Top Ranked Colleges: Universities | Public Universities | Liberal Arts Colleges | Engineering | Business | Women's | Most Selective
From a huge public university like Indiana University to a small liberal arts college like Wabash, Indiana offers a great range of options for higher education. The 15 top Indiana colleges listed below vary so much in size and mission that I have simply listed them alphabetically rather than force them into any sort of artificial ranking. The schools were chosen based on factors such as academic reputation, curricular innovations, first-year retention rates, six-year graduation rates, selectivity, financial aid and student engagement. Notre Dame is the most selective college on the list.
Compare Top Indiana Colleges: SAT Scores | ACT Scores
Butler University
KimManleyOrt / Flickr
- Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
- Enrollment: 4,505 (3,726 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: private university
- Distinctions: founded in 1855; 11 to 1 student / faculty ratio; average class size of 20; students from 43 states and 52 countries; competes in the NCAA Division I Horizon League and Pioneer Football League
- For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Butler University profile
DePauw University
Rovergirl88 / Wikimedia Commons
- Location: Greencastle, Indiana
- Enrollment: 2,396 (all undergraduate)
- Type of Institution: liberal arts college
- Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; 10 to 1 student / faculty ratio; large campus with a 520-acre nature park; active performing arts program; five different honors programs
- For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the DePauw University profile
Earlham College
Themalau / Wikimedia Commons
- Location: Richmond, Indiana
- Enrollment: 1,266 (1,127 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: liberal arts college affiliated with the Religious Society of Friends
- Distinctions: featured in Loren Pope's 40 Colleges That Change Lives; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; large 800-acre campus; strong job placement; many students study off campus for a semester
- For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Earlham College profile
Goshen College
taygete05 / Flickr
- Location: Goshen, Indiana
- Enrollment: 1,017 (974 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: private college affiliated with the Mennonite Church USA
- Distinctions: 13 to 1 student / faculty ratio; college emphasizes building community; strong study abroad program; good grant aid; 1,189-acre nature sanctuary and a biology lab in the Florida Keys
- For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Goshen College profile
Hanover College
AdamC2028 / Wikimedia Commons
- Location: Hanover, Indiana
- Enrollment: 938 (all undergraduate)
- Type of Institution: liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church.
- Distinctions: 10 to 1 student / faculty ratio and an average class size of 14; emphasis on experiential learning; close proximity to the Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge and Clifty Falls State Park; large 650-acre campus on the Ohio River
- For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Hanover College profile
Indiana University
prw_silvan / Flickr
- Location: Bloomington, Indiana
- Enrollment: 42,347 (32,490 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: public research university
- Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; membership in the Association of American Universities for research strengths; attractive 2,000-acre campus; Hoosiers compete in the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference
- For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Indiana University profile
Indiana Wesleyan University
greatdegree / Flickr
- Location: Marion, Indiana
- Enrollment: 15,345 (10,331 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: private university affiliated with the Wesleyan Church
- Distinctions: Christ-centered university identity; significant growth in recent decades; strong professional programs such as business and nursing; 345-acre campus
- For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Indiana Wesleyan University profile
Notre Dame
mandy pantz / Flickr
- Location: Notre Dame, Indiana
- Enrollment: 11,816 (8,372 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: private Catholic university
- Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; highly selective admissions; large 1,250-acre campus includes two lakes; excellent graduate school placement; extremely high high graduation rate; many Fighting Irish teams compete in the NCAA Division I Big East Conference; one of the top universities and top Catholic universities
- For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the University of Notre Dame profile
Purdue University
The Udall Legacy Bus Tour: Views from the Road / Flickr
- Location: West Lafayette, Indiana
- Enrollment: 41,052 (32,500 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: public research university
- Distinctions: more than 200 academic programs; one of the best public universities; chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; membership in the Association of American Universities for strong research programs; competes in the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference
- For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Purdue University profile
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Colin Shipley / Wikimedia Commons
- Location: Terre Haute, Indiana
- Enrollment: 1,963 (1,843 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: undergraduate engineering college
- Distinctions: often ranked #1 among top undergraduate engineering colleges; 295-acre art-filled campus; 12 to 1 student / faculty ratio; hands-on approach to learning; high job placement rate
- For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology profile
