Best Private Colleges in Indiana 2024

Badge for BEST IN INDIANA PRIVATE COLLEGES

Published: Mar 23, 2021
Updated: Oct 16, 2023

Private colleges, unlike large public institutions, can be a great option for students wanting a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Here is our list of the best private colleges in Indiana.

University of Notre Dame
DePauw University
Wabash College
Earlham College
Butler University
Valparaiso University
University of Evansville
Manchester University
Hanover College
Goshen College

University of Saint Francis 98%
Valparaiso University 94%
Marian University 94%
Goshen College 94%
Franklin College 93%
Trine University 92%
Indiana Wesleyan University 87%
Grace College & Seminary 85%
Saint Mary's College 84%
Butler University 82%

Grace College & Seminary 18 to 1
Trine University 16 to 1
Indiana Institute of Technology 15 to 1
Indiana Wesleyan University 13 to 1
Taylor University 13 to 1
Marian University 13 to 1
Manchester University 12 to 1
Huntington University 12 to 1
University of Saint Francis 12 to 1
Valparaiso University 11 to 1

University of Notre Dame $60,301
DePauw University $55,410
Earlham College $50,058
Saint Mary's College $49,930
Wabash College $47,475
Valparaiso University $44,796
Butler University $44,460
Hanover College $41,559
University of Evansville $41,336
Marian University $37,600

University of Notre Dame $59,644
Trine University $45,350
University of Indianapolis $39,992
Franklin College $39,114
Goshen College $29,678
University of Evansville $29,501
Saint Mary's College $29,231
Manchester University $23,435
Calumet College of St. Joseph $21,240
Marian University $20,138

Calumet College of St. Joseph
University of Saint Francis
Oakland City University
Grace College & Seminary
Holy Cross College
Martin University
University of Indianapolis
Huntington University
Franklin College
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College

Calumet College of St. Joseph
Holy Cross College
University of Saint Francis
Oakland City University
Huntington University
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Martin University
Indiana Institute of Technology
Anderson College, Indiana
Grace College & Seminary

University of Notre Dame 13%
Anderson College, Indiana 52%
Oakland City University 56%
Wabash College 61%
Indiana Institute of Technology 65%
Manchester University 66%
DePauw University 66%
Earlham College 73%
Hanover College 74%
Taylor University 75%

Earlham College 6 to 1
Martin University 6 to 1
University of Notre Dame 9 to 1
DePauw University 9 to 1
Wabash College 9 to 1
Goshen College 9 to 1
Saint Mary's College 9 to 1
Anderson College, Indiana 9 to 1
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College 9 to 1
University of Evansville 10 to 1

Martin University $13,200
Calumet College of St. Joseph $21,650
Oakland City University $26,400
Huntington University $28,830
Grace College & Seminary $29,048
Indiana Institute of Technology $29,560
Indiana Wesleyan University $29,684
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College $32,700
University of Saint Francis $34,050
Anderson College, Indiana $34,080

Grace College & Seminary $7,288
University of Saint Francis $8,626
Oakland City University $9,000
Indiana Institute of Technology $10,224
Taylor University $10,524
Valparaiso University $11,700
Martin University $11,700
Anderson College, Indiana $11,826
Huntington University $11,856
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College $12,825

Table of Contents

Colleges and Universities in Indiana

Prospective students searching for both brick-and-mortar and online colleges in Indiana have many excellent options, including notable institutions like University of Notre Dame, Purdue University, and Butler University. Each boasts a high graduate rate, a wide variety of traditional and online degree programs, and numerous excellent undergraduate and graduate programs. The tuition and student population vary widely between these schools.

Indiana University Bloomington is the largest public university in Indiana. The state university is also noted for its high graduation rate, its large student population of roughly 40,000 students, and an in-state tuition rate just above the national average at $11,000.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

Additionally, students hoping to attend a school with a religious affiliation have nearly 30 options to choose from. Both traditional and online students at these schools can study areas like engineering, business, philosophy, religious studies, and law.

The state of Indiana offers loan forgiveness-based financial aid programs for health care workers who work in areas with labor shortages as well as for lawyers providing public legal aid. Additionally, graduates of Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law pursuing public interest law can apply for a special grant program that will help cover the cost of preparing and sitting for the bar exam.

With town names like Popcorn and Santa Claus, Indiana clearly has a quirky personality. Along with these unique towns, Indiana also hosts the famous Indianapolis 500 auto race; boasts a thriving art scene; and has been home to iconic celebrities, including Larry Bird, James Dean, and David Letterman.

Students wanting to experience all Indiana has to offer while studying have the option of attending one of Indiana’s more than 50 higher education institutes. Most offer both traditional and online degrees, as well as a full array of undergraduate programs and advanced degrees.

Explore Indiana’s more than 50 colleges and universities to find a program and future career path that’s right for you.

What are Indiana’s Colleges & Universities?

Indiana’s Best Overall

What is the difference between public and private colleges?

Public and private colleges and universities operate under different business models. Public colleges and universities are owned by the state and receive both state and federal funding to operate. Private colleges and universities are private companies with private funding. If you’re looking at the pros and cons of private vs. public colleges, consider that many public colleges provide diverse course offerings, influential professors, and an excellent return on your investment.

Public colleges are schools that receive most of their funding from tax revenues. As a result, the cost of a bachelor’s degree at a public university is often lower than the equivalent cost at a private college — especially for students attending a public school in their home state. Attending a college in-state is usually the cheapest option. Private universities and colleges can be very competitive with their funding opportunities, so do not simply believe that private colleges are always going to be more expensive. According to National Center for Educational Statistics, the average annual cost (tuition, fees, room and board for full-time students) at a public university was slightly over $20,000. In contrast, private universities cost, on average, nearly $43,000 annually. But in the end, the cost of college comes down to each student’s academic and financial situation.

How do we determine Indiana's best private colleges and universities?

Methodology

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

This list is composed entirely of private colleges and universities that offer bachelor’s degrees. We’ve identified 27 private universities in Indiana. To be included in the list below of the best private universities in Indiana, schools must be fully accredited, private, non-profit institution, and must offer a broad range of bachelor’s degrees.