College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Anderson University (IN)

INSmall private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #1253 nationally

Data snapshot Narrative updated

Composite ranking shows an access-led profile with uneven results.

Who it’s a good fit for

Anderson University is a private nonprofit university in Anderson, Indiana, where Business and Health Professions lead the degree mix. Access is the strongest pillar, though it sits modestly below average, and the university falls among the Opportunity Builders.

Graduates earn less than expects for similar students. The model attributes most of that gap to a remainder it cannot explain.

The factors it measures — field of study, enrollment and the local labor market — also subtract, by a smaller amount. Pell recipients complete within a few points of the overall rate, and families in the lowest and highest income bands face different net prices.

The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, sits above the median at comparable schools. The admission rate is above the median for comparable schools, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study.

A student drawn to Nursing should know it is both the largest program and the best-paid one.

Anderson University (IN) at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
79.3%
Six-year completion[2]
53.8%
Four-year earnings[3]
$54,833

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$22,418
Median student debt[4]
$27,000
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$29,048

Anderson University (IN) rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Anderson University is a private nonprofit university in Anderson, Indiana, enrolling 1,057 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the lower portion of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (15th percentile).

The four pillars are clustered fairly close together, with access as the strongest and mobility as the weakest, though none of them reach the top third of the field. The university admits 79.3% of applicants, a rate that is close to the 75.7% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size.

Among those who enroll full time, 59.9% return for a second year and 53.8% complete a degree within six years. These figures sit below the peer medians of 74.2% and 54.9%, respectively.

An estimated 8.8% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the six-year rate describes a majority of the student body. The shape is a private nonprofit where the pillars are not far apart, but none of them break out of the lower third of the ranking.

Access leads the group, while mobility trails, and the return and affordability pillars sit between them.

Access is the strongest part of the Azimuth profile, although the school sits in the lower ranges across each pillar. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth places access in the 32nd percentile and return in the 29th percentile.

Affordability is in the 24th percentile, while mobility is the weakest pillar at the 18th percentile. Azimuth places Anderson University among the Opportunity Builders group.

The profile pairs its relatively strongest access showing with lower mobility and affordability measures.

Pell Grants reach 36.3% of undergraduates at Anderson University. Enrolled students who submitted SAT scores posted a middle 50% of 900 to 1,150; for the ACT, that spread was 17 to 24.

Azimuth places the university at #1,000 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pell recipients finish at 49.2%, 4.6 percentage points under the cohort-wide rate (53.8%).

For mobility, Azimuth ranks Anderson University #1,199 among nonprofit four-year institutions. The university is among the Opportunity Builders. Graduates earn about $7,275 less than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Anderson University (IN) rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#1,253

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 18
Access & reach
National percentile: 32
Affordability
National percentile: 24
Return on investment
National percentile: 29

01 / Anderson University (IN) briefing

Anderson University (IN) cost & financial aid[6][7]

At Anderson University, aid lowers the listed price substantially for recipients, yet the average cost after aid remains above that of comparable colleges. The published cost of attendance is $51,585, including $37,240 for tuition and fees and $12,800 for room and board.

Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $25,021, with average aid savings of $26,564 against the published price. Comparable institutions (same type and size) have a peer median net price of $22,347, making Anderson's average $2,674 above that benchmark.

Azimuth places the university's affordability pillar in the 24th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid reduces the charge, but the remaining average cost is comparatively higher.

At Anderson University, the published cost of attendance is $51,585, a starting point before aid changes the price. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $23,119 for the lowest family-income band; $21,044 for the lower-middle family-income band; $22,418 for the middle family-income band; $26,139 for the upper-middle family-income band; and $29,375 for the highest family-income band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $6,256. Azimuth places affordability in the 24th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 51% of the published cost, with average aid savings of $26,564 against the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $25,021.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price, the middle value for those institutions, is $22,347, leaving this average $2,674 above that benchmark. Published tuition and fees are $37,240.

Aid offsets a substantial share of the published cost, but the average price remains above the peer median. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $27,000, and 96.0% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

The peer median federal debt at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $25,000, making Anderson University’s median $2,000 above it. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $29,048. Use the Financial GPS tool for personalized scenarios including Parent PLUS.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$22,418

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Anderson University (IN)

Federal loans are part of the cost picture for most undergraduates at Anderson University: 96.0% of federal aid recipients take them. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt at completion is $27,000.

That median is $2,000 above the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $25,000. Parent borrowers are a separate population; their median Parent PLUS borrowing is $29,048.

At Anderson University, the return picture is restrained. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $54,833 four years after completion, in the 32nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, point the same way. Graduates earn about $7,275 less than the model expects for similar students.

