Career outcomes brief

Ball State University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

How much do Ball State University graduates earn?

The reported median is $57,619 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is -$7,991 per year.

The return picture at Ball State University is mixed: graduates earn about $4,022 less than expects for similar students, a result in the 39th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $6,990.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $11,012. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $277.

Four years after completion, the median earnings of $57,619 land in the 42nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure sits below the peer median of $65,610 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $7,991. Azimuth places the return in the 45th percentile nationally.

The earnings scenarios at Ball State University span from a downside of $45,317 to an upside of $75,866 four years after completion. That range reflects the variation in outcomes across the university's 50 programs with published earnings data.

The highest-earning programs illustrate the upper end of that spread. Construction Management completers earn a median of $90,239 four years after completion, Management Information Systems and Services completers reach $78,566, and General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations completers earn $78,401.

An estimated 27.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because the four-year earnings snapshot counts only those working and not enrolled, the median earnings figure leaves out a substantial share of completers who are still in school.

Median earnings · four years after completion: $57,619
Rank for difference from expectations: 39th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

Ball State University reported median: $57,619
Peer schools comparable schools · $7,991 above Ball State University: $65,610
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $4,022 above Ball State University: $61,641

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. How the model works.

How could earnings differ from the median?

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

Lower estimate: $45,317
Median · reported: $57,619
Higher estimate: $75,866

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

Why the downside matters explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. Read about the move to four-year earnings.

Do Ball State University graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls value added.

Ball State University graduates’ reported earnings are $4,022 below that expectation, the 39th percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending Ball State University caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

Which fields at Ball State University report the highest earnings?

The highest-earning bachelor's program at Ball State University is Construction Management, where completers earn a median of $90,239 four years after completion, alongside 34 degrees awarded. Business/Commerce, a larger program with 174 degrees awarded, reports median earnings of $67,141 and an Azimuth national rank of #34.

Radio, Television, and Digital Communication, the largest program with 197 degrees awarded, earns $47,737 but holds a strong Azimuth national rank of #29, the top-ranked program in Indiana. Nursing reaches $76,161 with 159 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national rank of #286.

The university publishes earnings data for 50 bachelor's programs, 38 of which hold an Azimuth national rank. Several programs stand out nationally: Legal Professions and Studies ranks #4 in its field and #1 in Indiana.

It awards 23 degrees and has a median of $57,249 four years after completion. Health/Medical Preparatory Programs ranks #12 nationally and #2 in Indiana, awarding 27 degrees.

Its completers earn a median of $56,078. Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations ranks #9 nationally with 22 degrees awarded and a median of $47,584.

The highest-earning program, Construction Management, awarded 34 degrees and its completers earn a median of $90,239.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

Construction Management: $90,239
Management Information Systems and Services: $78,566
General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations: $78,401
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods: $77,774
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing: $76,161
Human Resources Management and Services: $75,822
Business Administration, Management and Operations: $75,703
Accounting and Related Services: $75,559

Explore Ball State University program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix show how earnings vary by field: the downside scenario is $45,317, the typical scenario is $57,619, and the upside scenario reaches $75,866. Among the largest programs, Nursing graduates earn a median of $76,161 four years after completion, while Radio, Television, and Digital Communication sits at $47,737, a spread that reflects the real difference field of study makes.

The earnings picture at Ball State University is mixed: graduates earn less than the model predicts, and the median sits below the peer benchmark. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $57,619, drawn from an earnings cohort of 4,702 completers.

That median is $7,991 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth places the figure in the 42nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $4,022 less than the model expects for similar students, a result that sits at the 39th percentile. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a typical figure of $57,619, with a downside of $45,317 and an upside of $75,866.

An estimated 27.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: methodology.

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

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

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.