Most Affordable Public Universities in Indiana
State-run four-year universities, ranked by net price after aid. In-state students usually pay far less than the published out-of-state rate.
15 public universities in Indiana are listed here, 15 of them reporting a net price. They run from $3,968 a year at Indiana University-Kokomo to $16,264 at Indiana University-Bloomington, with a middle of about $10,873.
The cheapest are Indiana University-Kokomo, Indiana University-Northwest and Purdue University Northwest. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is where to start.
Public universities in Indiana, cheapest first · 15
Average net price per year after grants and scholarships, with the share of students on federal Pell grants where reported. Schools publishing no net price are listed last.
- Indiana University-Kokomo
- Indiana University-Northwest
- Purdue University Northwest
- Purdue University Global
- Indiana University-Southeast
- Indiana University-East
- Indiana University-South Bend
- Indiana State University
- Vincennes University
- Indiana University-Indianapolis
- University of Southern Indiana
- Purdue University Fort Wayne
- Purdue University-Main Campus
- Ball State University
- Indiana University-Bloomington
Questions families ask
- What is the most affordable public university in Indiana?
- By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is Indiana University-Kokomo at about $3,968 a year. That is an average across all students there; your own cost depends on your family's income, so check the school's net price calculator.
- What is the difference between sticker price and net price?
- Sticker price is the published tuition before any aid. Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted — not loans, which you pay back. Net price is usually far lower, and at expensive private colleges the gap can be tens of thousands a year, which is why every figure on this page is net price rather than tuition.
- How much do public universities in Indiana cost on average?
- Across the 15 public universities in Indiana that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $10,873 a year after aid, running from $3,968 to $16,264.
- What does the Pell grant percentage mean?
- It is the share of undergraduates at that school receiving a federal Pell grant — need-based aid that does not have to be repaid. A higher share usually means the school enrols more students from lower-income families. Across the public universities listed here it runs from 9% to 47%, with a middle of about 33%. It is the only aid figure the Department of Education publishes per school, so it is the only one shown.
Which of these actually fits you?
A list is a starting point, not an answer. Two minutes of questions gives you a shortlist ranked on cost, academics, size and location — with the reaches labelled honestly.
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