2026 Best Value Software Engineering Schools in Indiana
[Software Engineering](/majors/engineering/ce-computer-engineering/software-engineering/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong software engineering education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 9 schools to find the best return on investment for software engineering students.
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2026 Best Value Software Engineering Schools in Indiana
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in software engineering, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Software Engineering Schools
For return on investment in software engineering, no school beat Purdue University Main Campus this year. Purdue University Main Campus is a very large public school located in the city of West Lafayette. In-state tuition and fees average $9,992, while out-of-state students pay about $28,794. Students borrow a median of $23,000 to complete the software engineering program here. Soon after graduation, software engineering degree recipients from Purdue University Main Campus generally make around $63,111. That is a strong return on a $23,000 median debt. Purdue University Main Campus admits about 50% of applicants.
Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis is a great value for students pursuing a degree in software engineering, landing the #2 spot this year. Located in the city of Indianapolis, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $10,762, while out-of-state students pay about $34,891. Typical student debt for software engineering graduates is $27,000. Software Engineering graduates of Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis earn a median of $56,930 early in their careers. Set against $27,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 76%.
Trine University came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value software engineering schools. Trine University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the town of Angola. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $36,560. Software Engineering graduates carry a median of $25,765 in student loans. Soon after graduation, software engineering degree recipients from Trine University generally make around $67,500. Set against $25,765 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 86%.
A rank of #4 makes Rose Hulman Institute Of Technology one of the best values for software engineering. Rose Hulman Institute Of Technology is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Terre Haute. In-state tuition and fees average $56,046. Typical student debt for software engineering graduates is $24,834. Software Engineering graduates of Rose Hulman Institute Of Technology earn a median of $92,123 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 77%.
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 9 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
