College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Indiana University-South Bend

INMedium public institution · Overall rank #411 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth places Indiana University-South Bend in the 72nd percentile nationally.

Who it’s a good fit for

Indiana University-South Bend is a public university in South Bend, Indiana, where the degree mix is led by Health Professions and Business. Most graduates are estimated to go into jobs rather than on to further study, and affordability is among the highest we track.

Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them. The model adds for the factors it measures — field of study, enrollment and the local labor market — and subtracts for a remainder it does not explain.

Affordability is the strongest here. Families at the bottom of the income scale pay well below the published cost, and the spread between the lowest and highest bands is modest.

Pell students complete within a few points of the rate for the entering cohort as a whole. The admission rate is below the median for comparable institutions.

A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the highest-earning one, Computer Science, is not among the largest, though Nursing is both high-earning and one of the biggest.

Indiana University-South Bend at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
83.8%
Six-year completion[2]
40.1%
Four-year earnings[3]
$55,103

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$8,195
Median student debt[4]
$21,355
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$12,486

Indiana University-South Bend rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Indiana University-South Bend is a public university in South Bend, Indiana, enrolling 3,933 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the middle of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (72nd percentile).

The shape is a broad-access public campus where affordability is the strongest pillar and return is the weakest, with access and mobility sitting between them. The university admits 83.8% of applicants, a rate just below the 85.9% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size.

Of students who start full time, 65.1% return for a second year, against a peer median of 73.7%. The six-year graduation rate is 40.1%, compared to a peer median of 49.1%.

An estimated 31.1% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, and the six-year rate describes only the first-time, full-time cohort. The four pillars are spread out, with affordability far ahead of the others and return trailing.

The page that follows walks through what each pillar measures for Indiana University-South Bend.

For Indiana University-South Bend, affordability is the strongest part of the profile, while return is the weakest. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth places affordability in the 91st percentile and access in the 75th percentile.

Mobility is in the 52nd percentile, while return is in the 44th percentile. The profile is uneven: affordability stands well ahead of return, with access and mobility falling between them.

Among enrolled students who submitted test scores, the middle half of SATs landed between 950 and 1,190. The middle half of ACTs landed between 21 and 23.

Undergraduates receiving Pell Grants make up 42.7% of the student body. Azimuth ranks Indiana University-South Bend #373 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Pell recipients complete at 35.2%, which sits below the overall rate by 4.9 percentage points. Azimuth places the university with a mobility rank of #702 among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $234 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level.

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

Indiana University-South Bend rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#411

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 52
Access & reach
National percentile: 75
Affordability
National percentile: 91
Return on investment
National percentile: 44

Top-ranked majors

  1. Business/Commerce, General#25
  2. Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas#128
  3. Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities#142

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Indiana University-South Bend briefing

Indiana University-South Bend cost & financial aid[6][7]

For aid recipients at Indiana University-South Bend, the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $8,653, leaving a comparatively modest cost after aid. The published cost of attendance is $17,364 (an average across living arrangements).

Published in-state tuition and fees are $8,424, room and board are $10,184, and out-of-state tuition and fees are $22,811. Average financial aid offsets $8,711 against the published cost.

Against comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $14,068. Indiana University-South Bend’s is $5,415 below that middle value.

Azimuth ranks the public university #122 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Its lower after-aid price and affordability standing point in the same direction.

The published cost of attendance is $17,364 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks Indiana University-South Bend #122 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For families earning under $30,000 it is $4,637, for the $48,001-$75,000 band it is $8,195, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $15,825, a spread of $11,188 from lowest to highest. Aid saves the average recipient $8,711 against the published sticker price.

Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $8,653, which sits $5,415 below the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size). In-state tuition and fees are $8,424; out-of-state tuition and fees are $22,811.

Borrowers who complete leave with a median of $21,355 in federal student loans. That amount is $126 above the peer median of $21,229 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

73.2% of federal aid recipients borrow through the federal program. Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $12,486.

The median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $243 a month if repaid over ten years.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$8,195

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Indiana University-South Bend

Federal borrowing is widespread at Indiana University-South Bend, but the typical debt level remains close to that at comparable schools. 73.2% of federal aid recipients borrow through federal loans, and borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $21,355.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median federal debt is $21,229; Indiana University-South Bend's median is $126 above that figure. For the separate population of Parent PLUS parent borrowers, median borrowing is $12,486.

Affordability is the strongest pillar at Indiana University-South Bend, while the earnings and borrowing figures offer a mixed investment picture. Four years after completion, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $55,103.

Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 33rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, are close to the expected level.

