Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana · Also known as BSU|Ball U · Website
$51,833
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$51,833
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Ball State University is a public 4-year college in Muncie, Indiana with 13,988 undergraduates and 5,900 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $14,940 a year (tuition and fees $11,082 in-state, $29,630 out-of-state). It admits 86% of applicants and 62% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $51,833 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $23,250 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$14,940
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$11,082
Out-of-state $29,630
Admission rate
86%
US median 78%
Completion rate
62%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$23,250
About $246 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$51,833
Rank 1,333 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $14,940
- Tuition in-state
- $11,082
- Tuition out-of-state
- $29,630
- Cost of attendance
- $26,146
- Students with a need-based grant
- 35%
- Students with federal loans
- 43%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $7,834
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $9,848
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $14,333
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $19,567
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $23,479
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $9,498 in 2015-16 to $11,082 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 86%
- Average SAT
- 1,160
- SAT reading, middle
- 560
- SAT math, middle
- 550
- ACT, middle
- 24
- Undergraduates
- 13,988
- Graduate students
- 5,900
- Part-time students
- 6.9%
- Women
- 61%
- Students per teacher
- 14
- Completion rate
- 62%
- Retention rate
- 78%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 222
- Endowment
- $260.8M
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,333 of 5,094 US colleges and 41 of 126 in Indiana (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | IN median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $14,940 | $19,432 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $11,082 | $10,090 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 86% | 80% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 62% | 62% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 78% | 75% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $23,250 | $16,666 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $44,394 | $36,186 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $51,833 | $43,603 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 65% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 75% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
222 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Education and TeachingOnlineMaster's | Master's | 1,094 | $27,000 | $58,958 | $71,550 | $64,397 |
| Special Education and TeachingOnlineGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 734 | $27,500 | $55,830 | $65,194 | $69,147 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 199 | $23,125 | $35,269 | $49,657 | $53,072 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 189 | $21,954 | $41,821 | $48,344 | $47,382 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 189 | $22,364 | $31,305 | $48,421 | $50,706 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 178 | $23,146 | $32,118 | $47,737 | $50,497 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 164 | $24,025 | $46,550 | $67,141 | $68,407 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 151 | $24,732 | $73,719 | $76,161 | $88,910 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 141 | $23,229 | $34,248 | $55,097 | $57,214 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's | Bachelor's | 129 | $22,875 | $46,347 | $50,260 | $51,389 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralOnlineMaster's | Master's | 128 | $23,417 | $89,872 | $120,992 | $125,988 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyMaster's | Master's | 126 | $36,910 | $47,314 | $58,806 | $65,184 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 104 | $21,982 | $39,991 | $52,997 | $55,378 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 93 | $25,192 | $35,500 | $55,053 | $54,562 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 84 | $25,000 | $28,405 | $42,594 | $41,367 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionOnlineMaster's | Master's | 82 | $21,304 | $63,782 | $77,628 | $71,685 |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 75 | $21,825 | $42,480 | $64,895 | $69,303 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 73 | $24,000 | $54,281 | $56,692 | $59,916 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftBachelor's | Bachelor's | 72 | $24,340 | $23,748 | $43,082 | $39,775 |
| JournalismBachelor's | Bachelor's | 69 | $24,418 | $31,398 | $49,456 | $56,278 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 69 | $23,000 | $50,077 | $70,833 | $83,343 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 64 | $23,250 | $38,020 | $60,686 | $63,560 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 60 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,523 |
| Social WorkOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 60 | $21,500 | $39,094 | $50,321 | $51,790 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 57 | $23,172 | $56,101 | $75,559 | $76,194 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: Indiana on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Indiana
- Homes: Homes for sale in Indiana
Questions and answers
How much does Ball State University cost?
$14,940 a year is the average net price at Ball State University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $11,082 for in-state students and $29,630 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $26,146. Families earning under $30,000 pay $7,834 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Ball State University?
86% of applicants are admitted to Ball State University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,160 and the middle ACT score is 24. The median admission rate of colleges in Indiana is 80%.
How much do Ball State University graduates earn?
$51,833 a year is the median pay of former Ball State University students who work, 10 years after they started ($44,394 after 6 years). That ranks 1,333 of 5,094 US colleges and 41 of 126 in Indiana. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's) at $103,103.
How much student debt do Ball State University graduates have?
$23,250 is the median federal student loan debt of Ball State University graduates, about $246 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 43% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Ball State University?
62% of first-time, full-time students at Ball State University finish within 6 years. 78% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Ball State University?
Special Education and Teaching (1,094 master's graduates), Special Education and Teaching (734 graduate certificate graduates), Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (199 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 222 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.