Higher Education Outcome Report · Midwest

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Indiana Higher Education Outcome Report

Updated continuously · 55 degree-granting institutions graded

Indiana's higher education system is a below-average mobility and higher earnings system. Median 10-year earnings sit at $55,731, +8% vs the national median.

advanced manufacturing
life sciences
logistics

106
INSTITUTIONS: $55,731
MEDIAN EARNINGS: ▲ 8% vs natl; $19,812
AVG NET PRICE: 16 / 42
PUBLIC / PRIVATE

OUTCOME GRADE

56/100 · #21 of 50

Indiana At A Glance

State-Level Intelligence

Institutions

55

202,858 students enrolled
Graduates / Year

~33,731

Estimated annual completers
Median Earnings
70th pct

$51,943

15th of 50 states
Mobility Score
2nd pct

0.9%

45th of 46 states
Talent Retention
90th pct

75%

First-year retention rate
Value Ratio
46th pct

2.7x

Earnings per net-price dollar

Top Industries Hiring Graduates:

Business
Humanities
Healthcare

Executive Summary

Indiana graduates earn a median of $51,943 a decade after entry, 6% above the national state average, ranking 15th of 50 states.
Upward mobility sits mid-pack: the state's institutions move bottom-quintile students into the top quintile at a 0.9% rate, in the 2nd percentile nationally.
Degree production is led by Business and Humanities, which together account for 37% of graduates. That diversified mix sets what the state's labor pipeline can supply.
Engineering is the standout sector: graduates earn $60,899, +18.1% versus the national median. That premium points to a real wage advantage rather than sheer volume.
On value, Indiana returns 2.7x earnings per dollar of net price, roughly average cost-to-outcome efficiency in the country.
The state's strongest mobility engine is Trine University, which moves bottom-quintile students into the top quintile at a 2% rate, the highest in Indiana.

Key Insights

Earnings vs National

+2.8%

Median graduate earnings in Indiana are above the national average by 3%.
Cost vs National

+7.7%

Net price in Indiana is higher than the national average by 8%.
Mobility Rate

-0.76pp

Upward mobility rate is 0.8 percentage points below the national average.
Completion Rate

+2.1pp

Indiana's graduation rate is 2.1 percentage points above the national average.
Best Value

12.6x

Top value school: Indiana University-Kokomo ($49,917 earnings vs $3,968 net price).
Low-Income Access

5.1%

5% of students come from bottom-quintile households, a measure of how open the state's colleges are to low-income students.

Education Output Profile

Business (21% of graduates) and Humanities (16% of graduates) dominate Indiana's higher education output. Graduates in the top field earn a weighted average of $54,221.

Business

21%

$54,221 avg
Humanities

16%

$53,336 avg
Healthcare

13%

$55,032 avg
Engineering

10%

$73,363 avg
Social Sciences

10%

$56,662 avg

Concentration: diversified HHI: 12

Outcome Performance

Indiana's highest-ROI degree cluster is Trades (Transportation), where graduates average $60,266 against a net cost of $14,124, a 4.3x return. That's +16.9% vs the national median.

Transportation
4.3x

$60,266 earnings $14,124 net +16.9% vs natl
Criminal Justice
3.2x

$50,921 earnings $15,710 net -1.3% vs natl
Communications
3.0x

$54,158 earnings $17,940 net +5% vs natl
Physical Sciences
3.0x

$58,533 earnings $19,405 net +13.5% vs natl
Computer Science & IT
3.0x

$56,734 earnings $18,872 net +10% vs natl
Social Sciences
3.0x

$55,441 earnings $18,549 net +7.5% vs natl

State Talent Profile

Three lenses on Indiana's talent pipeline: which fields produce the most graduates, which command the highest earnings, and where high-pay demand outruns local supply.

Dominant Fields

Business & Marketing 21%
Humanities 15%
Health Professions 13%
Engineering 10%
Computer Science & IT 7%

Highest-Earning Fields

Engineering $73,363
Computer Science & IT $62,438
Social Sciences $61,061
Biology & Biomedical $58,356
Communications $57,685

Opportunity Gaps

High earnings, low local production — fields where demand may outrun Indiana's graduate supply.

Social Sciences $61,061 4% of grads
Biology & Biomedical $58,356 6% of grads
Communications $57,685 4% of grads

Mobility & Retention

Opportunity Insights

Indiana's colleges post an average mobility rate of 0.9%, which puts the state in the 2nd percentile nationally. 5% of students arrive from bottom-quintile households. Cross-class social connectedness averages 1.54, a proxy for the networks that help graduates convert a degree into mobility.

MOBILITY RATE

0.9%

▼ -0.72pp vs natl

Bottom 20% → Top 20%
LOW-INCOME ACCESS

5%

From bottom quintile
SUCCESS RATE

25%

If bottom 20% enroll
FIRST-GENERATION

34%

First-gen students
TALENT RETENTION

75%

First-year retention
SOCIAL CAPITAL

1.54

Economic connectedness

Mobility Leaders — Institutions Driving Upward Movement

Labor Market Alignment

Indiana's Engineering programs produce graduates earning $60,899, +18.1% relative to the national median.

