Best Colleges in Indiana by Salary Potential
Thinking of getting your bachelor’s degree? Before you invest that time and money, check out Indiana colleges with the highest-paid graduates.
| Rank | School Name | School Type | Early Career Pay | Mid-Career Pay | % High Meaning | % STEM Degrees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank:1 | School Name:_50px.png) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | School Type:Engineering, Private School | Early Career Pay:$80,500 | Mid-Career Pay:$146,500 | % High Meaning:53% | % STEM Degrees:97% |
| Rank:2 | School Name: University of Notre Dame | School Type:Private School, Religious, Research University, For Sports Fans | Early Career Pay:$73,000 | Mid-Career Pay:$143,800 | % High Meaning:40% | % STEM Degrees:29% |
| Rank:3 | School Name: Wabash College | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School | Early Career Pay:$65,900 | Mid-Career Pay:$124,900 | % High Meaning:36% | % STEM Degrees:21% |
| Rank:4 | School Name: Purdue University-Main Campus | School Type:Research University, For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$66,500 | Mid-Career Pay:$112,800 | % High Meaning:48% | % STEM Degrees:42% |
| Rank:5 | School Name: DePauw University | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School | Early Career Pay:$62,300 | Mid-Career Pay:$111,100 | % High Meaning:43% | % STEM Degrees:22% |
| Rank:6 | School Name: Butler University | School Type:Private School, For Sports Fans | Early Career Pay:$55,400 | Mid-Career Pay:$109,100 | % High Meaning:54% | % STEM Degrees:9% |
| Rank:7 | School Name: Taylor University | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$53,100 | Mid-Career Pay:$107,400 | % High Meaning:55% | % STEM Degrees:24% |
| Rank:8 | School Name: - Bloomington_50px.png) Indiana University-Bloomington | School Type:Research University, For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$57,900 | Mid-Career Pay:$105,200 | % High Meaning:48% | % STEM Degrees:15% |
| Rank:9 | School Name: Valparaiso University | School Type:Private School, Religious, For Sports Fans | Early Career Pay:$57,500 | Mid-Career Pay:$101,200 | % High Meaning:52% | % STEM Degrees:25% |
| Rank:10 | School Name:Trine University | School Type:Private School | Early Career Pay:$59,600 | Mid-Career Pay:$98,900 | % High Meaning:56% | % STEM Degrees:36% |
| Rank:11 | School Name:Holy Cross College | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$51,500 | Mid-Career Pay:$97,700 | % High Meaning:- | % STEM Degrees:2% |
| Rank:12 | School Name: University of Evansville | School Type:Private School, Religious, For Sports Fans | Early Career Pay:$53,700 | Mid-Career Pay:$96,500 | % High Meaning:52% | % STEM Degrees:19% |
| Rank:13 | School Name: Saint Mary's College | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$50,700 | Mid-Career Pay:$94,600 | % High Meaning:42% | % STEM Degrees:13% |
| Rank:14 | School Name:Earlham College | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$54,200 | Mid-Career Pay:$93,000 | % High Meaning:52% | % STEM Degrees:31% |
| Rank:15 | School Name:Franklin College | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$53,500 | Mid-Career Pay:$89,700 | % High Meaning:41% | % STEM Degrees:22% |
| Rank:16 | School Name: Manchester University | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$50,800 | Mid-Career Pay:$89,500 | % High Meaning:65% | % STEM Degrees:13% |
| Rank:17 | School Name:_50px.png) Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis | School Type:Research University, For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$54,800 | Mid-Career Pay:$89,400 | % High Meaning:53% | % STEM Degrees:16% |
| Rank:18 | School Name: Indiana State University | School Type:Research University, For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$51,800 | Mid-Career Pay:$89,300 | % High Meaning:54% | % STEM Degrees:6% |
| Rank:19 | School Name: Indiana Institute of Technology | School Type:Private School | Early Career Pay:$55,000 | Mid-Career Pay:$88,900 | % High Meaning:49% | % STEM Degrees:30% |
| Rank:20 | School Name: Hanover College | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$51,600 | Mid-Career Pay:$87,300 | % High Meaning:60% | % STEM Degrees:26% |
| Rank:21 | School Name: University of Indianapolis | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$51,400 | Mid-Career Pay:$87,100 | % High Meaning:56% | % STEM Degrees:7% |
| Rank:22 | School Name:_50px.png) Ball State University | School Type:Research University, For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$49,300 | Mid-Career Pay:$86,900 | % High Meaning:47% | % STEM Degrees:6% |
| Rank:23 | School Name:_50px.png) Purdue University Fort Wayne | School Type:For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$51,900 | Mid-Career Pay:$86,200 | % High Meaning:52% | % STEM Degrees:18% |
| Rank:24 | School Name:University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$50,000 | Mid-Career Pay:$84,600 | % High Meaning:68% | % STEM Degrees:3% |
| Rank:25 | School Name:_50px.png) Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$50,900 | Mid-Career Pay:$83,900 | % High Meaning:57% | % STEM Degrees:9% |
Wondering what the best four-year colleges are by earning potential in the Hoosier State? This list uses the Payscale database of unique salary profiles to identify the Indiana colleges with the highest-paid graduates. This list is ranked on the salaries of alumni who received a bachelor’s degree from the schools on this list, but did not go on to earn additional degrees. A high proportion of Indiana colleges are religiously affiliated.
The Rose-Hulman Institute has a strong focus on STEM degrees (almost all degrees awarded are focused in science, technology, engineering or math subjects) at Rose-Hulman is likely a factor contributing to the high graduate salaries. But like many engineering schools, Rose-Hulman’s student population is predominantly male. Only about a quarter of students at Rose-Hulman are women.
When we include salaries from alumni with graduate degrees, we see a big increase in the earning potential of graduates from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Butler University.
Indiana Public Schools Produce High Earners
Butler University is famous for besting much bigger Indiana basketball powerhouses in national championships, but they also fare well in the realm of graduate salary. And Butler isn’t the only small school excel in earning power. DePauw University has a small number of students, but they come in high out of all Indiana universities for overall earning potential.