Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Urban campus · verified rankings · federal data

Indiana University-South Bend

Students comparing Indiana University-South Bend on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
South Bend, Indiana3,933 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 40Public universitySmall enrollmentUrban campus

The short answer

Indiana University-South Bend: U.S. News ranks it #124 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #373 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #537 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 3,933 undergraduates, admits 83.8% of applicants, and posts a 40.1% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $22,811; aid recipients pay $8,653 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $44,947.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
83.8%

Above the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$8,653

74% below the $32,995 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$44,947

Below the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
40.1%

Below the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$21,355

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
950–1190

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Indiana University ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Universities (Midwest)#124of 165Regional univ. (Midwest)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#373of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B#537of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Indiana University's position moves 55 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Indiana University

Indiana University-South Bend is a public institution in South Bend, Indiana. Federal data show 65.1% first-year retention and a 14:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $8,653 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $32,995 sticker cost against $8,653 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Indiana University-South Bend on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$8,424

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$22,811

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$10,184

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $32,995 a year, but the average family pays $8,653 — a 74% difference. 42.7% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Indiana University's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    14:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    65.1%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    3,933

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Indiana University: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $22,811 and on-campus room and board is $10,184, for a published total of $32,995 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $8,653.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 83.8%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    University of Illinois Springfield

    Springfield, ILPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Illinois Springfield: U.S. News ranks it #28 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Forbes ranks it #387 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #518 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #551 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars. It enrolls 2,263 undergraduates, admits 85.9% of applicants, and posts a 53.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $22,017; aid recipients pay $9,833 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $57,103.

    Acceptance rate
    85.9%
    Average net price
    $9,833
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $57,103
    6-yr graduation rate
    53.2%
    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#28 of 165Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#387 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#518 of 1,504+2 more on profile

    2,263 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 37 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Northeastern Illinois University

    Chicago, ILPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Northeastern Illinois University: U.S. News ranks it #148 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #211 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #324 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #396 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 3,982 undergraduates, admits 74.6% of applicants, and posts a 21.6% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $22,726; aid recipients pay $14,109 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $52,234.

    Acceptance rate
    74.6%
    Average net price
    $14,109
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $52,234
    6-yr graduation rate
    21.6%
    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#148 of 165Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#211 of 1,504WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#324 of 500+1 more on profile

    3,982 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 46 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of Texas Permian Basin

    Odessa, TXPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Texas Permian Basin: U.S. News ranks it #61 on Regional Universities (West) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #878 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #412 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 3,911 undergraduates, admits 94.9% of applicants, and posts a 39.7% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $21,504; aid recipients pay $12,723 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $56,073.

    Acceptance rate
    94.9%
    Average net price
    $12,723
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $56,073
    6-yr graduation rate
    39.7%
    US News · Regional univ. (West)#61 of 118Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#878 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#412 of 2,605

    3,911 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 42 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Indiana University against these