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Ball State University: Rankings, Admissions, Cost & Majors

223 awards Ranking Badges
Fair Price Value for Your Money
86% Acceptance Rate

Ball State University is a public institution in Muncie, Indiana enrolling 13,988 undergraduates. It accepts 86% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 62%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #444 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 9%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.

Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.

How Is Ball State University Ranked?

Ball State University ranks #444 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 9%.

#444 Best Colleges in Nation
#9 Best Colleges in IN
Ball State University ranking badge

2027 Rankings

In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.

Ball State University was awarded 223 badges in the 2027 rankings.

Overall Quality

Ball State University is ranked #444 out of 5,159 schools in the nation for overall quality on College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges list. This puts it in the top 10% of all schools in the nation.

Ball State University is also ranked #9 on the Best Colleges in Indiana list.

See all of the rankings for Ball State University.

Is It Hard to Get Into Ball State University?

86% Acceptance Rate
86% Of Accepted Are Women
37% Submit SAT Scores

Acceptance Rate

Ball State University has an acceptance rate of 86%, so it is easier to gain admission to this school than some others. Still, the admissions staff will examine your application closely to make sure you’re a good fit for Ball State University.

Average Test Scores

About 37% of students accepted to Ball State University submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 550 and 640. Math scores were between 530 and 620.

SAT Reading and Writing Scores for Ball State University  ( 550 to 640 )
200
800
SAT Math Scores for Ball State University  ( 530 to 620 )
200
800

Ball State University received ACT scores from 1% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 20 and 24.

ACT Composite Scores for Ball State University  ( 20 to 24 )
1
36

Learn more about Ball State University admissions.

What Is the Student-to-Faculty Ratio at Ball State University?

14 to 1 Student to Faculty
77% Full Time Teachers

Student to Faculty Ratio

The student to faculty ratio at Ball State University is about average at 14 to 1. This ratio is often used to gauge how many students might be in an average class and how much time professors will have to spend with their students on an individual level. The national average for this metric is 15 to 1.

Percent of Full-Time Faculty

Another measure that is often used to estimate how much access students will have to their professors is how many faculty members are full-time. The idea here is that part-time faculty tend to spend less time on campus, so they may not be as available to students as full-timers.

The full-time faculty percentage at Ball State University is 77%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  77 out of 100
0
100

What Are the Graduation and Retention Rates at Ball State University?

78% Freshmen Retention
62% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshmen Retention Rate

Ball State University has a freshmen retention rate of 78%. That’s a good sign that full-time students like the school and their professors enough to want to stick around for another year. It’s also a sign that the admissions team did a good job in choosing applicants who were a good fit for the school.

Freshmen Retention Rate  78 out of 100
0
100

Graduation Rate

The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at Ball State University for first-time, full-time students is 62%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  62 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Ball State University.

How Diverse Is Ball State University?

13,988 Undergraduate Students
25.8% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
61.3% Percent Women

The current enrollment includes 13,988 undergraduates at Ball State University.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at Ball State University.

How Much Does Ball State University Cost?

$17,140 Net Price
43% Take Out Loans
$25,040 Total Student Loans

The typical net cost at Ball State University is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.

Net Price by Income Group for Ball State University

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$7,834 $9,848 $14,333 $19,567 $23,479

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of Ball State University, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Student Loan Debt

Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At Ball State University, approximately 43% of students took out student loans averaging $6,260 a year. That adds up to $25,040 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 6.7%. Although this is lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, you’ll still want to keep this in mind when taking out student loans. Get more details about paying for Ball State University.

How Much Do Ball State University Graduates Earn?

$51,833 Avg Salary of Grads
Average Earnings Boost

The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Ball State University make about $51,833 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. This is right on par with the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. Also, graduates in your major field may make more. Average Salary for Ball State University Graduates

See which majors at Ball State University make the most money.

Where Is Ball State University Located?

Indiana State
13,988 Undergraduate Students
Small City Campus Setting

Ball State University is a public institution situated in Muncie, Indiana. The surrounding area of the school is a good match for students who enjoy city life. Get more details about the location of Ball State University.

Location of Ball State University

Get in touch with Ball State University are given below.

Contact Details
Address: 2000 W. University Ave, Muncie, IN 47306
Phone: 7652891241
Website: www.bsu.edu
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_State_University
Twitter: twitter.com/BallState

What Majors Does Ball State University Offer?

29 Majors With Completions
12,180 Undergraduate Degrees

During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 29 majors graduated from Ball State University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.

Most Popular Majors Completions Average Salary of Graduates
Multi-Disciplinary Studies 6,090 NA
Special Education 1,990 $51,948
Business & Commerce 312 $57,744
Teacher Education Grade Specific 228 $40,726
Liberal Arts General Studies 227 $30,527
Radio, TV & Digital Communication 201 $30,668
Clinical & Counseling Psychology 201 $43,218
General Psychology 198 $29,839
Nursing 159 $61,993
Teacher Education Subject Specific 156 $41,297

Learn more about the majors offered at Ball State University along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Does Ball State University Offer Online Classes?

59% Take At Least One Class Online
8% Take All Classes Online

8,195 students took at least one online class at Ball State University.

Online learning is becoming popular at even the oldest colleges and universities in the United States. Not only are online classes great for returning adults with busy schedules, they are also frequented by a growing number of traditional students.

Learn more about online learning at Ball State University.

Interested in comparing Ball State University? Compare them side by side using College Combat, a free interactive tool for comparing colleges on the features you care about.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

References

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