🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants. Affordable on average — net price runs around $10,873/yr. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

  • In-state residents (tuition ~$10,258 — major value play)
  • Students drawn to Business, Management, & Marketing or Health Professions (the two biggest majors)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
Doctoral/Professional Universities
Total enrollment
6,188
5,000 - 9,999
In-state tuition
$10,258
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$22,322
+$12,064 vs in-state
Admit rate
91.5%
Accepts the majority
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$48,387
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$41,047
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$48,387
4-year completion
43%
Median debt (completers)
$24,000
Cost of attendance
$24,535
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
42%

💰 True ROI

11.1× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)
$43,492
$10,873/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$54,648
vs sticker $98,140
10-yr earnings total
$483,870
$48,387/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
0.9 yrs
at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Indiana State University, the average net price is $10,873/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$6,455/yr
Family income $30-48k
$6,571/yr
Family income $48-75k
$9,317/yr
Family income $75-110k
$15,450/yr
Family income $110k+
$19,345/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Indiana State University's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Indiana State University →

Opens on Indiana State University's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Indiana State University

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Indiana State University actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Business, Management, & Marketing
332 degrees · 34.5%
Typical career outcomes
Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
2. Health Professions
268 degrees · 27.9%
Typical career outcomes
Registered Nurse $86k Physician Assistant $130k Pharmacist $136k Physical Therapist (post-DPT) $100k
Highest-paying group on this list, but most careers require additional training beyond a 4-year degree.
3. Engineering Technologies
137 degrees · 14.2%
Typical career outcomes
Electrical Engineering Tech $72k Industrial Engineering Tech $64k Mechanical Engineering Tech $64k
Technician-track engineering roles. Strong wages, faster ramp than full engineer path.
4. Social Sciences
116 degrees · 12.1%
Typical career outcomes
Economist $118k Political Scientist $130k Sociologist $93k Market Research Analyst $75k
Economics + poli sci sub-disciplines pay much more than sociology + anthropology.
5. Education
109 degrees · 11.3%
Typical career outcomes
Elementary School Teacher $64k Secondary School Teacher $65k School Principal $101k Special Education Teacher $66k
Teaching is the largest path. Salary depends heavily on district + state.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Indiana State University

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Construction Management. Bachelor's Degree 89 $72,379 $94,902
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods. Bachelor's Degree 15 $67,267 $92,741
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians. Bachelor's Degree 10 $78,215 $91,915
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians. Bachelor's Degree 19 $71,755 $82,303
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. Bachelor's Degree 185 $72,381 $81,988
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians. Bachelor's Degree 70 $66,479 $79,527
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians. Bachelor's Degree 8 $77,336
Chemistry. Bachelor's Degree 16 $73,623
Air Transportation. Bachelor's Degree 95 $40,112 $71,254
Finance and Financial Management Services. Bachelor's Degree 33 $46,207 $67,937

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Indiana State University

CS degrees (annual)
39
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Indiana State University vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

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