by our College Data Analytics TeamWith all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take when you want to pursue a college degree. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Associate Degree Colleges in Indiana ranking is part of that endeavor.
Jump to Any of the Following Sections: * Our Methodology
Our analysis looked at 25 schools in Indiana to determine which ones have the best associate degree programs. Instead of depending on subjective information to rank the best schools, we focus on objective factors in our analysis. More specifically, the following explains what we consider and why.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of associate graduates during the early years of their career. While associate degree recipients from schools in Indiana earn an average starting salary of $35,922, those from the top 8 school on this list made an average of $39,118.
Students may also take on a lot of debt while working on their associate so we factor that into our rankings as well. When attending a school in Indiana, associate degree students accumulate an average of $20,615 in student debt before graduation. We consider this number in conjunction with average post-graduation earnings to gauge the difficulty associate recipients will have paying back their loans.
In addition to average post-graduation earnings and average student debt loads, we also look at a host of other factors to determining our Best Associate Degree Schools ranking. These factors include things like the educational resources, the demand associated with the school, whether or not the school offers online classes, and the student body caliber - just to name a few.
Find out more about our best schools ranking methodology
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Purdue University - Main Campus tops this year’s ranking as the best school for associate degrees in Indiana for overall quality. Purdue is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 50 associate degrees to qualified graduate students.
Out of the 25 associate degree schools in Indiana that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Marion, Indiana, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 544 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, associate degree graduates from IWU make an average of $37,690 a year. Associate students leave the school with an average of $25,133 in student loans.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis. The school came in at #3 in Indiana on this year’s best associate degree schools ranking. IUPUI is located in Indianapolis, Indiana and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 74 associate degrees to qualified graduate students.
Associate students leave the school with an average of $25,000 in student loans.
Full Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University Global. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana list.
A rank of #5 on our Best Associate Degree in Indiana list means Vincennes University is a great place for students working on their degree. Vincennes University is a fairly large public school situated in Vincennes, Indiana. It awarded 1,443 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, associate degree graduates from Vincennes University make an average of $36,370 a year. Associate students leave the school with an average of $13,789 in student loans. Average monthly loan payments are around $192 for a 10-year repayment plan.
Ivy Tech Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana list. Ivy Tech Community College is a large public school situated in Indianapolis, Indiana. It awarded 8,815 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a associate degree from Ivy Tech Community College go into careers with an average salary of $37,792 during the early years of their career. Associate students leave the school with an average of $12,966 in student loans.
University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana ranking. Fort Wayne, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out associate degrees to 157 students in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, associate degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $48,665 during the early years of their career. Associate students carry an average student debt load of about $27,307 after getting their degree.
With a ranking of #8, Ball State University did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana list. Ball State is a fairly large public school situated in Muncie, Indiana. It awarded 79 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Associate students carry an average student debt load of about $13,000 after getting their degree.
Indiana Wesleyan University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana list. IWU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Marion, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, associate degree graduates from IWU make an average of $37,690 a year. The average amount of student debt accumulated by associate students is $25,133.
University of Indianapolis came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana ranking. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 27 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, associate degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $51,367 during the early years of their career. Associate students leave the school with an average of $31,738 in student loans.
Indiana University - Southeast landed the #11 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana ranking. Indiana University - Southeast is a small public school located in New Albany, Indiana that handed out 7 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Southern Indiana ranked #12 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana list. USI is a public institution located in Evansville, Indiana. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 37 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Purdue University Fort Wayne ranked #13 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana list. Fort Wayne, Indiana is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 47 students in 2020-2021.
Associate students leave the school with an average of $18,597 in student loans.
Marian University did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana ranking, coming in at #14. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 20 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Trine University landed the #15 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana ranking. Located in Angola, Indiana, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 11 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Indiana University - Kokomo landed the #16 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana ranking. IU Kokomo is a small public school situated in Kokomo, Indiana. It awarded 11 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Indiana University - Northwest came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana ranking. This small public school is located in Gary, Indiana, and it awarded 32 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
The average amount of student debt accumulated by associate students is $18,500.
With a ranking of #18, Bethel University - Mishawaka did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana list. Bethel University is located in Mishawaka, Indiana and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 associate degrees to qualified graduate students.
Oakland City University landed the #19 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana ranking. Oakland City is located in Oakland City, Indiana and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 61 associate degrees to qualified graduate students.
Indiana University - South Bend did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana ranking, coming in at #20. South Bend, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.
Indiana Institute of Technology ranked #21 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana list. Indiana Tech is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It awarded 11 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a associate degree from Indiana Tech go into careers with an average salary of $37,952 during the early years of their career. Associate students leave the school with an average of $36,084 in student loans.
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana ranking. SMWC is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Mary of the Woods, Indiana. It awarded 1 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Calumet College of Saint Joseph landed the #23 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana ranking. Located in Whiting, Indiana, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 3 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
International Business College - Indianapolis came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana ranking. International Business College - Indianapolis is a private for-profit institution located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 152 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, associate degree graduates from International Business College - Indianapolis make an average of $25,421 a year. Associate students carry an average student debt load of about $11,307 after getting their degree. This translates to an average monthly payment of $190 if the graduate is repaying the loan over a 10-year period.
Read full report on International Business College - Indianapolis
Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana ranking, coming in at #25. Trine is located in Angola, Indiana and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 associate degrees to qualified graduate students.
Learn More About Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses
More about our data sources and methodologies.