Graduates earn about $234 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. Azimuth places this measure in the 54th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios place downside earnings at $45,033, typical earnings at $55,103, and upside earnings at $84,043. Median federal debt is $21,355, which is $126 above the $21,229 peer median.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $243 a month if repaid over ten years. Debt is close to peers, but earnings sit near the model's expected level.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $12,486. For borrowers with median federal student debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $243 a month if repaid over ten years.

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

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$21,355
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$12,486

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$243/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$159/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Indiana University-South Bend briefing

Indiana University-South Bend career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Affordability is the stronger pillar at Indiana University-South Bend, while its return picture calls for a closer look. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 44th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $55,103 four years after completion. That figure sits in the 33rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

It is below the $57,301 peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), by $2,198. Graduates earn about $234 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level.

The gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students is in the 54th 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) adds $3,839.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $4,073. Near-expected earnings and a below-peer median point to a mixed return picture.

Graduate pay at Indiana University-South Bend is centered on a four-year median of $55,103 for federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. Azimuth places that earnings measure in the 33rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 1,058 completers.

The program-mix model sets a typical earnings scenario at $55,103. This is a modeled scenario, not an observed group of graduates.

An estimated 25.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The typical scenario and graduate-study estimate describe a schoolwide picture rather than the outcome for every field.

Return measures at Indiana University-South Bend are mixed: federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $55,103 four years after completion. That median sits in the 33rd percentile.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $57,301, with the university’s median $2,198 below it. Graduates earn about $234 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is in the 54th percentile. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 44th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix run from $45,033 in the downside scenario to $84,043 in the upside scenario. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $3,839.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $4,073. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $108.

Program earnings range widely, with the highest-earning fields separate from the programs awarding the most degrees. Computer Science had 20 degrees awarded and median earnings of $99,574 four years after completion.

Nursing had 94 degrees awarded and median earnings of $84,541 at the same point. Business/Commerce, the largest program, awarded 155 degrees and had median earnings of $64,275 four years after completion.

Allied Health Professions follows at $71,862, so higher earnings appear across more than one field. Across the program mix, earnings scenarios run from $45,033 on the downside to $84,043 on the upside, with $55,103 as the typical scenario.

These scenarios describe modeled patterns rather than observed groups, and the program figures show why the intended field matters.

At Indiana University-South Bend, the cost side of the decision is favorable for aid recipients: average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $8,653. That figure is below the $14,068 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size), by $5,415.

Across family-income bands, average net price is $4,637 for the lowest band, $4,926 for the next band, $8,195 for the middle band, $13,968 for the next-highest band, and $15,825 for the highest band. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $21,355, above the peer median of $21,229 by $126.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $243 a month if repaid over ten years. Graduates earn about $234 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level.

The below-peer net price stands alongside debt slightly above peers and earnings near the model’s expectation.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$3,839
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$4,073
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$234

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 / Indiana University-South Bend briefing

Indiana University-South Bend acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Indiana University-South Bend admitted 83.8% of applicants, so the rate describes a broad share of the reported entering-class applicant pool. In its comparison group, that figure falls below the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
83.8%
Approximate lower endpoint
950
Reported average
1081
Approximate upper endpoint
1190

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 / Indiana University-South Bend briefing

What are the largest majors at Indiana University-South Bend?[12]

The highest-earning program at Indiana University-South Bend is Computer Science, where graduates earn a median of $99,574 four years after completion. It awards 20 degrees a year, a fraction of the size of the largest programs.

Nursing is both the second-largest program and the second-highest earner, with 94 degrees awarded and median earnings of $84,541. Azimuth ranks it #201 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

The largest program, Business/Commerce, awards 155 degrees and posts median earnings of $64,275. Its national rank of #25 is the strongest on campus.

At the more moderate end, Psychology graduates earn $46,521 from 37 degrees awarded, and Azimuth ranks it #285 nationally.

The program list at Indiana University-South Bend is anchored by health professions and business, which together account for half of all bachelor's degrees awarded. Health Professions leads at 28.0% of degrees, with Business next at 22.3%.

Azimuth ranks 10 of the university's programs nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. Business/Commerce is the largest single program, at 155 degrees awarded a year, and Azimuth ranks it #25 within its field.

The highest earnings come from a smaller program. Computer Science graduates report a median of $99,574 four years after completion, from 20 degrees a year.

Nursing is both the second-largest program and the second-highest earner, at $84,541 from 94 degrees awarded, and Azimuth ranks it #201 in its field.

Indiana University-South Bend awards bachelor's degrees across 10 ranked programs, with earnings data published for 15. The degree mix leans toward professional fields: Health Professions accounts for 28.0% of degrees awarded, and Business for 22.3%.

