Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana
Reviews and Complaints

I started attending this school in 1998 while raising my 4-year-old son by myself and working a full-time job. I had to change my major more than 7 times because the classes I needed to take were never available to me because also had to work a full-time job. In 2016 I finally graduated with three associate degrees in the medical field and while I have interviewed over the years with several medical offices and hospitals, I was never hired by any of them. My college education from this school meant nothing to them! Over the years my debt has accumulated interest with a total indebtedness now of $70,000 dollars. Save yourself a lot of money and time and receive training on the job. Don't ever think college is the answer. Especially if you're thinking of attending a little crackpot school like Ivy Tech. It's just another way to trap you to keep you in debt! STAY CLEAR OF THIS SCHOOL!

I am an adult student who had taken a dual credit course in high school, and did not like the grade I got so I wanted to take it again when I went back to school 6 years later. I currently have a 3.94 GPA at my school, and wanted to take the online course at Ivy Tech over the summer to get through as many courses as possible so as to graduate early. They required that I appeal the class even though I was approved as a guest student, since my high school had required me to take the class twice. (I wanted to keep my higher GPA at my current school which is why I did not submit my high school grade for the credit). The first assignment was due on June 11th, and there was a virtual meeting a few days before. I was unable to attend the meeting due to having another class at the same time, and since it was not a requirement I was not worried. I had read the syllabus, and began the first discussion. I even scheduled my proctored tests, and paid for them per the course requirement sent by the professor. I did not have service for multiple days due to a family issue, so I was unable to submit the assignment by the due date. I did not get service until the morning of June 14th, and when I saw my email I notice the professor had sent me a message stating if I didn’t submit the assignment by Tuesday I would be automatically withdrawn due to non-attendance. I panicked and emailed her explaining the situation, and she had me fill out a form to be readmitted while she reached out to her supervisor to see if it wasn’t considered no-attendance. My request was denied, and the supervisor had reviewed my class history from 5 years ago which made their decision to not let me back in. I emailed my advisor explaining, and her response was that I am no longer eligible for online summer classes due to being dropped. No one has tried to help or understand the situation, and even though I paid tuition, scheduled the testing which was a REQUIREMENT for the course, and provided proof of when I had started everything (Canvas shows dates and history of what you did), I am not allowed back in the class. I am absolutely disgusted by this school and how they claim to be great for people coming back, but they give you less than a days notice that you’ll be dropped, and do not care what your personal situation is. Advising is a joke, they do not care and do not pay attention to anything students actually need.

I missed ONE appointment with a tutor and now they won't let me schedule another one to make up for it. I had a family emergency and didn't have any service, therefore could not even reach out to explain that I won't be able to attend the session. They recently got back with me and gave me the "I'm off today" excuse to prevent me from getting help with a class that I'm failing. Terrible system.

I attended Ivy Tech and received a technical certificate, I had a few loans but small ones, I was paying on them through auto pay income driven repayment plan, In 2017 Ivy Tech sent me an email that said due to my information being sold to a 3rd party (along with other peoples) My department of education loans had been closed, Ive worked hard on my credit and recently was preapproved for an FHA home loan, well today I lost my house because I came up in the CALVRS system saying I had EDU loans in default, I called and spoke to 3 different people who were very intimidating and hateful. I also called Ivy Tech to have the email that they sent to me in 2017. They told me they couldnt send it to me and even if I could get into my email, It would no longer be there, They have to have record of something like that because I wasnt the only one they sent it to and this is no little matter. I am devastated. I was paying on it until I got that email and no one from EDU ever contacted me on the matter yet they had all of my info that I had to verify when I called, I would not have stopped paying had it not been closed, I did not ask for my loans to be closed and now the Department of EDU is saying I owe interest etc in the amount of 44k? 44k for a Technical Certificate that has never landed me a job no matter where or how many times I applied?

This is the 3rd time I have missed registration for classes due to the inept competency of my advisor, DARIN OVERSPIKE. He is the most irresponsible and laziest advisor you could imagine. He won't return calls or emails and more than once I have had to go over him to try to get registered for classes. He is the worst and because of him, I have missed more than one semester. I can't get a hold of anyone to help me but on the rare occasion I do, they tell me I need to speak with my advisor. This is beyond frustrating and I don't understand how hard it is to reply to an email. All I need is the availability to register for classes and the [censored] can't even reply in any shape or form. The whole "college" is a pathetic joke and I'm suffering because of their ineptitude. DARIN OVERSPIKE NEEDS TO BE FIRED, THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!

