Resources › For Students and Parents Top Indiana Colleges Learn about 15 of the Top Colleges and Universities in Indiana Share Flipboard Email Print For Students and Parents College Admissions College Rankings College Admissions Process College Profiles Choosing A College Application Tips Essay Samples & Tips Testing Graphs College Financial Aid Advanced Placement Homework Help Private School Test Prep College Life Graduate School Business School Law School Distance Learning View More By Allen Grove Allen Grove Facebook Twitter College Admissions Expert Ph.D., English, University of Pennsylvania M.A., English, University of Pennsylvania B.S., Materials Science & Engineering and Literature, MIT Dr. Allen Grove is an Alfred University English professor and a college admissions expert with over 20 years of experience helping students transition to college. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on July 12, 2019 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 Top Ranked National Colleges and Universities: Private Universities | Public Universities | Liberal Arts Colleges | Engineering | Business | Women's | Most Selective Butler University Butler University Irwin Library. PALNI Libraries / Flickr Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Enrollment: 5,095 (4,290 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 Big East Conference For acceptance rate, financial aid, costs and other information, visit the Butler University profile GPA, SAT, and ACT Graph for Butler Admissions DePauw University DePauw University Performing Arts Center. Rovergirl88 / Wikimedia Commons Location: Greencastle, Indiana Enrollment: 2,225 (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, financial aid, costs and other information, visit the DePauw University profile GPA, SAT, and ACT Graph for DePauw Admissions Earlham College Themalau / Wikimedia Commons Location: Richmond, Indiana Enrollment: 1,102 (1,031 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, financial aid, costs and other information, visit the Earlham College profile GPA, SAT, and ACT Graph for Earlham Admissions Goshen College Goshen College. taygete05 / Flickr Location: Goshen, Indiana Enrollment: 870 (800 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private college affiliated with the Mennonite Church USA Distinctions: 10 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, financial aid, costs and other information, visit the Goshen College profile GPA, SAT, and ACT Graph for Goshen Admissions Hanover College Hanover College. AdamC2028 / Wikimedia Commons Location: Hanover, Indiana Enrollment: 1,090 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. Distinctions: 11 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, financial aid, costs and other information, visit the Hanover College profile GPA, SAT, and ACT Graph for Hanover Admissions Indiana University Indiana University Tower. prw_silvan / Flickr Location: Bloomington, Indiana Enrollment: 49,695 (39,184 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, financial aid, costs and other information, visit the Indiana University profile GPA, SAT, and ACT Graph for Indiana Admissions Indiana Wesleyan University Indiana Wesleyan University. greatdegree / Flickr Location: Marion, Indiana Enrollment: 3,040 (2,782 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, financial aid, costs and other information, visit the Indiana Wesleyan University profile GPA, SAT, and ACT Graph for Indiana Wesleyan Admissions Notre Dame Main Building at the University of Notre Dame. Allen Grove Location: Notre Dame, Indiana Enrollment: 12,393 (8,530 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private Catholic university Explore the Campus: University of Notre Dame Photo Tour Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; 10 to 1 student / faculty ratio; 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 Atlantic Coast Conference; one of the top universities and top Catholic universities For acceptance rate, financial aid, costs and other information, visit the University of Notre Dame profile GPA, SAT, and ACT Graph for Notre Dame Admissions Purdue University Purdue University. linademartinez / Flickr Location: West Lafayette, Indiana Enrollment: 41,513 (31,105 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, financial aid, costs and other information, visit the Purdue University profile GPA, SAT, and ACT Graph for Purdue Admissions Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Barbara Ann Spengler / Flickr Location: Terre Haute, Indiana Enrollment: 2,278 (2,202 undergraduates) Type of Institution: undergraduate engineering college Distinctions: often ranked #1 among top undergraduate engineering colleges; 295-acre art-filled campus; 13 to 1 student / faculty ratio; hands-on approach to learning; high job placement rate For acceptance rate, financial aid, costs and other information, visit the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology profile GPA, SAT, and ACT Graph for Rose-Hulman Admissions Saint Mary's College Saint Mary's College Indiana. Jaknelaps / Wikimedia Commons Location: Notre Dame, Indiana Enrollment: 1,701 (1,625 undergraduates) Type of Institution: Catholic women's college Distinctions: 10 to 1 student / faculty ratio; average class size of 15 students; located across the street from the University of Notre Dame; strong experiential learning programs; students come from 46 states and 8 countries; good financial aid For acceptance rate, financial aid, costs and other information, visit the Saint Mary's College profile GPA, SAT and ACT Graph for Saint Mary's Admissions Taylor University Taylor University Tower. Andyrowell94 / Wikimedia Commons Location: Upland, Indiana Enrollment: 2,170 (2,131 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private interdenominational evangelical university Distinctions: top ranked college for the Midwest region; good educational value; university experience emphasizes the integration of faith and learning; 12 to 1 student / faculty ratio For acceptance rate, financial aid, costs and other information, visit the Taylor University profile GPA, SAT, and ACT Graph for Taylor Admissions University of Evansville University of Evansville. Avontbone / Wikimedia Commons Location: Evansville, Indiana Enrollment: 2,414 (2,248 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private university affiliated with the Methodist Church Distinctions: 12 to 1 student / faculty ratio; average class size of 18; students come from roughly 40 states and 50 countries; strong international efforts; popular professional programs such as business, education, exercise science and nursing; Purple Aces compete in the NCAA Division I Missouri Valley Conference For acceptance rate, financial aid, costs and other information, visit the University of Evansville profile GPA, SAT, and ACT Graph for Evansville Admissions Valparaiso University Valparaiso University Football. SD Dirk / Flickr Location: Valparaiso, Indiana Enrollment: 4,412 (3,273 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private university affiliated with the Lutheran Church Distinctions: chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; 13 to 1 student / faculty ratio; popular professional programs such as nursing, business and engineering; good grant aid; Crusaders compete in the NCAA Division I Horizon League For acceptance rate, financial aid, costs and other information, visit the Valparaiso University profile GPA, SAT, and ACT Graph for Valparaiso Admissions Wabash College Wabash College. Courtesy of Wabash College Location: Crawfordsville, Indiana Enrollment: 842 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: all-male liberal arts college Distinctions: 10 to 1 student / faculty ratio; founded in 1832; 60-acre campus features attractive Georgian architecture; chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; high rate of graduate school placement For acceptance rate, financial aid, costs and other information, visit the Wabash College profile GPA, SAT, and ACT Graph for Wabash Admissions More Top Picks in the Midwest Midwest Region. Expand your search to surrounding states. Check out these 30 top colleges and universities in the Midwest. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Grove, Allen. "Top Indiana Colleges." ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2020, thoughtco.com/top-indiana-colleges-788309. Grove, Allen. (2020, August 26). Top Indiana Colleges. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/top-indiana-colleges-788309 Grove, Allen. "Top Indiana Colleges." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/top-indiana-colleges-788309 (accessed January 25, 2022). copy citation Watch Now: How to Score Higher on the SAT and ACT