2024 Best Value Colleges for Social Sciences in Indiana
13
Ranked Colleges
2,976
Degrees Awarded
$17,400
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Indiana” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Social Sciences is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 5th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 205,984 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2019-2020, social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $36,262 and had an average of $23,306 in loans still to pay off.
Across Indiana, there were 2,976 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,953 and $23,491 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Indiana” ranking, we looked at 13 colleges that offer a degree in social sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality social sciences programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the social sciences program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Social Sciences Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Indiana” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Indiana
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Indiana.
Top 12 Best Value Colleges for Social Sciences in Indiana
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Indiana that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. Purdue University - Main Campus is a public institution located in West Lafayette, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 491 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Purdue also took the #2 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Indiana” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue University - Main Campus is $13,377 for indiana social sciences students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Purdue University - Main Campus Social Sciences Report
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Indiana that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #2 spot on the list. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 532 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
IU Bloomington also took the #3 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Indiana” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Bloomington is $14,619 for indiana social sciences students.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Sciences at IU Bloomington
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Indiana. This medium-sized school is located in Terre Haute, Indiana, and it awarded 196 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Indiana State also took the #6 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Indiana” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Indiana State University is $14,270 for indiana social sciences students.
Read more about Social Sciences at Indiana State
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ball State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Indiana. Ball State is a public institution located in Muncie, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 154 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Ball State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Indiana” list. The yearly cost to attend Ball State is $14,765 for Indiana Social Sciences students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Sciences at Ball State University
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Indiana list. IUPUI is a public institution located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 139 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our indiana social sciences students list, IUPUI has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Indiana” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $12,416 for indiana social sciences students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Sciences at IUPUI
With a ranking of #7, Purdue University Northwest did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Indiana list. Purdue University Northwest is a medium-sized public school situated in Hammond, Indiana. It awarded 42 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our indiana social sciences students list, Purdue Northwest has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Indiana” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Purdue Northwest is $11,384 for indiana social sciences students.
Full Purdue Northwest Social Sciences Report
University of Southern Indiana came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Indiana ranking. USI is located in Evansville, Indiana and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 66 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our indiana social sciences students list, USI has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Indiana” ranking. It costs about $13,481 for Indiana Social Sciences students per year to attend University of Southern Indiana.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at USI
With a ranking of #9, Indiana University - Southeast did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Indiana list. Indiana University - Southeast is a small school located in New Albany, Indiana that handed out 39 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Indiana University - Southeast also made our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Indiana” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Southeast is $11,446 for Indiana Social Sciences students.
Full Indiana University - Southeast Social Sciences Report
Valparaiso University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Indiana ranking. Valpo is a small school located in Valparaiso, Indiana that handed out 65 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Valpo, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Indiana” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Valpo is $22,899 for Indiana Social Sciences students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.0% 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%.
Full Valparaiso University Social Sciences Report
Wabash College did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Indiana ranking, coming in at #11. Wabash College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 41 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Wabash also took the #7 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Indiana” ranking. It costs about $22,910 for Indiana Social Sciences students per year to attend Wabash.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Social Sciences at Wabash
DePauw University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Indiana ranking, coming in at #12. This small school is located in Greencastle, Indiana, and it awarded 134 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
DePauw also made our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Indiana” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend DePauw University is $25,587 for indiana social sciences students.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at DePauw University
With a ranking of #13, University of Notre Dame did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Indiana list. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Notre Dame, Indiana. It awarded 552 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Notre Dame not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Indiana” list. It costs about $31,101 for Indiana Social Sciences students per year to attend Notre Dame.
The low undergrad 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Social Sciences at Notre Dame
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
Switch to a Similar Major
Switch to a More Focused Major
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
Notes and References
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%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
college factual
