The cost of college in Indiana — and what it pays back
Across the 56 Indiana institutions we profile, the median net price — what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — is $19,698/yr, $2,796 above the $16,902 national median. Graduates earn a median $49,408 ten years after entry (above the $43,549 national median), and 31 of the 56 schools clear their full cost on institution-wide earnings. (Scorecard, 2026 · our math.)
How Indiana's 56 colleges split by ROI verdict
Verdicts: payback under 5 / 10 / 20 / over 20 years (or none).
| College | Net price/yr | Earnings 10y | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Notre Dame | $26,780 | $99,980 | 2.1 yrs |
| Purdue University-Main Campus | $14,600 | $72,424 | 2.4 yrs |
| Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | $42,513 | $101,253 | 3.2 yrs |
| Marian University-Ancilla | $19,463 | $58,759 | 3.7 yrs |
| DePauw University | $22,264 | $70,527 | 4 yrs |
| College | Net price/yr | Earnings 10y | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana University-Kokomo | $3,968 | $49,917 | 10.2 yrs |
| Indiana University-Northwest | $5,130 | $43,361 | no payback |
| Purdue University Northwest | $6,079 | $48,318 | no payback |
| Ivy Tech Community College | $7,258 | $37,186 | no payback |
| Purdue University Global | $7,770 | $36,596 | no payback |
How many Indiana colleges actually pay for themselves?
31 of 56 — 55% of the Indiana institutions we profile clear their full net cost on institution-wide earnings above the $48,360 high-school baseline. The rest need a high-paying major to pay off; the school average alone does not do it.
Do Indiana graduates out-earn the national median?
Indiana graduates report a median $49,408 ten years after entry, $5,860 above the $43,549 national median. Earnings track the local labour market and the mix of fields the state's colleges graduate, not the state border itself.