Indiana's junior colleges are increasingly viable options for students who can’t afford four years at a traditional college or university. Thanks to the many transfer credit agreements between public community colleges and schools like Indiana State, students can take general education and lower-division classes at a junior college and complete their degree elsewhere. Other students earn their terminal associate’s degree from a junior college and head straight into the workforce.
Ivy Tech Community College
As Indiana’s largest public post-secondary educational institution, Ivy Tech enrolls over 150,000 students per year. Spread over 23 campuses, these students pay an average of $3,000 per year while attending the school, which bills itself as Indiana’s most affordable college. Students can choose from 150 programs including biotechnology, information security, fine arts, mortuary science and radiation therapy. The school’s Department of Workforce and Economic Development provides students with relevant job training that meets the needs of Indiana’s priority employers in fields like advanced manufacturing and life sciences. The school offers more than 2,000 certifications, awarded to more than 20,000 students in recent years.
Ivy Tech Community College, Central Indiana Campus 50 West Fall Creek Parkway, North Drive Indianapolis, IN 46208 317-921-4800 ivytech.edu/
Ancilla College
This two-year school, founded in 1937, enrolls an average of 550 students. The small population allows for a student-to-instructor ratio of 15 to one. Students can choose between 17 academic programs divided among four main divisions. Ancilla College has transfer agreements with a number of local four-year schools including Indiana State University, Purdue University North Central and Indiana Wesleyan University. Additional facets of student and campus life include six competitive sports teams, a campus ministry, student government and an honor society.
Ancilla College P.O. Box 1 Donaldson, IN 46513 574-936-8898 ancilla.edu/index.html
Vincennes University
This junior college offers more than the standard two-year degree with the option to transfer to a four-year school. Vincennes University also offers four-year degrees in six fields chosen for their relevance in Indiana’s economy, including homeland security, nursing and secondary math education. An increasing number of classes are offered online for students who can’t attend the main campus or the Jasper campus.
The university’s workforce development team acts as a community liaison, evaluating the needs of local employers, students and community leaders, in an effort to tailor opportunities and curriculum. For those looking to have fun, non-credit classes teach subjects like photography, dance, cooking and scrapbooking.
Vincennes University 1002 N. First St. Vincennes, IN 47591 800-742-9198 vinu.edu/cms/opencms/
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Jenni Wiltz's fiction has been published in "The Portland Review," "Sacramento News & Review" and "The Copperfield Review." She has a bachelor's degree in English and history from the University of California, Davis and is working on a master's degree in English at Sacramento State. She has worked as a grant coordinator, senior editor and advertising copywriter and has been a professional writer since 2003.