Frequently Asked Questions

Full-time Ivy Tech students in good academic standing who have successfully completed one semester with at least twelve (12) semester units are eligible to apply.

Students are eligible to apply for the program until they reach 45 credits.

We’re sorry, but not all Ivy Tech campuses are served by the ABC Program. IU South Bend can only serve students in our region. But don’t let that stop you from seeking help with transferring elsewhere. Every Ivy Tech campus has a Transfer division.

Contact a staff member for assistance.

Full-time students in all degree programs—including A.A.S. degrees—are eligible to enroll in the ABC program.

You are guaranteed admission to Indiana University South Bend. While your guaranteed admission is based on your academic performance, you may or may not be admitted to a small number of highly competitive majors such as dental hygiene, nursing, or radiography.

If you complete your associate degree at Ivy Tech, you also are likely eligible for admission to another IU regional campus (IU East, IU Kokomo, IU Northwest, and IU Southeast) or to the IU programs at IPFW. You also may be eligible to transfer to IUPUI or IU Bloomington. By working early with our ABC Transfer Specialist and meeting high academic standards, you can chart a course to transfer to any IU campus—but you are only guaranteed admission to IU South Bend by participating in the ABC program.

If you enroll in the ABC program, complete your associate degree at Ivy Tech, and transfer to South Bend, you will be able to take advantage of the following benefits:

1. Guaranteed admission to IU South Bend if you maintain the standards associated with participation in the ABC program. Keep in mind that some academic programs such as dental hygiene, nursing, or radiography have limited enrollment and thus have separate standards for admission into the major. Please inquire with your ABC Transfer Specialist for more information and prepare early to enter these competitive majors.
2. Eligibility for ABC Program scholarships, including the ABC Gold, ABC Silver, ABC BronzeScholarships.
3. Personalized advising relationship with an ABC Transfer Specialist
4. Financial literacy training using Indiana University’s successful program to reduce student debt
5. Early career counseling which will help you to:
   1. focus on a degree program, minimizing courses needed for your degree
   2. find early career internship or even job placement opportunities
   3. Social and cultural events at the IU regional campuses.

Yes. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose. You will receive valuable advice from an ABC Transfer Specialist, and if you eventually choose to transfer into IU South Bend's ABC program and maintain good academic performance, you will receive transfer scholarships for four semesters.

It’s easy to enroll. Just contact Brenna Giazzon!

Yes. To be in the ABC program, you need to enroll during your second semester in your selective program, such as Nursing. You are exempt from the 0-45 credit hour rule. Your ABC Transfer Specialist can help you understand this issue and how it applies to you.

Studies show that students who complete an associate degree before transfer are much more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree, and they do so in a shorter period of time. If you complete an A.A. or A.S., you also will have completed your lower division general education requirements, which means you won’t have to redo them when you transfer to IU regional campuses or other public universities in Indiana. Of course, you can still transfer to your IU regional campus without an associate degree if for some reason this is the best course of action for you. Still, the completion of the associate degree is an important milestone in your path to a bachelor's degree and we encourage you to pursue the ABC program if you are eligible and interested in it. Life happens. If something delays or precludes the completion of your bachelor’s degree, your resume will still show you successfully achieved an associate degree at Ivy Tech, increasing your earnings and your eventual likelihood of completing the four-year bachelor’s degree.

For most students, the best time to sign up will be early in your second semester at Ivy Tech after completing your first full-time semester, with a minimum of twelve (12) semester units. If you begin your studies at Ivy Tech in spring semester rather than fall, the same rules apply. If you are an entering freshman at Ivy Tech and an ASAP or honors student or have earned at least six ACP or AP credits, IU may contact you about signing up for the program.

Students are eligible to apply until they reach 45 credits.

Yes. The ABC Transfer Specialist will help you enroll before or during your first semester at Ivy Tech if you meet the requirements. Students with strong academic promise such as ASAP students, students with AP credit or a minimum of six ACP credits, or high school honors students are good candidates to enroll before or during their first semester at Ivy Tech. 

Yes. If you sign up early for the ABC program and work closely with your ABC Transfer Specialist to select the right courses, your college level courses should transfer.

IU South Bend offers the most popular majors such as business, psychology, or communication, as well as a large variety of other majors. Check early on with your ABC Transfer Specialist to focus on possible majors and ensure that your early course selection is flexible enough to reach your goal of a bachelor’s degree if you’re not sure what you’d like to choose as a major. 

We have designed the ABC program to enable students to complete both an associate and bachelor's degree within four years. Depending on when you enroll in the ABC program, you will have from two to five academic semesters (plus summers) to complete your associate degree. If you enroll at IU South Bend the semester after you graduate with your associate degree from Ivy Tech, you will have four more semesters (plus summers) to complete your bachelor’s degree. You may take more time than four semesters to complete the bachelor’s degree, but we encourage ABC program students to take advantage of all the financial benefits of the program by completing in no more than two years from the date of transfer.

The following scholarships are available to members of the ABC Program; ABC awards are available to qualified students who are considered in-state residents for fee-paying purposes.

Note | Indiana House enacted HB 1402 and SB 590 prohibits students who are not U.S. Citizens or a qualified alien from receiving institutional scholarship funds. Students who do not meet these criteria will not be eligible for the awards.

ABC Gold (total value up to $3,000) | A maximum annual award of $1,500 will be offered to ABC students who transfer to IU South Bend with an associate degree and a minimum GPA of 3.5.

ABC Silver (total value up to $1,500) | A maximum annual award of $750 will be offered to ABC students who transfer to IU South Bend with an associate degree and a minimum GPA of 3.0.

ABC Bronze (total value up to $1,000) | A maximum annual award of $500 will be offered to ABC students who transfer to IU South Bend with an associate degree and a minimum GPA of 2.0.

ABC High Need (total value up to $2,000 towards tuition and fees) | A maximum annual award of up to $1,000 towards tuition and fees will be offered to ABC students who demonstrate financial need as indicated by eligibility for any amount of Federal Pell Grant. This amount is in addition to any ABC merit award the student may receive.

ABC awards will be renewable for an additional year when a student maintains a minimum 2.8 GPA, enrolls full-time each fall and spring term, and completes 24 credit hours at IU South Bend in the award period (fall, spring, and summer).

Award to be given in 3 tiers based on Ivy Tech grade point average and completion of associate degree prior to transfer.

Students who are eligible for any amount of Pell grant will receive an additional award of up to $1,000 annually toward tuition and fees.

Students must be enrolled full-time in a bachelor degree program.
Awards are for a total of two years or four semesters. Renewal criteria will include grade point average and minimum hours completed in the academic year.

ABC program students will fit in easily and successfully at IU South Bend. While attending Ivy Tech, ABC program students will receive regular notice of free activities and will be invited to participate. Ivy Tech students already may apply for on-campus housing at IU South Bend, and ABC program students will be given priority for limited places in housing.

IU South Bend has relatively small class sizes, often 25 or less and few large lecture classes. Professors are friendly and welcoming. The campuses are very safe, medium-sized, and have many up-to-date facilities. Faculty often involve undergraduate students in research and there are a large number of activities in and outside the classroom to engage students. After the ABC program, you will be ready for IU.