from campus is a friendly, walkable downtown with a wide variety of restaurants and a few unique coffee shops to explore. Get excellent pierogies, pizza, curry, subs, or lo mein. 

    Unlike universities that sit isolated from the surrounding town, or colleges set deep in cities, IUP is surrounded by a beautiful, medium-size town that has a reputation as a safe and vibrant community. Within a few blocks of campus, you can also check out Mack Park and two small museums.

    Not in the mood for a short walk? Take the bus at no cost around the Indiana area with your I-Card. Buses run from campus to several local shopping plazas (including the Walmart plaza and the Indiana Mall, which has a movie theater).

    Want to bike or go for a run instead? The Hoodlebug Trail, a walking, running, and biking trail, starts in the parking lot behind the IUP tennis courts and continues south toward Homer City.

    More To Do if You Feel Like Driving

    With just a 10-minute drive from campus, you can try out the hiking trails, disc golf course, and sledding hill at the College Lodge, or you can enjoy the view reflecting on the pond at the University Farm. Together, they make up the 270-acre IUP Co-op Recreational Park.

    On the edges of Indiana, you'll find the S&T Arena ice rink and the Palace Gardens Drive-in Theater. There are also two public golf courses in Indiana.

    Parking on campus is available long-term with a purchased pass. Car rentals are also available through Enterprise CarShare for IUP students, which gives you direct access to vehicles parked conveniently on campus.

    Possible Day Trips:

    • Buttermilk Falls, a small park based around a 45-foot waterfall on land that was owned by Fred McFeely, grandfather of Fred Rogers of children’s television. Mr. Rogers often visited the site as a child. (about 30-40 minutes away)
    • Blue Spruce Park, which has a small lake, picnic areas, and short trails (about 15 minutes away)
    • Yellow Creek State Park, which has boat rentals and a sand beach (about 15-20 minutes away)
    • Rails to Trails walking/biking trail in Blairsville, which has boat access to a river, two coffee shops, an old fashioned diner, and ice cream stands (about 30 minutes away)
    • Shopping, concerts, and events in Greensburg, Pittsburgh, Johnstown, and Altoona (about 1 to 1 ½ hours away)