Home › Colleges › Indiana University-South Bend

College profile

Indiana University-South Bend

IN · Public · Mid-size city · 2,777 applicants 2023

86% admit rate SAT 970–1170 $9K–$17K/yr in-state — aid decides

A parent's read

  • The payoff holds even at full price: roughly 6× over a decade. With no aid at all — the full in-state ~$17,364/yr — a decade of median earnings (~$44,947/yr) still runs about 6× the four-year cost. This payoff doesn't depend on qualifying for anything. (Out-of-state costs more.)
  • Worth asking: do students finish? Only 40% graduate within six years here — the standard federal measure. Ask what drives that: course availability, transfers out, students working long hours. Not finishing is the costliest outcome there is.

Composed from this page's data — every claim is backed by a number in the sections below.

Get your child's odds at Indiana University-South Bend Free Family Decision Report — Reach / Competitive / Match / Likely + your real net price. Indiana University-South Bend starts already on the list. Start →
Odds at Indiana University-South Bend

Put in your child's GPA and score — we'll show where they land here. Free, and nothing to sign up for.

Most families report the weighted one — it's the higher number, with honors and AP credit in it.

—

This reads the numbers — admit rate, scores, GPA. The real decision also weighs essays, recommendations, activities, and course rigor.

Get their full list — free Family Decision Report →

The free report adds every college on your list — Reach / Competitive / Match / Likely odds, your real net price, and merit-scholarship eligibility. About a minute.

Live odds from each college's own published admissions data.

Parent/student verdict

Accessible

Accessible for most applicants. Affordable — net price averages ~$8,653/yr among aid recipients. Major value play for in-state residents.

Best for

  • In-state residents (tuition ~$8,424 — major value play)
  • Students drawn to Health Professions or Business, Management, & Marketing (the two biggest majors)
  • Families wanting a small undergraduate experience

The reality

  • You'd be near the bottom of their admitted class if: SAT below 970, or ACT below 21 (test bands are the school's own; the GPA floor is our estimate, not a published figure)
  • Out-of-state tuition is 2.7× the in-state rate

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price with aid and at full price, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

What are your child's odds here?

Enter their numbers once — this and every college page shows their verdict, and the UC campus cards on California school pages light up with it too. Free, no email.

Weighted is the higher GPA, with honors/AP credit in it — pick whichever your school reports. PSAT scores work in the SAT box.

Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
M2: Master's - Medium Programs
Undergraduates
3,933
1,000 - 4,999 including graduate students
In-state tuitionThe published full price before any aid. Families who don't qualify for need-based aid at a given college pay this, minus any merit scholarships — whether you qualify depends on the college's price and policies, not on any fixed income line.
$8,424
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$22,811
+$14,387 vs in-state
Admit rateThe share of applicants a college accepts. Useful context, but your student's odds depend on their own grades and scores, not the average.
86.0%
Accepts the majority
SAT middle 50%The middle half of the enrolled first-years who sent this test scored in this range — a quarter of them scored BELOW the low end and still got in, and a quarter scored above the high end. At a test-optional college the students who submitted are often a minority of the class, so the range describes them rather than everyone who enrolled. Above the top number is a genuine strength; below the bottom isn't automatic rejection.
970–1170
EBRW + Math composite
ACT middle 50%The middle half of the enrolled first-years who sent this test scored in this range — a quarter of them scored BELOW the low end and still got in, and a quarter scored above the high end. At a test-optional college the students who submitted are often a minority of the class, so the range describes them rather than everyone who enrolled. Above the top number is a genuine strength; below the bottom isn't automatic rejection.
21–25
composite
Test policyApplicants choose whether to send SAT/ACT scores. At many such colleges, students who submit strong scores are still admitted at higher rates.
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earningsMedian yearly pay of former students ten years after they STARTED here — not ten years after graduating — all majors combined. The broadest single outcome number a college reports.
$44,947
median, after entry

27% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score, 1% an ACT — these ranges describe students who submitted, not the whole class.

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$41,388
Earnings, 10 yrs after entryMedian yearly pay of former students ten years after they STARTED here — not ten years after graduating — all majors combined. The broadest single outcome number a college reports.
$44,947
Graduate within 6 yrsThe share of students who start here and finish a bachelor's within six years — the standard federal measure, and the one College Scorecard publishes. It is not a four-year rate. Read it as the odds of finishing at all: nationally about a third of students who start never do, and an unfinished degree is the most expensive outcome in this decision.
40%
Median debt (completers)The federal-loan balance of the typical graduating borrower. Families who pay cash aren't counted, so read it as "among those who borrowed."
$21,355

The real cost

What Indiana University-South Bend actually costs

If you qualify for need aidGrant money based on your family's finances (via FAFSA and the college's own forms), not your student's stats.
$8,653/yr
average among aid-receiving families, all incomes — your number depends on your finances
If you don't
$17,364/yr
the full published price for in-state students — out-of-state runs higher

Which side your family lands on isn't set by any national income line — it's set by Indiana University-South Bend's own aid decision: the gap between its price and your family's finances.

Get your family's number — Indiana University-South Bend's Net Price Calculator ↗ 10–15 minutes; have a tax return handy. It's still an estimate — but it's this college's own, built from your family's numbers, not anyone's average.
Start your Family Decision Report →

Your odds + estimated cost across your whole college list, side by side.

