Indiana University-East

Indiana University-East is a public regional campus of Indiana University located in Richmond, Indiana, near the Ohio border. As part of the Indiana University system, it offers bachelor’s and selected master’s degree programs across fields such as business, education, nursing, humanities, social sciences, and the natural sciences. The campus serves students from east-central Indiana and western Ohio, including many commuter and nontraditional learners, and also provides online degree options. With a focus on undergraduate education and community engagement, Indiana University-East supports academic access in a regional setting while operating within the broader governance and academic framework of Indiana University.

Indiana University-East was officially established in 1971, when the Indiana General Assembly approved the transition of the Eastern Indiana Center of Earlham College into a regional campus of Indiana University in Richmond, Indiana. The center had begun in 1967 as a cooperative extension effort among several institutions to expand access to higher education in eastern Indiana. After local fundraising efforts and community advocacy, Indiana University assumed responsibility for the campus on July 1, 1971. Ground was broken for the new campus in 1972, and the first academic building opened in 1974, with initial accreditation granted in 1975. Indiana University-East awarded its first bachelor’s degrees in 1977 and gradually expanded its academic programs. Over the following decades, additional facilities were constructed, new degree options were introduced, and intercollegiate athletics began in 2007, shaping the campus into its present form as a comprehensive regional university.