direct-admission

Criteria for Automatic Direct Admission

Students who meet ALL of the following criteria will be automatically directly admitted to the Luddy School and will be notified of their direct admission in their Indiana University Admissions Packet.

  • Complete your application for admission by November 1.
  • Declare a Luddy major. (The B.A. in Computer Science is a degree in the College of Arts and Sciences. B.A. students won’t be offered direct admission to Luddy.)
  • Receive admission to IU Bloomington.
  • Earn a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher on a 4.0 scale. We will use the highest GPA that is sent to IU Admissions from your official high school transcript. In most cases this is the weighted GPA.
  • Earn a minimum SAT score of 1310 (reading/writing and math only) or minimum ACT score of 28. We accept superscores.
    • Intelligent systems engineering applicants must earn an SAT math score of at least 620 or an ACT math score of at least 26.

IU is test optional. To find out if this is the right path for you, learn more about our test-optional admissions policy. If you choose to apply to IU without ACT/SAT scores, you will be reviewed for automatic direct admission on other aspects of your application, including performance in academic coursework, quality of application essay(s), and additional activities and achievements.

Benefits of Direct Admission

  • Consideration for direct-admit scholarships
  • Special opportunities like programs to help you start strong at IU and network with faculty and industry leaders
  • Immediate access to your permanent Luddy academic advisor, who will help you plan your education and take full advantage of the opportunities here
  • Immediate access to our career services—and the earlier you can start preparing for your career, the better

Direct-Admit Scholarships

Students who receive automatic direct admission to Luddy will be notified in their IU admission letter if they have received a merit-based scholarship. Automatic direct admit students will also be invited to complete the Selective Scholarship Application (SSA), which is used to award limited additional Luddy scholarships. The SSA deadline is February 1, and these scholarship awards will be posted to student accounts by March 15.

Please note: Students who do not submit their completed IU application by November 1 or who are selected as a direct admit via a case-by-case review are not invited to complete the SSA.

If you have questions about the SSA process, email luddyrec@indiana.edu or contact the Office of Scholarships.

See our direct-admit scholarships

IU and Luddy do not match offers from other institutions or consider appeals for additional scholarship funding.

Case-by-Case Reviews

All applications that do not meet all the criteria for automatic direct admission will receive a second review. We may offer direct admission to students in these three situations:

  • Students who apply to IU Bloomington after November 1 but meet the other criteria for automatic direct admission
  • Students who meet the criteria for either the SAT/ACT or GPA, and are very close to meeting the criteria for the other one
  • Students who apply to IU Bloomington by November 1 indicating a non-Luddy major and then switch to a Luddy major

Criteria for Standard Admission

Many students enter Luddy through standard admission after you meet our school’s certification requirements. You’ll start your IU education in University Division. You still take classes in your intended Luddy major, participate in our student organizations, attend our events, and talk with our advisors and career counselors. Once you meet the certification requirements for your major, your new Luddy advisor will reach out to you with an official welcome to the school!