Best Online Colleges in Indiana of 2025

University Headquarters (HQ) is an industry-leading, independent educational organization that provides independent college rankings using a proprietary formula to create first class, unbiased rankings. The team at University HQ strives to provide accurate and trustworthy rankings that highlight the best programs in Indiana.

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Indiana is a state with lots of incredible education and work opportunities, making it a great place for people to call home. Cities in Indiana include Indianapolis, Bloomington, Evansville, Fort Wayne, and Lafayette, which provide access to a range of business industries and opportunities for local students post-graduation. In particular, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, Indiana had an unemployment rate of just 2.7% in December 2021, which was below the national average of around 4%, which makes the state an attractive area for young graduates and seasoned professionals alike to build their lives and raise families. Over the past twelve months, the BLS also found the fastest growing industries in Indiana to be mining and logging (11.8% growth), leisure and hospitality (9%), and the information sector (5.9%). Furthermore, the BLS’s newest available wage data shows that, in 2020, Indiana workers earned an annual mean wage of $48,650. Though, of course, actual earnings will differ by industry and level of experience. Overall, Indiana presents a plethora of exciting career opportunities for students who have graduated or are considering relocating to the state.

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Online Higher Education in Indiana

Indiana has a robust post-secondary education environment, with plenty of schooling options at the associate, bachelor’s, and graduate level. Moreover, students can select from many on-campus and online options to study in a format that works best with their schedules, educational needs, and financial circumstances. Below is a quick Q&A to introduce online higher education opportunities in Indiana and how they compare to traditional on-campus programs.

What is the average cost of on-campus and online higher education programs in Indiana?
According to UniversityStats.com, the average cost of tuition and fees at an on-campus college program in Indiana is $8,505 for in-state students and $21,424 for non-state residents. However, the cost of attendance can vary dramatically depending on the school that one chooses to attend. For example, the University of Notre Dame costs around $57,699 per year to attend but studying at Veritas Baptist College is much more affordable at $6,240 per year. Even though students may expect online programs to be cheaper across the board, this is not the case with many top Indiana universities, which cite the additional costs of new technology and regulatory expenses leading to higher cost of attendance even for online bachelor’s programs. Indiana University Bloomington’s online programs cost $235-$306 per credit hour for in-state students, which is within the same price range as the $296 paid by in-person students. For out-of-state students, IU Bloomington costs $340-$1,131 per credit hour, compared to the $1,031 per credit hour paid by on-campus students. As such, online programs may save students some money if they select classes on the lower end of the cost range, as well as saving them room and board.

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What are the qualifications a student needs to be considered for in-state tuition?
Although the State of Indiana may view students who obtain verification like an Indiana driver’s license or voter’s registration as legal residents, most Indiana Universities will use a separate and more stringent set of criteria to determine if a student qualifies for in-state tuition or not. In particular, parents who still claim the college student as their dependent must move their domicile to Indiana before their child enrolls in an Indiana state school. Furthermore, the parent must have resided consecutively in Indiana for at least twelve months before the child begins their higher education studies in the state. Students who wish to be treated as independents must have been financially independent of their parent or guardian for at least twelve months. They must also have moved their domicile to Indiana and resided in the state for twelve months before the first day of classes to qualify for in-state tuition.
What percentage of higher education students in Indiana are online learners?
Indiana universities enrolled a total of 423,379 undergraduate and graduate students in the 2020-2021 school year. Of those, only 99,676 did not attend any online classes, meaning that more than 76% of higher education students in the state pursued some level of online education.

Our School Rankings Methodology

To provide a complete assessment of school ranks in Indiana, University HQ leverages a mix of many important factors. In particular, our ranking methodology considers whether the institution offers any online programming, which is an increasingly important aspect of providing students the flexibility of pursuing a quality education. Other metrics considered include the school’s graduation rate, financial aid, and net price, which can help potential students better understand their chances of actually completing the degree and whether they are receiving an affordable education or not. Other items, like the university’s student-to-faculty ratio, can help prospective students understand whether they will be able to cultivate close relationships with teachers and peers. Financial metrics like the average graduate’s starting salary can help students understand if their associate degree, bachelor’s degree, or graduate degree can provide value for their careers.