Business
21% of enrollment

$54,374 +5.4% vs natl

42 schools
Humanities
16% of enrollment

$51,516 -0.1% vs natl

17 schools
Healthcare
13% of enrollment

$52,940 +2.6% vs natl

32 schools
Engineering
10% of enrollment

$60,899 +18.1% vs natl

13 schools
Social Sciences
10% of enrollment

$55,243 +7.1% vs natl

30 schools
Technology
8% of enrollment

$60,678 +17.7% vs natl

16 schools

Overperforming Sectors

Engineering: +18.1% vs national earnings ($60,899)

Technology: +17.7% vs national earnings ($60,678)

Social Sciences: +7.1% vs national earnings ($55,243)

Institutional Landscape

Indiana's higher education system includes 4 research-oriented, 7 specialized, 5 access-oriented, 39 regional institutions. Each group plays a different role in the state's outcomes.

4

Research Universities
39

Regional Universities
5

Access-Oriented Institutions
7

Specialized Institutions

Research Universities

Access-Oriented Institutions

Cost & Access Corridors

24% of Indiana's colleges charge under $15K net. Graduates of those schools average $50,579 at 10 years. At the premium end, 1 school charge over $40K, with graduates averaging $101,253.

NET PRICE UNDER $15K

12

24% of schools
Avg earnings: $50,579
NET PRICE $15K–$25K

28

56% of schools
Avg earnings: $55,044
NET PRICE $25K–$40K

9

18% of schools
Avg earnings: $60,175
NET PRICE OVER $40K

1

2% of schools
Avg earnings: $101,253

Top Earners

Schools ranked by median graduate earnings 10 years after enrolling.

Higher education in Indiana

Indiana is home to 106 colleges and universities, from 16 public institutions to 42 private nonprofits. Ivy Tech Community College anchors the public system, and graduates across the state earn a median of about $45,060 ten years after enrolling.

Higher education clusters around Indianapolis, Fort Wayne and Evansville, and the strongest programs by enrollment are Health Professions, Business & Marketing and Psychology. We rank every school here by what its graduates actually earn and how far they move up — not by reputation or sticker price.

What college costs in Indiana

The average net price — what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — runs about $19,476 a year across Indiana. Purdue University Northwest stands out on return: strong graduate earnings against a comparatively low net price. Public universities and in-state tuition remain the clearest path to a low-debt degree, while need-based aid can make selective private schools surprisingly competitive.

Most Affordable Schools

Jobs & industries

Indiana's economy leans on advanced manufacturing, life sciences and logistics, which shapes which degrees pay off fastest in-state. Programs in Health Professions, Business & Marketing and Psychology feed directly into those employers, and graduates who stay in-region benefit from established hiring pipelines and alumni networks.

Licensure & transfer

Licensure and articulation are state-specific: nursing, teaching, law, and the health professions are regulated at the Indiana level, so an in-state program is often the most direct route to practicing here. Community-college transfer agreements with public universities can also cut the cost of a four-year degree substantially.

Cost vs Return

What graduates in Indiana earn relative to what they pay for college.

MEDIAN EARNINGS (10YR)

$45,060

▲ +$1,223 vs natl

AVG NET PRICE

$19,476

▼ +$1,400 vs natl

EARNINGS / COST RATIO

2.3x

Return per dollar invested

Best Value Schools

Is Indiana Right for You?

Indiana is a strong fit if you want to build a career in advanced manufacturing and life sciences, value in-state tuition, or plan to work in the region after graduation. Use the rankings and filters below to weigh earnings, cost, and mobility for every school in the state.

Every figure on this page is derived from public federal data and read within its regional and economic context. Information Gain Policy →

Related Rankings

Top Schools

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology · IN University of Notre Dame · IN Chamberlain University-Indiana · IN Butler University · IN Purdue University-Main Campus · IN DePauw University · IN

FAQ

How many colleges are in Indiana?

There are 106 colleges and universities in Indiana in our dataset — 16 public, 42 private nonprofit.

What is the highest-earning college in Indiana?

By median graduate earnings 10 years out, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology leads, followed by schools like University of Notre Dame and Chamberlain University-Indiana.

How much does college cost in Indiana?

The average net price — tuition and living costs after grants — is about $19,476 per year. In-state public tuition is typically the lowest-cost path.

What are the best-paying career fields in Indiana?

Indiana's economy is anchored by advanced manufacturing, life sciences and logistics, so degrees feeding those industries tend to pay off fastest in-state.

Is it worth going to college in Indiana?

For most students, yes — especially at in-state public universities and high-value private schools. Purdue University Northwest, for example, pairs strong earnings with a low net price. Weigh earnings against net price using the data on this page.

All 106 schools in Indiana

Data Behind This Page Updated 2026

106 institutions in Indiana

2026 Last updated

100% Public / federal sources

Source datasets

Methodology

States are graded on graduate earnings, social mobility, completion, and cost — each drawn from federal data and Opportunity Insights research, then normalized into a single Outcomes Index (0–100).

See the full methodology and weights →

Confidence notes

Earnings, completion, and debt figures come from federal administrative records — tax data and student-aid filings — not surveys or self-reports, the highest-confidence tier of education data available.
Social-mobility estimates are drawn from de-identified tax records covering more than 30 million students (Opportunity Insights).
Where an institution is missing a metric, it is excluded from that metric rather than imputed, so averages are never inflated by guesses.

Limitations

Federal earnings data primarily cover students who received federal financial aid; outcomes for non-aided students may differ.
Earnings are measured roughly ten years after enrollment, so they describe how earlier cohorts fared — historical outcomes, not guarantees of future results.
An institution's field-of-study mix affects raw earnings; scores reflect measured outcomes and are not fully major-adjusted unless explicitly noted.
Net price is an average; the actual cost a given student pays varies widely by family income.

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