Pure and Cu (7 at.%) doped In 2 O 3 thin films were prepared using an electron beam evaporation technique. A systematic study was carried out on the structural, chemical and magnetic properties of the thin films. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that all the films were cubic in structure. The pure and Cu doped In 2 O 3 thin films showed ferromagnetism at room temperature. The Cu doped In 2 O 3 thin films showed the saturation magnetization, coercivity and retentivity of 38.71 emu/cm 3 , 245 G and 5.54 emu/cm 3 , respectively. © 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.