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2021 Best Colleges for the Money (With No Aid) in Indiana

37 Colleges
$41,682 Avg Cost (Without Aid)*
4.3 Years Avg Time to Graduate*

There are lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Indiana Schools For The Money For Those With No Aid ranking - to help you make that decision.

After analyzing 37 schools, we came up with our list of those that were the best for overall value for the money with no aid in Indiana. It's important to note that this isn't just a listing of colleges and universities with the lowest sticker price. Instead, this ranking identifies schools that offer a high quality educational experience at a lower-than-expected price. So it is possible that College A may rank better than College B, while College B is less expensive to attend.

Get more details on our ranking methodology.

When determining average cost, we look at total expenses, such as tuition, fees, books and supplies, room and board, and other living expenses. This gives a rough estimation of how much money you can expect to pay out-of-pocket or through loans each year.

Custom Rankings

We've developed a number of other tools and rankings to help you make your college decision. Start by filtering this list by location or field of study and then explore our other rankings that feature schools great for different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.

We've created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering!

Top Colleges for the Money (Without Aid) in Indiana

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

#1

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

Our 2021 rankings named Purdue University - Main Campus the best school for overall value for the money with no aid in Indiana for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, the large public school awarded 7,568 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.

At Purdue, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.4 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $22,882 per year to attend the school. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Purdue is $99,766. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Purdue is ranked #4 for overall quality in Indiana.

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#2

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Bloomington. It ranked #2 on our 2021 Best Value Colleges in Indiana list. IU Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and has a large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 7,952 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.

It takes about 4.2 years for the average student at IU Bloomington to complete their degree, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $25,657 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from IU Bloomington is $108,016. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. IU Bloomington not only placed well in our value rankings, but it is also #5 on our Best Colleges in Indiana list.

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#3

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Ball State University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for the money in Indiana. Located in Muncie, Indiana, the large public school handed out 3,621 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.

The average student at Ball State graduates in less than 4.3 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $24,962 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $106,837 to get a bachelor’s degree from Ball State. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis. It ranked #4 on our 2021 Best Value Colleges in Indiana list. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is a large public school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 4,420 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.

At IUPUI, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.6 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $23,305 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $107,669 to get a bachelor’s degree from IUPUI. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.

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#5

University of Southern Indiana

Evansville, Indiana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern Indiana. The school came in at #5 in Indiana on this year’s best value ranking. USI is a fairly large public school situated in Evansville, Indiana. It awarded 1,623 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.

It takes the average student at USI about 4.5 years to graduate, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $21,820. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the USI is $98,408. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.

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#6

Taylor University

Upland, Indiana

With a ranking of #6, Taylor University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Indiana list. Upland, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 487 students in 2018-2019.

The average student at Taylor U graduates in less than 4.1 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $48,755. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Taylor U is $199,895. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. On top of its placing in our value rankings, Taylor U also did well on our Best Colleges in Indiana list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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Grace College and Theological Seminary landed the #7 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Indiana ranking. Located in Winona Lake, Indiana, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 401 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.

It takes about 4.0 years for the average student at Grace College to complete their degree, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $35,394 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Grace College is $142,284. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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#8

Indiana Wesleyan University

Marion, Indiana

Indiana Wesleyan University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Indiana ranking. IWU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Marion, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 778 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.

The average student at IWU graduates in less than 4.2 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $39,532 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the IWU is $165,639. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.

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#9

Indiana University - South Bend

South Bend, Indiana

Indiana University - South Bend landed the #9 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Indiana ranking. Located in South Bend, Indiana, the medium-sized public school handed out 812 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.

The average student at Indiana University - South Bend graduates in less than 4.8 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $20,277 per year to attend the school. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University - South Bend is $98,343. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.

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#10

Indiana University - Southeast

New Albany, Indiana

With a ranking of #10, Indiana University - Southeast did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Indiana list. Indiana University - Southeast is located in New Albany, Indiana and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 854 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.

The average student at Indiana University - Southeast graduates in less than 4.7 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $21,519 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University - Southeast be around $100,494. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.

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#11

Huntington University

Huntington, Indiana

Huntington University landed the #11 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Indiana ranking. Huntington, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 234 students in 2018-2019.

The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Huntington is 4.2 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $38,974 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $162,132 to get a bachelor’s degree from Huntington. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.

