U.S. median for this major: $85,212.
College Scorecard field of study; 202 graduates with earnings reported
Median for graduates who received federal aid.
College Scorecard field of study
About 34% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $27,000.
College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $26,146. College Scorecard.
BSU Nursing: pay against the field, and payback
Same major, other colleges
Median earnings 4 years after graduating; state and U.S. figures are the median of each covered college's graduates in this major. College Scorecard; calculated by EducationGuide.
Cost to finish and years to pay back, by income
Uses BSU's school-wide net price (no college reports it by major) and this major's graduate earnings.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $7,834 | $32,981 | under 1 year |
| $30–48k | $9,848 | $41,460 | 1.0 years |
| $48–75k | $14,333 | $60,342 | 1.5 years |
| $75–110k | $19,567 | $82,377 | 2.0 years |
| $110k+ | $23,479 | $98,847 | 2.4 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (51% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of Nursing graduates 4 years after graduating ($76,161) minus $35,534 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IN (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $40,627 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard; IPEDS Graduation Rates; U.S. Census Bureau ACS. Calculated by EducationGuide.
Nursing at Indiana colleges
Every Indiana college we cover that reports Nursing graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants. Colleges marked "mostly 2-year" or "bachelor's & associate" award more associate degrees than bachelor's; their bachelor's programs often serve working adults finishing a degree (for example, nurses completing a BSN), so their graduates' earnings can run higher than those of students starting college at 18.
| Rank | College | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt | Avg. net price | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purdue University Northwest | $88,935 | $24,552 | $6,079 | 43% |
| 2 | Indiana University-South Bend | $84,541 | $26,412 | $8,653 | 40% |
| 3 | Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion | $84,157 | $31,000 | $22,866 | 67% |
| 4 | Indiana University-Kokomo | $83,756 | $26,832 | $3,968 | 46% |
| 5 | University of Indianapolis | $83,156 | $27,187 | $21,602 | 56% |
| 6 | Indiana University-Northwest | $82,626 | $29,890 | $5,130 | 37% |
| 7 | Indiana University-East | $82,212 | $27,000 | $8,134 | 40% |
| 8 | Indiana State University | $81,988 | $30,155 | $10,873 | 43% |
| 9 | Indiana University-Bloomington | $81,781 | $25,000 | $16,264 | 80% |
| 10 | Marian University | $81,706 | $37,444 | $24,018 | 67% |
| 11 | Marian University-Ancillamostly 2-year | $81,706 | $37,444 | $19,463 | — |
| 12 | University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne | $81,680 | $30,849 | $18,196 | 55% |
| 13 | Anderson University | $81,507 | $27,000 | $25,021 | 54% |
| 14 | Valparaiso University | $81,278 | $27,366 | $18,578 | 70% |
| 15 | Vincennes Universitymostly 2-year | $81,270 | $23,000 | $11,225 | 39% |
| 16 | University of Evansville | $80,773 | $27,000 | $18,499 | 64% |
| 17 | Purdue University | $80,403 | $20,455 | $14,600 | 83% |
| 18 | Saint Mary's College | $80,396 | $27,000 | $25,292 | 69% |
| 19 | Indiana University-Southeast | $80,132 | $25,719 | $7,888 | 39% |
| 20 | Indiana University-Indianapolis | $79,722 | $28,408 | $11,668 | 54% |
| 21 | Goshen College | $78,185 | $27,000 | $14,493 | 65% |
| 22 | University of Southern Indianabachelor's & associate | $77,878 | $25,089 | $12,923 | 48% |
| 23 | Ball State University | $76,161 | $26,000 | $14,940 | 62% |
| 24 | Purdue University Fort Wayne | $74,918 | $27,000 | $13,171 | 36% |
| 25 | Bethel University | $73,384 | $28,500 | $18,610 | 53% |
| 26 | Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College | $71,970 | $31,931 | $31,872 | 47% |
| 27 | Huntington University | $71,310 | $31,000 | $19,310 | 64% |
2 more Indiana colleges offer Nursing but have too few graduates to report earnings.
Careers for Nursing graduates
Registered nurse
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +5.6% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
Medical and Health Services Managers
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +24.2% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35. Careers from the federal major-to-occupation crosswalk.
What families pay at BSU, by income
School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.
College Scorecard
About BSU
- Acceptance rate: 86% · admissions
- Graduation rate: 62% within 6 years
- Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $51,833
- Full cost breakdown · all 90 majors · overview
Related majors at BSU
- Public Health$52,202
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$61,584
- Health Sciences—
BSU Nursing questions
How much do BSU Nursing graduates earn?
Nursing graduates of Ball State University earn a median $76,161 four years after graduating and $73,719 one year after. The U.S. median for Nursing graduates across 858 colleges is $85,212.
How much debt do BSU Nursing graduates have?
The median federal loan debt for Nursing graduates of Ball State University is $26,000, about 34% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $27,000.
Is BSU a good school for Nursing in Indiana?
On pay, Nursing graduates of Ball State University earn $76,161 four years out, $5,346 below the median for the same major across 29 Indiana colleges ($81,507) and $9,051 below the U.S. median ($85,212). Medians of each college's graduates; EducationGuide calculation from College Scorecard.
Where does BSU rank for Nursing in Indiana?
Of 27 Indiana colleges reporting Nursing graduate earnings, Ball State University ranks 23rd; among the 24 that mostly award bachelor's degrees it ranks 20th. The highest is Purdue University Northwest at $88,935.
What jobs do Nursing graduates get?
A common career is registered nurse, with a median wage of $79,500 in the Muncie, IN area and $97,550 nationally. Others include medical and health services managers.
Is BSU the right fit for your family?
Get a free report comparing BSU with up to 4 other schools on what you'd actually pay, what graduates in your major earn, and how each fits your priorities.
Build my free reportCheck my chances of getting inWe never share your contact information.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
Data: JSON · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Ball State University Nursing: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/ball-state-university/majors/nursing (College Scorecard and BLS data).