Small colleges in Indiana are a great option for students interested in a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Whether the focus is on the technical or on the liberal arts, small colleges give you the chance to pursue a well-rounded education while working closely with classmates and professors in a dynamic community atmosphere.
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.
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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.
The following list of the best small colleges and universities in Indiana is composed mainly of four-year undergraduate schools (though a handful also offer graduate programs). We’ve identified 29 small colleges in Indiana. The list below of the best small colleges in Indiana. To be included schools must fully accredited, and must have student body populations below 5,000 students.
Tuition + fees
$54K
Acceptance
65%
Graduation
83%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1235/25
DePauw University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$45K
Acceptance
93%
Graduation
74%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1175/25
Valparaiso University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$49K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
73%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1220/26
Earlham College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$40K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
69%
Student body
2K
University of Evansville’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$46K
Acceptance
62%
Graduation
83%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1220/25
Wabash College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$34K
Acceptance
76%
Graduation
55%
Student body
1K
Manchester University ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$29K
Acceptance
92%
Graduation
71%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1105/24
Indiana Wesleyan University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$36K
Acceptance
93%
Graduation
65%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1057/24
Goshen College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$48K
Acceptance
83%
Graduation
74%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1164/25
Saint Mary's College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$37K
Acceptance
73%
Graduation
77%
Student body
2K
Taylor University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
89%
Graduation
38%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1035/20
Indiana University South Bend’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$40K
Acceptance
73%
Graduation
63%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1145/26
Hanover College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
43%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1020/21
Indiana University East’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
62%
Graduation
63%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1055/21
Anderson College, Indiana’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$37K
Acceptance
73%
Graduation
64%
Student body
4K
Marian University ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$34K
Acceptance
79%
Graduation
64%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1110/23
Trine University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$29K
Acceptance
65%
Graduation
39%
Student body
2K
Indiana Institute of Technology’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$31K
Acceptance
70%
Graduation
62%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1025/19
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
95%
Graduation
61%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1060/22
Franklin College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$28K
Acceptance
79%
Graduation
69%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1085/21
Huntington University ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
90%
Graduation
39%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1060/20
Indiana University Southeast’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$13K
Graduation
25%
Student body
<1K
Martin University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
85%
Graduation
38%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
990/20
Indiana University Northwest’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
90%
Graduation
43%
Student body
3K
Indiana University Kokomo’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$34K
Acceptance
86%
Graduation
68%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1225/30
Holy Cross College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$28K
Acceptance
83%
Graduation
71%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1125/23
Grace College & Seminary’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$26K
Acceptance
73%
Graduation
63%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1024/18
Oakland City University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
99%
Graduation
56%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1060/22
University of Saint Francis ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$20K
Graduation
24%
Student body
<1K
Calumet College of St. Joseph’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.