The charm of Indiana University’s campus rivals the historic architecture of Kenyon College and the mountain views of places like Sewanee and the University of Colorado Boulder — at least, that’s according to a recent study that ranked IU Bloomington as the second most beautiful college campus in the U.S.
The study, conducted by the University of Melbourne Online and shared with Travel + Leisure Magazine, looked at Tripadvisor reviews for more than 40 major college campuses and ranked those where a high percentage mentioned the word “beautiful.”
That was an easy win for IU, where approximately 58% of Tripadvisor reviews described its iconic Collegiate Gothic architecture and towering limestone buildings as “beautiful.”
Where did Indiana University rank on the most beautiful college campuses list?
IU placed second on the study’s most beautiful college campuses list, just below top-ranked Sewanee: The University of the South in eastern Tennessee (at nearly 70% of reviews) and above third-place UC Boulder (at 55.5%), located north of Denver.
What’s so beautiful about IU’s campus?
Visitors to IU frequently mention the campus’ limestone architecture and thoughtful landscaping when describing it as “beautiful” on Tripadvisor, with one user calling the campus an “architecture lover’s dream.”
IU has received similar accolades before, making Condé Nast Traveler’s list as one of the top 54 most beautiful college campuses in the U.S. in 2025, and recently being named among the top 35 most beautiful campuses in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
What are the most beautiful college campuses, according to the study?
The top 25 most beautiful colleges in the U.S. per the University of Melbourne Online’s rankings are as follows:
Reach Brian Rosenzweig at brian@heraldt.com. Follow him on X/Twitter at @brianwritesnews.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: IU ranked second most beautiful campus in the country, per new report
Reporting by Brian Rosenzweig, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
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