I turned in my enrollment verification at the start of the semester, I am 3 weeks into classes and I get a phone call from the VA rep saying my enrollment verification didnt go through because ivy tech had the wrong major listed. I've spent three hours today trying to get an appointment. Advising office has no direct number to call, the scheduling part online is down and IT says 1-3 days for them to even get back with me. The only way then to make an appointment is to drive an hour up there and physically walk into the office, schedule an appointment, and then drive an hour home. The fact that it is almost impossible to see an advisor at this school is rediculous, I tried to make an appointment at the beginning of the semester bit they were so booked up there were no available appointments. I am now in jeopardy have having to drop classes in my last semester here because I cant get in to see an advisor for something that would take 5 minutes. One last thing, tried to call the ivy line number, press 4 for IT, and it just loops you from 1 automated message to another then back to the original automated message. I pressed 2 and 4 so many times. I am beyond frustrated right now, and noone up there seems willing or capable to help with this matter.

Many problems with Ivy Tech: Not getting to speak with financial advisor, ever, after repeated requests. Advisor schedules not accommodating to working peoples' schedules, had face-to-face with Kara who I EXPLICITLY told I needed on-campus classes at FRANKLIN campus - it's the entire reason WHY I chose Ivy Tech. I set up appt. for 3/18/19 to meet w/Kara and when I called to confirm appt., only THEN was I told that Franklin campus doesn't offer MA Assistant course at that campus, I would have to travel across town to the Lawrence campus for the course I wanted. At that point, I withdrew my application and financial aid from Ivy Tech and searching for another, more qualified institution that understands a simple request of needing on-campus classes. No help with financial aid at all and I STILL don't know the total cost of Ivy Tech's MA Assistant course as I haven't been able to speak with anyone about this. This was the most discouraging, unprofessional, unorganized learning institution I've ever encountered. I will be filing a complaint with the Board of Education.

My cousins daughter recently purchased $350.00 of books. When she failed to pick them up at a specified time she was refused not only the books, but also a refund. This is theft. You are keeping her money and your product. If this is not, I'll call it should be. People from the middle class are already struggling to afford higher education. Practices like these widen that divide. I am livid this is allowed. Shame on you ivy tech. Shame, shame, shame on you. I am disgusted. You don't want to educate, you want to financially cheat our youth.
Cinda E Daniel

Although I'm enrolled as a full-time student with a Bachelor's degree from Ball State, I'm so pissed off by the services that are offered where I can barely get attention one on one! The tutoring centers are suppose to be accessible to students to get further help, however, they lack of tutors everytime I walk in there and they would even sometimes spend only 15 minutes with each student. I wish that they would have an appointment system where they can have individual tutoring and how it allows for students to receive further help than just for less than 20 minutes! Plus you have to sign in along with a bunch of other students listed where you never know when they will get to you! Its affordable to go to this college, however, they need to work on a better tutoring and other services! :(

I am an older student with a 3.3 gpa and 33 credits after not attentding any sort of class room in over 10 years. So I plead with a coordinator to please check my record because i only have a 1 time shot at a sap appeal unless they can adjust my record. It was a rough time for me financially and had to work and could not complete the program so I tested out of it. As far I theyre concerned I didnt complete the course. So they tell me hey its fixed you can go to class. Nope. Cant get my financial Aid nor the military benefit to cover cost of anything until they fix this so called glitch that is going to cost me my education toward a transfer to a university then any hopes at attending a decent law school. So im in classes and cant recieve any benefits but getting billed all the same and screwed all the same it feels like. Thanks Ivy Tech for student success

There has been a big mess with my higher education grant and this has been repeated more than once by Ivy Tech. They refunded my scholarship and grant money (after putting in on and removing it 2 separate times) and now are stating that they over-refunded me and I am to pay them pack the $1550 for my higher education grant. This process is ridiculous and the errors have been made by the school and their accounting. However they want to hold me responsible and are placing holds on my student account, so that I may not add additional classes for next term. I am in the honor society, have a 4.0 GPA and on the way to upholding those qualifying factors. I want Ivy Tech investigated, because I feel that they are lax in their business practices and they want others to pay for their errors. In the “real world”, that’s not how it works.

On top of that, Ivy Tech had a very compromising situation with a Fall 2014 Math class, where they cancelled all student’s book orders (which were submitted in bulk order with their other classes). They then required us to order them again, at a higher price plus additional shipping, which net the school an additional $40, 000 - $50, 000. Practices like this are deceitful and disgusting - and this is wrong, both in business and morally.

This is not the first problem I have had with Ivy Tech. They are also discriminating towards some students and one of the business office personnel told me she would wait to see if it was "worth her time" to update my student information, because she wasn't sure I would even attend (I'm not the "traditional" idea of a college student). It was insulting and I had to get other employees involved to get my account up-to-date so that I could attend.

