Best-Value Colleges in Indiana
20 Indiana 4-year colleges ranked by return on investment — 10-year graduate earnings per dollar of net price — among schools that beat the state median on earnings and graduation rate.
The best-value college in Indiana is Purdue University-Main Campus, West Lafayette — a net price of $13,945 against $72,424 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 5.2×, with a 83% graduation rate. Every school here turns a modest cost into outsized, above-median earnings.
| # | School | Net price /yr | 10-yr earnings | ROI (earn ÷ price) | Grad rate | In-state tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN | $13,945 | $72,424 | 5.2× | 83% | $9,992 |
| 2 | Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN | $15,342 | $63,742 | 4.2× | 81% | $11,790 |
| 3 | University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN | $27,823 | $99,980 | 3.6× | 97% | $62,693 |
| 4 | Ball State University Muncie, IN | $15,898 | $51,833 | 3.3× | 63% | $10,758 |
| 5 | Wabash College Crawfordsville, IN | $21,906 | $69,952 | 3.2× | 77% | $49,125 |
| 6 | Valparaiso University Valparaiso, IN | $21,583 | $63,191 | 2.9× | 67% | $46,588 |
| 7 | DePauw University Greencastle, IN | $24,546 | $70,527 | 2.9× | 80% | $57,070 |
| 8 | University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, IN | $20,361 | $55,362 | 2.7× | 61% | $35,420 |
| 9 | University of Evansville Evansville, IN | $20,230 | $53,770 | 2.7× | 71% | $42,676 |
| 10 | Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses Angola, IN | $21,976 | $57,165 | 2.6× | 100% | $9,576 |
| 11 | Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion Marion, IN | $23,069 | $59,986 | 2.6× | 66% | $31,168 |
| 12 | Chamberlain University-Indiana Indianapolis, IN | $36,219 | $92,405 | 2.6× | 100% | $19,686 |
| 13 | Marian University Indianapolis, IN | $23,594 | $58,759 | 2.5× | 61% | $39,100 |
| 14 | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Terre Haute, IN | $40,665 | $101,253 | 2.5× | 82% | $56,674 |
| 15 | Hanover College Hanover, IN | $21,826 | $53,957 | 2.5× | 64% | $42,894 |
| 16 | Franklin College Franklin, IN | $22,762 | $55,376 | 2.4× | 63% | $37,350 |
| 17 | Trine University Angola, IN | $25,580 | $57,165 | 2.2× | 68% | $35,600 |
| 18 | Taylor University Upland, IN | $24,327 | $52,198 | 2.1× | 77% | $39,104 |
| 19 | Saint Mary's College Notre Dame, IN | $28,552 | $59,354 | 2.1× | 77% | $51,430 |
| 20 | Butler University Indianapolis, IN | $38,472 | $77,235 | 2.0× | 80% | $45,980 |
How we ranked this
From every Indiana four-year college that publishes net price, 10-year median earnings, and graduation rate, we keep only those that beat the state median on earnings and that graduate at least 45% of students (or the state median grad rate, whichever is higher). We then rank by ROI = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price — the dollars of graduate earnings each dollar of net price buys — highest first. This rewards genuine return on investment rather than the cheapest sticker price, and the 4-year + outcome guards keep out the low-completion and 2-year outliers a pure price sort surfaces. Colleges missing any of the three figures are excluded, never estimated. Minimum 5 qualifying schools required to publish a page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best-value college in Indiana?+
Purdue University-Main Campus in West Lafayette has the highest return on investment among Indiana 4-year colleges that beat the state median on outcomes: a net price of $13,945 against $72,424 in 10-year median earnings — an ROI of 5.2× (dollars earned per dollar of annual net price) — with a 83% graduation rate.
What does "net price" mean?+
Net price is the average annual cost students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the full cost of attendance — a far better affordability measure than sticker tuition. We use the College Scorecard average net price.
How is "best value" defined here?+
Value means return on investment, not cheapness. Among Indiana four-year colleges that beat the state median on BOTH 10-year graduate earnings and graduation rate (and graduate at least 45% of students), we rank by the ROI ratio = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price. The school that turns each tuition dollar into the most graduate earnings ranks first.
Is the cheapest college always the best value?+
No. A rock-bottom price that leads to low earnings is worse value than a moderate price that leads to high earnings. That is exactly why we rank by the earnings-to-net-price ratio rather than by lowest price, and require above-median earnings and graduation rates first. Colleges missing net price, earnings, or graduation data are excluded rather than estimated.
Keep exploring
Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · IPEDS. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “—” and never estimated. CertiHomes Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.