The low student loan default rate of 3.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

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#12

Saint Mary's College

Notre Dame, Indiana

Saint Mary’s College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Indiana list. Located in Notre Dame, Indiana, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 384 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.

The average student at St. Mary’s College graduates in less than 4.1 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $59,420 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the St. Mary’s College is $242,434. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.

The student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. St. Mary’s College also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges in Indiana list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

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#13

DePauw University

Greencastle, Indiana

DePauw University landed the #13 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Indiana ranking. DePauw University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Greencastle, Indiana that handed out 595 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.

The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at DePauw is 4.0 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $66,946 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from DePauw is about $271,131. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.

The student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. DePauw also took the #2 spot in our Best Colleges in Indiana rankings.

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#13

University of Evansville

Evansville, Indiana

University of Evansville landed the #13 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Indiana ranking. UE is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evansville, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 504 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.

The average student at UE graduates in less than 4.1 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $53,676 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from UE is about $220,072. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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#15

Wabash College

Crawfordsville, Indiana

Wabash College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Indiana list. Wabash is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Crawfordsville, Indiana. It awarded 220 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.

It takes the average student at Wabash about 4.1 years to graduate, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $58,770. This means that the average student pays around $239,194 to get a bachelor’s degree from Wabash. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. Wabash excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Colleges in Indiana list.

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#16

Hanover College

Hanover, Indiana

Hanover College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Indiana list. Hanover is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hanover, Indiana. It awarded 247 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.

It takes about 4.0 years for the average student at Hanover to complete their degree, and it costs students who receive no aid about $53,400 per year to attend the school. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Hanover is $215,736. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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#17

Indiana State University

Terre Haute, Indiana

Indiana State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Indiana list. Terre Haute, Indiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,011 students in 2018-2019.

At Indiana State, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.4 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $23,616 per year to attend the school. This means that the average student pays around $104,855 to get a bachelor’s degree from Indiana State. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.

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#18

Purdue University Northwest

Hammond, Indiana

Purdue University Northwest did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Indiana ranking, coming in at #18. Purdue University Northwest is a fairly large public school located in Hammond, Indiana that handed out 2,109 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.

At Purdue Northwest, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.8 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $22,941 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $109,429 to get a bachelor’s degree from Purdue Northwest. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.

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#19

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana

University of Notre Dame ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Indiana list. Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution located in Notre Dame, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,642 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.

The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Notre Dame is 4.1 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $74,193. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the Notre Dame is $301,224. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.

The low student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Notre Dame also took the #1 spot in our Best Colleges in Indiana rankings.

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#20

Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology

Terre Haute, Indiana

Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Indiana ranking. Located in Terre Haute, Indiana, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 574 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.

At Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.2 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $68,001 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $285,604 to get a bachelor’s degree from Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology also made our Best Colleges in Indiana list, coming in at #3.

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#21

Butler University

Indianapolis, Indiana

Butler University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Indiana list. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 1,065 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.

It takes about 4.1 years for the average student at Butler to complete their degree, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $61,950 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Butler is about $255,854. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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Indiana University - Purdue University - Fort Wayne came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Indiana ranking. Indiana University - Purdue University - Fort Wayne is a fairly large public school situated in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It awarded 1,428 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.

At Indiana University - Purdue University - Fort Wayne, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.8 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $22,866. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University - Purdue University - Fort Wayne is $110,214. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.

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#23

Valparaiso University

Valparaiso, Indiana

Valparaiso University did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Indiana ranking, coming in at #23. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Valparaiso, Indiana, and it awarded 893 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.

The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Valpo is 4.1 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $56,900. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Valpo is about $234,428. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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#24

Franklin College

Franklin, Indiana

Franklin College landed the #24 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Indiana ranking. Franklin College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Franklin, Indiana that handed out 265 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.

The average student at Franklin College of Indiana graduates in less than 4.1 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $47,414 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Franklin College of Indiana be around $193,923. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.

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#25

Goshen College

Goshen, Indiana

Goshen College landed the #25 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Indiana ranking. Goshen is a private not-for-profit institution located in Goshen, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 232 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.

The average student at Goshen graduates in less than 4.2 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $48,890 per year to attend the school. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Goshen is about $206,805. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • For our state-specific rankings, we use in-state tuition to calculate average cost. For our national and regional rankings, we use a weighted average of in-state and non-resident tuition.

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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