In 1920/1921 the School of Music and the School of Commerce and Finance (what later became the Kelley School of Business) were opened. The first extension office of IU was opened in Indianapolis in 1916. The curriculum emphasized the classics, as befitted a gentleman, and stood in contrast to the service-oriented curriculum at Purdue University, which presented itself as of direct benefit to farmers, industrialists, and businessmen. There were 82 graduate students including ten from out-of-state. In 1902, IU enrolled 1203 undergraduates all but 65 were Hoosiers. The university commissioned a study that led to building a reservoir for its use. (Today, the city has expanded eastward, and the 'new' campus is once again in the midst of the city.) One challenge was that Bloomington's limited water supply was inadequate for its population of 12,000 and could not handle university expansion. The college was rebuilt between 18 at the far eastern edge of Bloomington.

But another incident that year was of more immediate concern: the original campus in Seminary Square burned to the ground. In 1883, IU awarded its first PhD and played its first intercollegiate sport (baseball), prefiguring the school's future status as a major research institution and a power in collegiate athletics. During his presidency, student enrollment increased from 524 to 1,285. He began construction for Science Hall in 1901. He established Kirkwood Hall in 1894 a gymnasium for men in 1896, which later was named Assembly Hall and Kirkwood Observatory in 1900.

Mathematician Joseph Swain was IU's first Hoosier-born president, 1893 to 1902. Morrison went on to become the first female professor at IU in 1873. IU admitted its first woman student, Sarah Parke Morrison, in 1867, making IU the fourth public university to admit women on an equal basis with men. In 1851, IU had nearly a hundred students and seven professors. Jordan became president of Stanford University in June 1891. Jordan (president 1884–1891) improved the university's finances and public image, doubled its enrollment, and instituted an elective system along the lines of his alma mater, Cornell University. Jordan followed Baptist theologian Lemuel Moss, who resigned after a scandal broke regarding his involvement with a female professor. After six ministers in a row, the first non-clergyman to become president was the young biology professor David Starr Jordan, in 1885. Presidents and professors were expected to set a moral example for their charges. They spoke of the nonsectarian status of the school but generally hired fellow Presbyterians.

Wylie and David Maxwell, president of the board of trustees, were devout Presbyterians. The school's name was changed to 'Indiana College' in 1829, and to 'Indiana University' in 1838. In 1829, Andrew Wylie became the first president, serving until his death in 1851. The Sample Gates, the main entrance to the Indiana University Bloomington Campus From 1820 to 1889 a legal-political battle was fought between IU and Vincennes University as to which was the legitimate state university. Hall was a classicist who focused on Greek and Latin and believed that the study of classical philosophy and languages formed the basis of the best education. In the first year, he taught twelve students and was paid $250. The first professor was Baynard Rush Hall, a Presbyterian minister who taught all of the classes in 1825–27. Indiana's state government in Corydon established Indiana University on January 20, 1820, as the 'State Seminary.' Construction began in 1822 at what is now called Seminary Square Park near the intersection of Second Street and College Avenue. Since it does not have a mascot, all teams are known simply as 'Hoosiers.' The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference. Indiana athletic teams compete in Division I of the NCAA and are known as the Indiana Hoosiers. The university houses more than 750 student organizations on campus and with around 17 percent of undergraduates joining the Greek system. Its schools and programs include the Jacobs School of Music, the Kelley School of Business, and the Maurer School of Law.

Indiana University is a member of the Association of American Universities and is classified among 'R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity'. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and its largest campus with over 40,000 students. Indiana University Bloomington ( IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana.

Iu fall break 2018