Education is a distant third at 7.7%. The largest single program is Business/Commerce, at 155 degrees awarded a year.

It is also the highest-ranked program at the university, and Azimuth ranks it #4 in Indiana within its field. Nursing is the second-largest program, with 94 degrees awarded, and the second-highest-earning, at $84,541.

The highest-earning program is a smaller one: Computer Science graduates earn $99,574, from 20 degrees a year. Subject-Area Teacher Education, with 26 degrees awarded, ranks #128 nationally and #6 in Indiana within its field.

The pattern is one of strength concentrated in a few professional programs, with the largest department also the best-ranked. Across all fields, 10.7% of degrees awarded are in STEM.

Earnings for fields where graduate study is common understate later trajectories.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Business/Commerce, General 155 degrees awarded
$64,275
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 94 degrees awarded
$84,541
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General 56 degrees awarded
Too few graduates to report
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities 45 degrees awarded
$48,815
Psychology, General 37 degrees awarded
$46,521
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 32 degrees awarded
$45,755

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 / Indiana University-South Bend briefing

How does Indiana University-South Bend serve students from different backgrounds?

The mobility picture begins with a 40.1% six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort. Pell recipients in that cohort complete within six years at 35.2%, below the overall rate by 4.9 percentage points.

Azimuth places the university’s mobility pillar in the 52nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $234 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level.

Azimuth places earnings beyond expectations, the gap between graduate earnings and the model’s expectation for similar students, in the 54th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Indiana University-South Bend serves an undergraduate population with Pell Grant recipients and transfer entrants both forming visible parts of the enrollment. The university admits 83.8% of applicants and enrolls 3,933 undergraduates.

Pell Grant recipients make up 42.7% of undergraduates, and an estimated 31.1% enter as transfers or part-time students. Azimuth puts its access pillar in the 75th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The admission rate, Pell share, and transfer estimate all describe multiple entry points into the university.

06 / Indiana University-South Bend briefing

What colleges are similar to Indiana University-South Bend?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Indiana University-South Bend.

Admissions peerIndiana Wesleyan University-Marion88.9% admitted
Comparison with Indiana University-South Bend
MeasureIndiana University-South BendIndiana Wesleyan University-Marion
Peer earnings · 4 years$55,103$68,838+$13,735 vs Indiana University-South Bend
Average annual net price$8,653$22,866+$14,213 vs Indiana University-South Bend · higher cost
Admission rate83.8%88.9%
Explore Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion →
Higher-admission alternativeBethel University97.7% admitted
Comparison with Indiana University-South Bend
MeasureIndiana University-South BendBethel University
Peer earnings · 4 years$55,103$53,289-$1,814 vs Indiana University-South Bend
Average annual net price$8,653$18,610+$9,957 vs Indiana University-South Bend · higher cost
Admission rate83.8%97.7%
Explore Bethel University →
Nearby alternativeIndiana University-KokomoNearby option · IN
Comparison with Indiana University-South Bend
MeasureIndiana University-South BendIndiana University-Kokomo
Peer earnings · 4 years$55,103$54,618-$485 vs Indiana University-South Bend
Average annual net price$8,653$3,968-$4,685 vs Indiana University-South Bend · lower cost
Admission rate83.8%86.5%
Explore Indiana University-Kokomo →
Higher-earnings alternativeOakland University$68,708 earnings
Comparison with Indiana University-South Bend
MeasureIndiana University-South BendOakland University
Peer earnings · 4 years$55,103$68,708+$13,605 vs Indiana University-South Bend
Average annual net price$8,653$9,120+$467 vs Indiana University-South Bend · higher cost
Admission rate83.8%87.8%
Explore Oakland University →
Lower-cost alternativeIndiana University-Kokomo$3,968 average net price
Comparison with Indiana University-South Bend
MeasureIndiana University-South BendIndiana University-Kokomo
Peer earnings · 4 years$55,103$54,618-$485 vs Indiana University-South Bend
Average annual net price$8,653$3,968-$4,685 vs Indiana University-South Bend · lower cost
Admission rate83.8%86.5%
Explore Indiana University-Kokomo →
Similar profileUniversity of Nebraska at KearneyMatched across several measures
Comparison with Indiana University-South Bend
MeasureIndiana University-South BendUniversity of Nebraska at Kearney
Peer earnings · 4 years$55,103$56,647+$1,544 vs Indiana University-South Bend
Average annual net price$8,653$16,242+$7,589 vs Indiana University-South Bend · higher cost
Admission rate83.8%89.5%
Explore University of Nebraska at Kearney →

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. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

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

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  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

  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

  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

  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

  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

  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

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

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  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

  14. 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

  15. 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

How to interpret program rankings