About
Ball State University is a public research university in Muncie, Indiana, United States. The university has three off-campus centers in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Fishers, Indiana. The university is composed of ten academic colleges. As of 2023, the university enrolled about 20,400 students with 14,900 undergraduates and 5,500 graduate and doctoral students. The university offers about 120 undergraduate majors and 130 minor areas of study and more than 100 masters, doctoral, certificate, and specialist degrees.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 14.5-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 212 Title IV programs, 76 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 135 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing76 · 35.8%
- No Data135 · 63.7%
- Failing1 · 0.5%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Near the line (±5%)
Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Higher Learning Commission
Programmatic accreditations · 23
Action history · 23
- Jul 2025Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Professional Psychology (IPSY) - Predoctoral internship programs
- Feb 2025Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Clinical doctoral program in Audiology
- Feb 2025Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
- Jan 2024Renewal of AccreditationHigher Learning Commission
- Jul 2022Renewal of AccreditationAcademy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 6,076 students received $36.8M in Pell grants, alongside $107.1M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 5,539 borrowers who entered repayment, 109 (1.9%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Ball State
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 12
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus17
- Non-campus5
Includes 10 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
- Race1
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Data quality: 1 report was later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Ball State vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Ball State selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectBall State University | 62% | — | 21,089 | $14,940 | R2 Research |
| 61% | 81.0% | 17,594 | $24,022 | R2 Research | |
| 59% | 89.8% | 14,488 | $17,597 | R2 Research | |
| 55% | 87.9% | 27,423 | $15,267 | R2 Research | |
| 65% | 88.2% | 21,546 | $19,398 | R2 Research | |
| 43% | 80.8% | 7,895 | $10,873 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 64% | 86.3% | 26,374 | $20,787 | R1 Research | |
| 54% | 69.1% | 20,488 | $13,359 | R2 Research | |
| 61% | 89.6% | 28,467 | $14,158 | R2 Research | |
| 49% | 69.8% | 15,414 | $13,391 | R2 Research | |
| 46% | 90.4% | 23,743 | $14,638 | R1 Research | |
| 53% | 90.9% | 19,951 | $9,552 | R2 Research | |
| 55% | 90.3% | 21,039 | $16,404 | R2 Research | |
| 52% | 59.7% | 13,332 | $13,946 | R2 Research | |
| 53% | 87.0% | 15,665 | $13,530 | R1 Research | |
| 51% | 72.0% | 20,276 | $12,397 | R1 Research | |
| 49% | 87.0% | 14,972 | $13,441 | R2 Research | |
| 69% | 79.6% | 31,091 | $15,435 | R2 Research | |
| 56% | 88.5% | 18,012 | $10,965 | R2 Research | |
| 49% | 99.1% | 13,170 | $21,708 | R1 Research | |
| 58% | 84.6% | 16,744 | $15,273 | R2 Research | |
| Peer group median | 55% | 87.0% | 19,951 | $14,638 |
Institutions like Ball State
Explore the federal data for institutions in Ball State's comparison group.
- R2 ResearchOhio
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus
Grad rate61%Admit rate81.0%Enrollment17,594Net price$24,022View data - R2 ResearchMichigan
Central Michigan University
Grad rate59%Admit rate89.8%Enrollment14,488Net price$17,597View data - R2 ResearchGeorgia
Georgia Southern University
Grad rate55%Admit rate87.9%Enrollment27,423Net price$15,267View data - R2 ResearchIllinois
Illinois State University
Grad rate65%Admit rate88.2%Enrollment21,546Net price$19,398View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalIndiana
Indiana State University
Grad rate43%Admit rate80.8%Enrollment7,895Net price$10,873View data - R1 ResearchOhio
Kent State University at Kent
Grad rate64%Admit rate86.3%Enrollment26,374Net price$20,787View data - R2 ResearchTennessee
Middle Tennessee State University
Grad rate54%Admit rate69.1%Enrollment20,488Net price$13,359View data - R2 ResearchArizona
Northern Arizona University
Grad rate61%Admit rate89.6%Enrollment28,467Net price$14,158View data - R2 ResearchIllinois
Northern Illinois University
Grad rate49%Admit rate69.8%Enrollment15,414Net price$13,391View data - R1 ResearchVirginia
Old Dominion University
Grad rate46%Admit rate90.4%Enrollment23,743Net price$14,638View data - R2 ResearchOregon
Portland State University
Grad rate53%Admit rate90.9%Enrollment19,951Net price$9,552View data - R2 ResearchTexas
Sam Houston State University
Grad rate55%Admit rate90.3%Enrollment21,039Net price$16,404View data - R2 ResearchOhio
University of Akron Main Campus
Grad rate52%Admit rate59.7%Enrollment13,332Net price$13,946View data - R1 ResearchLouisiana
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Grad rate53%Admit rate87.0%Enrollment15,665Net price$13,530View data - R1 ResearchTennessee
University of Memphis
Grad rate51%Admit rate72.0%Enrollment20,276Net price$12,397View data - R2 ResearchNebraska
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Grad rate49%Admit rate87.0%Enrollment14,972Net price$13,441View data - R2 ResearchNorth Carolina
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Grad rate69%Admit rate79.6%Enrollment31,091Net price$15,435View data - R2 ResearchNorth Carolina
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Grad rate56%Admit rate88.5%Enrollment18,012Net price$10,965View data - R1 ResearchMississippi
University of Southern Mississippi
Grad rate49%Admit rate99.1%Enrollment13,170Net price$21,708View data - R2 ResearchMichigan
Western Michigan University
Grad rate58%Admit rate84.6%Enrollment16,744Net price$15,273View data
Ball State Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The Office of Institutional Research and Decision Support provides data and analysis to support Ball State University's decision-making process, coordinates reporting to various federal, state, and external agencies, and maintains the accuracy of University statistics in several reports.
Visit IR office page- Michael LaneAssociate Vice President for Institutional Research & Decision Support
- Jonathan VothSenior Research Associate for Institutional Research
- Drew MillerDirector of Institutional Research
- Cole HeadyDirector of Decision Support
Research funding
External research funding from NSF, NIH, HERD, and federal spending sources.
Reports & documents (3)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- Data definitionBall State University's Data Cookbook - Data InsiderThe page discusses the role of Ball State University's Data Cookbook in data governance, emphasizing its importance in standardizing definitions, supporting institutional goals, and its use by data analysts. It outlines the processes from data collection to implementation, underlining IRDS's role in training and maintaining data accuracy. The article concludes by highlighting the significance of Data Cookbook in evolving data governance practices in line with technological advancements and AI integration.blogs.bsu.edu
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- Strategic planBall State University's Strategic Vision for 2025–20302025Ball State University's Strategic Plan for 2025–2030 builds on previous initiatives to extend institutional goals through the end of the decade. The plan emphasizes undergraduate and graduate education, community engagement, and inclusiveness among others, with new initiatives in AI integration and relationship-rich education. Announced at the Fall Opening Convocation by President Mearns, the plan underscores a commitment to academic freedom and intellectual diversity.commcenter.bsu.edu
Grants & funding (1)
Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.
Notable alumni of Ball State (10)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Jim DavisArts, literature, and entertainment
- David LettermanArts, literature, and entertainment
- Angela AhrendtsBusiness
- Stedman GrahamArts, literature, and entertainment
- John SchnatterBusiness
- Brady HokeSports
- Bonzi WellsSports
- Suzette KimballPolitics and government
- Frank J. MrvanPolitics and government
- Jason WhitlockOther
Frequently asked questions about Ball State University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Ball State.
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About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
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