Best Colleges in Indiana of 2023

Founded in 1842, the University of Notre Dame is one of the most well-known and iconic Catholic universities in the world. Landmarks on its South Bend campus include its Columbus murals, Golden Dome, and Notre Dame Stadium. There are over 40 Catholic priests in residence on campus and more than 100 masses are held weekly on campus. There are seven colleges and schools, including those in medicine, law, architecture, business, and global affairs. Notre Dame prioritizes international studies for its students and has facilities and programs on six continents. More than two-thirds of Notre Dame's 8,700 undergraduates participate in study abroad, placing the institution in the top five for study abroad participation among doctoral-granting institutions. Additionally, Notre Dame is a top producer of Fulbrighter Fellows, the federal government's prestigious international educational exchange program. Notre Dame stands out on this list for having the most selective admissions rate (19%) and the highest graduation rate (96%) among the private schools.

Purdue University stands out on our list for having the most selective admissions rate of the public schools at 67%. This large land-grant university in LaFayette, Indiana, is known for its research and innovation. There are over 100 research institutes on campus, including the Center for Electronic Defense Systems, the Center for Paralysis Research, and the Institute for Plant Sciences. Among the inventions and creations credited to Purdue graduates or faculty are the chicken nugget, the soft serve ice cream machine, the multiple sclerosis drug Ampyra, miniature defibrillators, and the television network C-SPAN. Additionally, Purdue is affiliated with 13 Nobel laureates. The university has a student body of 50,000 and 13 academic divisions, including engineering, agriculture, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, and management. A unique fact about Purdue is that it has produced 25 astronauts, including Neil Armstrong, and that a third of all NASA crewed missions have had a Purdue graduate onboard.

Indiana University Bloomington is a large public university located in Bloomington, Indiana. It's the flagship research university of the Indiana University system and has the largest student body in the system, with 45,000 undergraduate and graduate students. It also stands out on this list for having the highest graduation rate of the public schools at 79%. The university has an impressive selection of over 750 diverse student organizations, including the Beekeeping Club; the Black, Brown, and Beige Theater Troupe; Formula 1 Club; and Magic the Gathering Club. There are over 500 undergraduate and graduate programs offered at Indiana University Bloomington throughout 16 schools, including the Jacobs School of Music, Kelley School of Business, School of Social Work, and the School of Optometry. The university was founded in 1820 and has one of the largest rare book libraries in the nation, as well as one of the biggest academic music libraries in the world.

Ball State is a large public university in Muncie, Indiana, that was established in 1918 as a teacher training school. Today it offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in a vast array of disciplines, including architecture, business, health, education, and communication. The school has 21,000 students, about 25% of whom hail from states other than Indiana. Ball State boasts a very active alumni association that provides career services and networking events, professional development, special state-issued license plates, lifetime email, travel programs, legacy scholarships, and more. Among the school's 207,000 alumni, there are some notables, including Emmy-winning entertainer Dave Letterman, Papa John's Pizza founder John Schnatter, Garfield cartoon creator Jim Davis, and Grammy-winning pianist Angelin Chang.

DePauw University, a small private school located in Greencastle, Indiana, boasts the best student-to-faculty ratio on this list at 8:1. Additionally, 98% of faculty hold a PhD or the highest degree in their field. About 1,700 students attend DePauw, which was founded in 1837 by the Methodist Episcopal Church. This year, the university will launch a school of business - the first nationally ranked liberal arts school in the midwest to do so. At an undergraduate level, the school specializes in programs focused on cultural and ethnic studies. For example, majors and minors are offered in Africana Studies, Asian Studies, Hispanic Studies, German Studies, Chinese Studies, and Italian Cultural Studies. The school also places a high value on experiential learning, and most DePauw students complete at least two internships by graduation.

A private Lutheran school, Valparaiso University has the second-largest collegiate chapel in the world (the Chapel of the Resurrection) on its campus in Valparaiso, Indiana. The school was founded in 1859 and was one of the first coeducational schools in the nation. Today, it has 2,900 students, most of whom are undergraduates. For students who are not sure which of the 90 programs they want to major in, the school offers a unique Exploratory Studies program that allows students to try many different subjects. Students in the program work closely with two assistant deans and are still able to graduate within four years. Although the university remains rooted in its Lutheran tradition, students of all faith backgrounds (or none) are welcome at Valparaiso.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis is a collaborative educational institution that offers undergraduate and graduate degrees from Indiana University and Purdue University. Located in Indianapolis, it's considered the state's primary public urban research and academic health sciences institution. The school aims to prepare job-ready graduates, with a focus on developing talent in science, bioscience, and medicine. It has 17 degree-granting schools and over 550 majors, including a Bachelor of Science in Biostatistics, a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Furniture Design. Research partners of IUPUI include the Center for Research on Inclusion and Social Policy, Indiana Alcohol Research Center, and the Ryan White Center for Pediatric Infectious Disease and Global Health.

Founded in 1902, the University of Indianapolis is a medium-sized private school affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The school offers over 150 degrees - from the associate to doctoral level - to its 5,600 students. The most popular undergraduate majors include occupational therapy, physical therapy, nursing, business, education, and communication. The university, which has six schools, including occupational therapy, physical therapy, and nursing, produces the most physical therapists, occupational therapists, and clinical psychologists in the state. Additionally, the University of Indianapolis offers Indiana's only neonatal nurse practitioner program. Although the university remains rooted in Christianity, students of many faith traditions are represented on campus, including Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

The only single-gender school on our list, Wabash College is a small private school exclusively for men. Located in Crawfordsville, Indiana, the school has about 900 students from 31 states and 19 countries and only offers Bachelor of Arts degrees. The school offers an innovative WabashX experiential learning program that blends business innovation, global health, digital media, and civic leadership. This program has helped Wabash College earn a 100% job or higher-education placement rate for its graduates within six months of commencement. All students must follow the school's long-standing Gentleman's Rule, which is, "The student is expected to conduct himself at all times, both on and off campus, as a gentleman and a responsible citizen." Wabash College was founded in 1832 by a small group of graduates of Dartmouth College.

Earlham College was founded by the Quakers in 1847 as an institution to foster respect, integrity, peace, simplicity, and community. Today, the college adheres to those same values. It's located in rural Richmond, Indiana, and has a student population of 900. Although it's primarily an undergraduate institution, it does offer a handful of master's degrees. Undergraduate degrees offered include a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Sustainability, a Bachelor of Arts in Peace and Global Studies, and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy. The school also offers a unique Peace Corps Preparation minor, which is taught by faculty who served in the Peace Corps. This program helps students become competitive applicants to the Peace Corps program by building their foreign language, leadership, intercultural competency, and professionalism skills.