That measure sits in the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Modeled downside and upside scenarios run from $44,382 to $83,541, with the typical scenario at the reported median.

Median federal student loan debt is $27,000. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $25,000; the university's median is $2,000 above it.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years. Lower-than-expected earnings and debt above the peer median point in the same direction.

Among parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $29,048; this is separate from federal student borrowing. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.

Financial GPS offers personalized family cost analysis.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Anderson University (IN) briefing

Anderson University (IN) career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

At Anderson University, return measures show graduate earnings below both model expectations and comparable-school medians. Azimuth puts the return pillar in the 29th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $7,275 less than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sits in the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) subtracts $536. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $6,739.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,383. Median earnings four years after completion are $54,833, in the 32nd percentile.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $55,915; the university's figure is $1,082 below it. The model and peer comparison point in the same direction.

The earnings record at Anderson University starts with median earnings of $54,833 four years after completion for federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. Azimuth places that measure in the 32nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 539 completers.

The typical scenario matches the schoolwide earnings figure already stated, while modeled downside and upside scenarios run from $44,382 to $83,541 four years after completion. These are scenarios based on the program mix, not observed groups of graduates.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, adds a second measure. Graduates earn about $7,275 less than the model expects for similar students.

An estimated 29.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The earnings percentile and below-expected earnings point in the same direction.

Anderson University graduates earn $54,833 four years after completion, in the 32nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. The peer median is $55,915 for comparable institutions (same type and size), leaving Anderson University $1,082 below that benchmark.

Azimuth ranks Anderson University #1,035 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings beyond expectations measure the gap between what graduates actually earn and what the model expects for similar students.

Graduates earn about $7,275 less than the model expects for similar students. That result falls in the 28th percentile for this institution.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) subtracts $536. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $6,739.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,383, while degrees at this university cluster in health, business, and the social sciences. Estimated earnings scenarios from the program mix run from $44,382 on the downside to $83,541 on the upside, with $54,833 as the typical estimate for this mix.

An estimated 29.2% of Anderson University graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

At Anderson University, the program-mix model spans markedly different earnings scenarios. Its downside scenario is $44,382 four years after completion, and its upside scenario is $83,541; both are earnings scenarios rather than observed graduate groups.

Among individual fields, Nursing has median earnings of $81,507 four years after completion, Accounting has $74,525, and Marketing has $68,644. These field figures show different earnings levels within the university’s program offerings.

Borrowing and earnings both warrant close comparison with alternatives at Anderson University. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $27,000.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $25,000, and Anderson University’s debt figure is above it by $2,000. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.

Graduates earn about $7,275 less than the model expects for similar students. The payment estimate and the model result make the debt figure more important to weigh against likely outcomes.

Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $25,021. It is above the $22,347 peer median by $2,674, and aid covers about 51% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

Above-peer debt, an above-peer net price, and below-expected earnings point in the same direction.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
-$536
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$6,739
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$7,275

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Anderson University (IN) briefing

Anderson University (IN) acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Anderson University admitted 79.3% of applicants to its reported entering class, a rate above the median of 75.7% for comparable institutions (same type and size). The figure describes the share of that year’s applicant pool that received admission, rather than setting an individual applicant’s odds.

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
79.3%
Approximate lower endpoint
900
Reported average
1035
Approximate upper endpoint
1150

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Anderson University (IN) briefing

What are the largest majors at Anderson University (IN)?[12]

At Anderson University, four-year earnings span a higher-earning pair and more moderate options. Nursing had median earnings of $81,507 four years after completion, with 41 degrees awarded.

Accounting posted $74,525 across 5 degrees awarded. The more moderate side includes Business Administration and Management, at $55,736 with 20 degrees awarded.

Psychology recorded $48,181 with 21 degrees awarded. The contrast between the two higher-earning fields and the more moderate pair shows that field choice matters when reading earnings four years after completion.

At Anderson University, program choice matters because published earnings vary across the fields with available results. The available figures place health and business-oriented choices beside one another, with distinct earnings results to weigh field by field.

The bachelor's degrees at Anderson University are spread across several fields, with no single family dominating the mix. Business accounts for 20.4% of degrees awarded, closely followed by Health Professions at 19.7%.

Visual & Performing Arts is a distant third at 9.8%. The university has 12 programs with published four-year earnings data.

The largest single program is Nursing, at 41 degrees awarded, with Psychology and Business Administration and Management next at 21 and 20 degrees awarded, respectively. Nursing is also the highest-earning program, with a median of $81,507 four years after completion.