If someone asked me what I think of Ivy Tech I would say as a sophomore student who is proud to have earned a 3.9 g.p.a. thus far, Ivy Tech is the least expensive option for gaining an education. The classes for the most part are statewide courses that transfer easily to other schools and they have some amazing instructors who really care about their students. If what you want is education, Ivy Tech is a good place for that. If you are seeking a degree, however, I would say caveat emptor, you get what you pay for.
To earn a degree from Ivy Tech you should schedule a session with your advisers more than a year prior to when you would actually like to know what classes you need to take to earn a degree because this appears to be the minimum time limit in which they will respond with a full answer which may or may not be correct. Then be prepared for the notice you will get when you apply to graduate that even though your adviser signed off on your course plan, you still have not taken all of the classes you need to graduate. There is always, “one more”. This is a brilliant strategy designed to squeeze every last dime out of your pocket before you are released into the wild because who is going to work that long and hard to earn their degree, get one class away from graduation, and refuse to take it on principle?
I am convinced there is really only one adviser working at Ivy Tech who frequently changes his/her name and email address to appear to be someone new, hoping you won’t find them. Be prepared to be assigned to several different advisers throughout the course of a year and for those advisers to refuse to give advice. Be prepared to not be kept up to date on who your adviser is, and when you do track them down they will be on vacation. When they return you will have been assigned to a new adviser and can begin the process all over again. Every time.
If you do get ahold of this elusive adviser, be prepared for this person to pawn you off to a department chair and be prepared for the department chair to send you back to your adviser rather than answering your questions or dealing with your concern. Just when you think you have finally been given the answers you need, be prepared to admit you thought wrong, and begin again.
Be prepared for a school filled with staff members who do not know how to use online communication even though they offer online degrees. Be prepared to waste time and money. Be prepared for an abundance of frustration and suspend disbelief because their lack of knowledge, professionalism, and respect for other human beings is so unbelievable that it seems unrealistic. Be prepared to question your own sanity and perhaps even lose your mind in this institute of higher learning.
And one last thing I would tell someone considering Ivy Tech….know when to walk away. There are many schools to choose from when you are determined to reach your goals. There are even schools where students are treated with respect. Yes, you will have to pay a little more but you will actually walk away with both your degree and your sanity. Perhaps they won’t feel the need to delete your post because the truth is painful, or answer with the standard (automated?), “Speak to your adviser”. You could (heaven forbid!) get a real answer….at a real school.

I've had nothing but trouble from IVTC, they have left me hanging. Twice I was supposed to have an advisor to help me with my questions and they fired both of them. (and they were very good help to me) I was left hanging when neither one of them answered for weeks on end. Then I was assigned to someone not even in that field who did a rotten job helping me and didn't know what she was doing. Then I had a teacher who was mean and talked down to me. I told her off and got into trouble. I was sanctioned twice and have a record for 5 years. in that record it states I have been in trouble for misconduct on school property. and I wasn't even on school property. All I did was defend myself against a teacher and that was considered abuse. I didn't threaten anyone, I just told them off. But that's not allowed and the Dean of Students says I should be more mature and know there are things like that I have to deal with as an adult. (talking down to me) He did tell me that he was getting his PHD. (which I didn't care to know or ask) Then I sent him a question about the sanction and he never bothered to answer it, it's been over 3 weeks. IVTC just dares you to get mad so they can sanction you about something. I've got a bad taste in my mouth from IVTC. I'd like to get that sanction erased as I've never been in trouble and I think it's a violation of my rights. I feel bombarded and overrun by IVTC.

Ivy Tech of Evansville, Indiana - This is the ONLY school within 50 miles of me and they really suck. They post curriculums online which are wrong. Then someone changes the curriculum who has No idea what they are doing. They limit electives to where you can't even choose enough to finish your degree. Prerequisites don't make sense. And the classes that would help further your career, they do not actually have or it's at a campus too far away from you. They have a health coding course and there are two courses about coding! This school is a BIG joke!

Ivy tech community college is a 2-3 year robbery. You advisor (the person telling what classes you need to take to graduate) and the records departments are obviously working off of two very different pages. I was told by my advisor that I was ready to graduate and to complete an application for graduation. Having done this I proceeded to order invits and all only to find out the the COM 102 class the advisor was supposed to be COM 101. In the process I ended up losing all of my financial aid so going to Ivy Tech cost me $9, 000 in student loans and any ability to further my education at all.

Each semester I attended I had nothing but problems with the financial aid department. I was either targeted for versification (having to submit my w-2 tax forms each semester and yes I mean the same forms two to three times a year) or the lost paperwork. In many instances I ended up failing classes because by the time I received by aid it was 2-3 weeks into the class and I had missed so much course work that a D was the best I could do. When I called to ask questions from the administrative staff they were rude and impersonal. On many occasions they cut me off and transferred me in mid sentence.