Home and family in Bloomington
Graduate students are whole individuals who often need not only a place to live for themselves but also their families. These resources will get you started finding places to live and childcare support.
Find a place to live
Whether it’s an on-campus apartment, a house nearby, or a condominium downtown, we’ll help you find housing that fits your needs. These resources will help inform your housing search.
Residential Programs and Services
IU’s Residential Programs and Services (RPS) provides on-campus housing to IU students. RPS manages more than 1,000 apartment units, as well as more than 6,000 residence hall rooms. Students who live in RPS housing enjoy the convenient location, easy billing, and student community that comes with living on campus.
GPSG Housing Information
The Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG) has created a guide to Bloomington housing written specifically for graduate students. Check out the GPSO’s housing bulletin board for vacancies, learn about renter’s insurance, and explore your housing options as a graduate student.
IDS Housing and Living Guide - Fall 2024
The Indiana Daily Student (IDS), IU’s student newspaper, provides a Housing & Living Guide for Fall 2024, produced by the students at the Indiana Daily Student and Indiana University.
IU Real Estate
The IU Real Estate-Property Management Division offers rental housing near campus to all full-time graduate and professional students and postdoctoral scholars, as well as full-time faculty and staff.
IU families in Bloomington
As a family-friendly campus, we want to support graduate students who are also parents by providing high-quality childcare resources. Use these resources to pursue the full graduate school experience while knowing your families are in capable hands.
GPSG childcare and family guide
Written by graduate students who’ve been where you are, the Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG) Child Care & Family guide not only provides support in your child care search but also connects you with family-oriented activities and services in the community.
Early Childhood Education Services
IU’s Early Childhood Education Services (ECES) provides year-round, high-quality care and education to children of IU faculty, staff, and students. ECES operates three centers and provides care for children as young as six weeks old. The three IUB childcare programs also offer fee assistance (10-15% discount) to income-eligible full-time IU students.
Child care vouchers
IUB Graduate students may be eligible for CCDF (Child Care Development Fund) vouchers if they are students AND working and meet income eligibility. More information can be found here. All three IUB childcare programs accept CCDF vouchers.
On My Way PreK
IUB graduate students who have a child(ren) age 4 by August 1st may be eligible for On My Way PreK. More information can be found here. Currently Hoosier Courts Nursery School enrolls children eligible for On My Way PreK. Other On My Way PreK providers can be found here.
State of Indiana childcare resources
The state of Indiana has an interactive, easy-to-use interface where families can search for programs near them, filter their search based upon their needs, communicate directly with programs, and claim available enrollment in real time.
Family and Social Services Administration regulates and oversees licensed Centers, homes, and registered ministries. They offer a service to help families find childcare within their community that includes licensing compliance. Go to the FSSA website, and from the menu bar at the top, select Find Child Care. Then select Find Child Care again. Fill out the survey. The site will generate a list of programs that match the needs you identified. When you select a program you will have the option to review licensing compliance information for that site.
Families may also receive personalized assistance in finding childcare through the area resource and referral organization CASY (Chances and Services for Youth). More information can be found here. Under option one, you may call a 1-800 number or fill out a form, and a specialist will get in touch.
Care@Work
IU graduate students who are also employees of IU are eligible for a premium membership to Care@Work. Membership allows access to the Care@Work web portal to find, book, and pay for caregivers online, find backup care, and explore Care@Work’s extensive library of resources for parents and caregivers. More information can be found here.