The second-highest earnings come from Accounting, a much smaller program at 5 degrees awarded, where graduates earn a median of $74,525. Marketing, the fourth-largest program at 17 degrees awarded, is the third-highest-earning at $68,644.

Business Administration and Management, the third-largest program, earns a median of $55,736, and Social Work, with 8 degrees awarded, earns a median of $51,748. The earnings pattern here is concentrated: the largest program is also the best-paid, and the next-highest earners are a small accounting program and a mid-sized marketing program.

18.4% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields, a share that coincides with the earnings picture here.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 41 degrees awarded
$81,507
Psychology, General 21 degrees awarded
$48,181
Business Administration, Management and Operations 20 degrees awarded
$55,736
Marketing 17 degrees awarded
$68,644
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 16 degrees awarded
$46,029
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 14 degrees awarded
$47,968

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Anderson University (IN) briefing

How does Anderson University (IN) serve students from different backgrounds?

Graduates earn about $7,275 less than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sits in the 28th percentile.

For the first-time full-time cohort, the six-year graduation rate is 53.8%, and Pell recipients complete within six years at 49.2%, below the overall rate by 4.6 percentage points. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Anderson University falls in the 18th percentile for mobility and belongs among the Opportunity Builders group.

The completion and modeled-earnings figures both point to a limited mobility picture.

At Anderson University, admission is relatively open: 79.3% of applicants are admitted across an undergraduate enrollment of 1,057 undergraduates. Pell Grants reach 36.3% of undergraduates, while the estimated share of entrants outside the first-time, full-time group is 8.8%.

Among nonprofit four-year institutions, the access pillar sits at the 32nd percentile. These measures describe the university’s entry routes and undergraduate scale.

06 / Anderson University (IN) briefing

What colleges are similar to Anderson University (IN)?[16]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. A leading match in one category can have a higher or lower admission rate, cost or earnings in another. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Anderson University (IN).

Admissions peerHuntington University75.6% admitted
Comparison with Anderson University (IN)
MeasureAnderson University (IN)Huntington University
Peer earnings · 4 years$54,833$52,242-$2,591 vs Anderson University (IN)
Average annual net price$25,021$19,310-$5,711 vs Anderson University (IN) · lower cost
Admission rate79.3%75.6%
Explore Huntington University →
Higher-admission alternativeWright State University-Main Campus96.3% admitted
Comparison with Anderson University (IN)
MeasureAnderson University (IN)Wright State University-Main Campus
Peer earnings · 4 years$54,833$62,601+$7,768 vs Anderson University (IN)
Average annual net price$25,021$15,415-$9,606 vs Anderson University (IN) · lower cost
Admission rate79.3%96.3%
Explore Wright State University-Main Campus →
Nearby alternativeFranklin CollegeNearby option · IN
Comparison with Anderson University (IN)
MeasureAnderson University (IN)Franklin College
Peer earnings · 4 years$54,833$53,224-$1,609 vs Anderson University (IN)
Average annual net price$25,021$22,855-$2,166 vs Anderson University (IN) · lower cost
Admission rate79.3%69.8%
Explore Franklin College →
Higher-earnings alternativeUniversity of Cincinnati-Main Campus$72,188 earnings
Comparison with Anderson University (IN)
MeasureAnderson University (IN)University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Peer earnings · 4 years$54,833$72,188+$17,355 vs Anderson University (IN)
Average annual net price$25,021$25,648+$627 vs Anderson University (IN) · higher cost
Admission rate79.3%85.3%
Explore University of Cincinnati-Main Campus →
Lower-cost alternativeIndiana University-East$8,134 average net price
Comparison with Anderson University (IN)
MeasureAnderson University (IN)Indiana University-East
Peer earnings · 4 years$54,833$58,030+$3,197 vs Anderson University (IN)
Average annual net price$25,021$8,134-$16,887 vs Anderson University (IN) · lower cost
Admission rate79.3%67.2%
Explore Indiana University-East →
Similar profileCentral CollegeMatched across several measures
Comparison with Anderson University (IN)
MeasureAnderson University (IN)Central College
Peer earnings · 4 years$54,833$55,693+$860 vs Anderson University (IN)
Average annual net price$25,021$23,377-$1,644 vs Anderson University (IN) · lower cost
Admission rate79.3%86.2%

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

    U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

    U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

    U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

    U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology · U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

    U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

    U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

    U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation

  14. Historical first-generation share. A discontinued historical earnings-cohort measure, not the current student population.

    Source fields: FIRST_GEN

    U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation

  15. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

    U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation

  16. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology · U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation

College Scorecard data documentation · How to interpret program rankings