The payoffTen years of typical graduate pay minus four years of cost — how many dollars ahead a typical graduate runs by year ten. Check both the full-price and with-aid versions to see which applies to you; median pay reflects who a college admits and what they study as much as the college itself., both ways

+$380K ahead at full price +$415K with aid
Full price, no aidThe all-in yearly price — tuition, housing, food, books, fees — before any aid. This is the real "full price," not just the tuition line. (4 yrs, in-state)
$69,456
~$17,364/yr all-in (out-of-state runs higher)
Aid recipients pay (4 yrs)
$34,612
$8,653/yr average
10-yr earnings total
$449,470
$44,947/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup the cost
1.5 yrs
at full price (0.8 with aid), at the median earnings rate

Source: College Scorecard (average net price among Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates who received aid) and each college's published cost of attendance. We don't show the federal net-price-by-income brackets: their categories were fixed in 2008 and never adjusted, and none of the averages is your family's own number — the full story. Payoff = (10-yr median earnings × 10) − (4 years of cost), in dollars — how far ahead a typical graduate runs by year ten; medians travel with the students a college admits and the majors they choose as much as with the college itself. Full price is the published cost of attendance, largely in-state for publics; earnings are 10 years after enrollment, all majors combined.

What students study here

Most popular majors at Indiana University-South Bend

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Indiana University-South Bend actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Health Professions
164 degrees · 36.7%
Highest-paying group on this list, but most careers require additional training beyond a 4-year degree.
2. Business, Management, & Marketing
136 degrees · 30.4%
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
3. Education
59 degrees · 13.2%
Teaching is the largest path. Salary depends heavily on district + state.
4. Liberal Arts, Humanities, & General Studies
59 degrees · 13.2%
Flexible degree → many paths. Real outcomes depend on the second skill (data, coding, teaching cert).
5. Biological & Biomedical Sciences
29 degrees · 6.5%
Many bio majors → med school / grad school. Direct-employment bio roles are lower-paid than that pipeline.

What those majors earn here

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major — Indiana University-South Bend's own graduates, not national averages.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Computer Science. Bachelor's Degree 20 $53,743 $99,574
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. Bachelor's Degree 94 $67,253 $84,541
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions. Bachelor's Degree 13 — $71,862
Business/Commerce, General. Bachelor's Degree 155 $48,238 $64,275
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions. Bachelor's Degree 19 $55,314 $61,436
Biology, General. Bachelor's Degree 19 $38,242 $56,512
Criminal Justice and Corrections. Bachelor's Degree 31 $35,462 $51,778
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. Bachelor's Degree 45 $33,716 $48,815
Social Work. Bachelor's Degree 32 $37,812 $48,344
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. Bachelor's Degree 26 $43,058 $47,977

Sources: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a; bachelor's-level first majors, 2-digit CIP family — share is of the top 5 only) · College Scorecard program-level outcomes (PP-FOS). Full college-vs-major comparison: /college-outcomes →

AI program signal

AI + computing education at Indiana University-South Bend

CS degrees (annual)
12
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

Alternatives to Indiana University-South Bend

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

Better merit-aid options
These similar-selectivity schools publish merit scholarships your family can plan around — your kid’s stats could unlock real scholarship dollars.
Texas Tech University
TX · Public
30 stats-based + 1 competitive scholarships
Mississippi State University
MS · Public
18 stats-based + 1 competitive scholarships
University of Alabama at Birmingham
AL · Public
17 stats-based + 2 competitive scholarships
Lower full price
Similar selectivity, but a meaningfully lower full sticker price — the comparison that matters most for families who won't qualify for much need-based aid.
United States Merchant Marine Academy
NY · Public
$9,168/yr full price (in-state) · $8,196 less before aid for NY residents
Indiana University-Kokomo
IN · Public
$11,837/yr full price (in-state) · $5,527 less before aid for IN residents

Or compare any college side-by-side

Deciding on Indiana University-South Bend?

Get the full picture in one free report — your child's Reach / Competitive / Match / Likely odds and your real net price, for Indiana University-South Bend and every other college on your list.

Get your child's odds at Indiana University-South Bend →

Score-odds calculator · Improve the score first · Find merit aid

For Parents

Get alerts when Indiana University-South Bend's numbers change

New admit rates, costs, and outcomes — a few alerts a year, no spam. Your email also saves your list across devices.

Objective, government-grade data — no school pays us for placement.

At a glance

JSON · Using this page with an AI assistant

Indiana University-South Bend is a public four-year college in IN. It admitted 86% of applicants (2,777 applied, 2023). Test policy: Test-optional.

Middle 50% of enrolled first-years who submitted that test: SAT 970–1170, ACT 21–25. 27% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score, 1% an ACT — these ranges describe students who submitted, not the whole class.

Cost: about $8,653 a year on average with aid, $17,364 a year at full price for in-state students.

Median earnings ten years after entry: $44,947 a year. Payoff, meaning ten years of that pay minus four years of cost: $414,858 ahead with aid, $380,014 ahead at full price.

Highest median earnings four years after the degree, by program: Computer Science ($99,574); Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing ($84,541); Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions ($71,862).

Machine-readable version of this page: https://highschoolreach.com/colleges/indiana-university-south-bend.json

By major: Art (Studio)BiologyBusiness AdministrationCommunicationComputer ScienceCriminal Justice and CriminologyFilm and TelevisionHealth ScienceLiberal Studies (teacher preparation)Nursing (BSN)PsychologySocial Work
Get your child's odds →

What families ask next

Can my kid get in? Score odds calculator → See how a higher SAT or ACT changes admit odds — college by college. What will it cost — and pay back? Earnings by major → What graduates actually earn, program by program. What do we do next? Free Family Decision Report Reach / Competitive / Match / Likely for every college on their list, plus the real cost. Start with a 10-second odds check — no email needed. Check odds →