# Ball State University (BSU)

Public college in Muncie, IN. IPEDS ID 150136.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/ball-state-university · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/ball-state-university.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 86% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $14,940 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 62%; beats 56% of IN colleges and 65% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $51,833; beats 51% of IN colleges and 45% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $16,904

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $7,834 |
| 30-48k | $9,848 |
| 48-75k | $14,333 |
| 75-110k | $19,567 |
| 110k+ | $23,479 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, in-state. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.21 years on average (51% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $51,833 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $35,534 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IN (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $7,834 | $32,981 | 2.0 years |
| 30-48k | $9,848 | $41,460 | 2.5 years |
| 48-75k | $14,333 | $60,342 | 3.7 years |
| 75-110k | $19,567 | $82,377 | 5.1 years |
| 110k+ | $23,479 | $98,847 | 6.1 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $26,146 in-state; about $44,694 out-of-state
- Tuition and fees: $11,082 in-state, $29,630 out-of-state
- Housing and meals: $12,064; books: $1,360

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 550–640; SAT math: 530–620; ACT: 20–24 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 28,668 applicants, 20,525 admitted, 3,826 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 86%, ACT 20–24 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 72%, ACT 25–30 (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (90 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction Management | $69,076 | $90,239 | $25,769 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $59,249 | $79,620 | $23,512 |
| Management Information Systems | $53,597 | $78,566 | $25,000 |
| General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations | $65,184 | $78,401 | $26,000 |
| Management Science / Analytics | $67,350 | $77,774 | $16,654 |
| Business Economics | $53,319 | $76,847 | $27,000 |
| Nursing | $73,719 | $76,161 | $26,000 |
| Human Resources | $47,451 | $75,822 | $20,500 |
| Business Administration | $60,526 | $75,703 | $20,500 |
| Accounting | $56,101 | $75,559 | $24,000 |
| Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians | not reported | $73,664 | not reported |
| Computer Engineering Technologies / Technicians | $51,219 | $71,514 | $26,000 |
| Finance | $50,077 | $70,833 | $24,101 |
| Business | $46,550 | $67,141 | $25,000 |
| Landscape Architecture | $59,972 | $65,382 | not reported |
| Marketing | $42,480 | $64,895 | $24,730 |
| Architecture and Related Services, Other | not reported | $64,350 | not reported |
| Chemistry | $42,677 | $63,764 | $25,000 |
| Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders | not reported | $61,677 | $21,000 |
| Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech) | $67,833 | $61,584 | $27,000 |
| Public Relations and Advertising | $38,020 | $60,686 | $23,879 |
| Insurance | $48,615 | $59,612 | $27,000 |
| Political Science | $39,755 | $58,953 | $25,410 |
| Legal Professions and Studies, Other | $39,220 | $57,249 | $27,000 |
| Pre-Med / Pre-Health | $37,638 | $56,078 | $25,732 |
| Dietetics | not reported | $55,768 | not reported |
| City / Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | not reported | $55,663 | not reported |
| Biology | $34,248 | $55,097 | $24,333 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $35,500 | $55,053 | $25,962 |
| Geography | $34,274 | $53,992 | $26,000 |
| Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design | $36,864 | $53,514 | $22,000 |
| Criminal Justice | $39,991 | $52,997 | $23,367 |
| Apparel and Textiles | not reported | $52,542 | not reported |
| Public Health | not reported | $52,202 | not reported |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | $37,553 | $51,294 | $21,702 |
| Special Education | $47,499 | $51,267 | $23,250 |
| Communications | $33,815 | $51,186 | $21,550 |
| History | $28,444 | $50,838 | $21,750 |
| Social Work | $39,094 | $50,321 | $23,900 |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | $46,347 | $50,260 | $24,998 |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | $35,269 | $49,657 | $26,965 |
| Journalism | $31,398 | $49,456 | $25,675 |
| Psychology | $31,305 | $48,421 | $24,612 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences | not reported | $48,378 | not reported |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $41,821 | $48,344 | $24,655 |
| Broadcasting / Digital Media | $32,118 | $47,737 | $23,443 |
| Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations | $35,904 | $47,584 | $25,583 |
| Human Development and Family Studies | $32,836 | $46,269 | $27,000 |
| Hospitality Management | $28,071 | $44,705 | $24,148 |
| Anthropology | $24,452 | $44,371 | $23,352 |
| East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean) | not reported | $44,208 | not reported |
| Theatre | $23,748 | $43,082 | $24,984 |
| Studio Art | $28,405 | $42,594 | $25,637 |
| Sociology | $32,973 | $38,857 | $22,198 |
| English | $26,572 | $38,676 | $24,750 |
| Music | not reported | $37,997 | not reported |
| Dance | $28,838 | $34,518 | not reported |
| Agriculture / Veterinary Preparatory Programs | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | $34,000 | not reported | $27,000 |
| Architecture | $57,603 | not reported | $28,670 |
| Environmental Design | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Area Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies / Technicians | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Graphic Communications | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Information Technology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Drafting / Design Engineering Technologies / Technicians | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| German | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Classics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Legal Studies / Paralegal | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Mathematics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Data Analytics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Philosophy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Religious Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology | $36,920 | not reported | not reported |
| Geology / Earth Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Psychology (Clinical / Counseling) | not reported | not reported | $27,075 |
| Economics | $56,782 | not reported | $22,054 |
| Health Sciences | $41,603 | not reported | $27,000 |
| Medical Laboratory Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Entrepreneurship | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| International Business | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Real Estate | $58,575 | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Education (Elementary / Secondary) → Elementary school teacher: median wage $58,610 (Muncie, IN), $59,700 (IN), $63,970 (U.S.)
- Nursing → Registered nurse: median wage $79,500 (Muncie, IN), $83,500 (IN), $97,550 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).