The Most Selective Colleges in Indiana
Every eligible Indiana four-year that reports an admission rate, ranked hardest to get into first and easiest last — not a prestige Top 25. Selectivity here is the published rate, not a magazine composite.
Ranked by acceptance rate · 39 of 55 Indiana institutions in this universe qualify for this ranking · Compiled 2026-09-01
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Top schools on this list that also show up elsewhere — hop lists without leaving the trail.
#1
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN
- 1University of Notre DameNotre Dame, IN · Private12.4%Compare nearby
- 2Purdue University-Main CampusWest Lafayette, IN · Public50.3%Compare nearby
- 3Anderson UniversityAnderson, IN · Private53.4%Compare nearby
- 4DePauw UniversityGreencastle, IN · Private54.1%Compare nearby
- 5Indiana Institute of TechnologyFort Wayne, IN · Private56.9%Compare nearby
- 6Wabash CollegeCrawfordsville, IN · Private62.8%Compare nearby
- 7Franklin CollegeFranklin, IN · Private70.6%Compare nearby
- 8Purdue University NorthwestHammond, IN · Public70.6%Compare nearby
- 9Huntington UniversityHuntington, IN · Private71.2%Compare nearby
- 10Indiana University-EastRichmond, IN · Public71.2%Compare nearby
- 11Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN · Public71.6%Compare nearby
- 12University of IndianapolisIndianapolis, IN · Private72.8%Compare nearby
- 13Rose-Hulman Institute of TechnologyTerre Haute, IN · Private72.8%Compare nearby
- 14Holy Cross CollegeNotre Dame, IN · Private73.7%Compare nearby
- 15Earlham CollegeRichmond, IN · Private74.2%Compare nearby
- 16Taylor UniversityUpland, IN · Private76.1%Compare nearby
- 17Saint Mary-of-the-Woods CollegeSaint Mary of the Woods, IN · Private76.1%Compare nearby
- 18Indiana University-NorthwestGary, IN · Public76.7%Compare nearby
- 19University of EvansvilleEvansville, IN · Private77.6%Compare nearby
- 20Indiana University-BloomingtonBloomington, IN · Public80.4%Compare nearby
- 21Grace College and Theological SeminaryWinona Lake, IN · Private80.8%Compare nearby
- 22Saint Mary's CollegeNotre Dame, IN · Private81.1%Compare nearby
- 23Indiana University-IndianapolisIndianapolis, IN · Public81.4%Compare nearby
- 24Indiana Wesleyan University-MarionMarion, IN · Private82.2%Compare nearby
- 25Indiana University-SoutheastNew Albany, IN · Public83.1%Compare nearby
- 26Hanover CollegeHanover, IN · Private84.0%Compare nearby
- 27Indiana University-KokomoKokomo, IN · Public84.7%Compare nearby
- 28Trine UniversityAngola, IN · Private84.7%Compare nearby
- 29Purdue University Fort WayneFort Wayne, IN · Public85.7%Compare nearby
- 30Butler UniversityIndianapolis, IN · Private85.9%Compare nearby
- 31Indiana University-South BendSouth Bend, IN · Public86.0%Compare nearby
- 32Goshen CollegeGoshen, IN · Private88.9%Compare nearby
- 33Manchester UniversityNorth Manchester, IN · Private91.3%Compare nearby
- 34Indiana State UniversityTerre Haute, IN · Public91.5%Compare nearby
- 35Valparaiso UniversityValparaiso, IN · Private92.2%Compare nearby
- 36University of Southern IndianaEvansville, IN · Public94.7%Compare nearby
- 37Marian UniversityIndianapolis, IN · Private95.3%Compare nearby
- 38University of Saint Francis-Fort WayneFort Wayne, IN · Private97.6%Compare nearby
- 39Bethel UniversityMishawaka, IN · Private98.7%Compare nearby
How this list was built
- Measure
- Acceptance rate — sorted lowest to highest
- Source variable
ADM_RATE- Dataset
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most-Recent-Cohorts-Institution (05-19-2025 release)
- Indiana institutions in this universe (55 schools).
- Indiana four-year main campuses only. Rank order is published admission rate; on an exact tie, higher SAT average ranks above, and missing SAT does not drop a school. SAT is not shown because it is not the ranked measure. Schools without a published ADM_RATE are omitted rather than estimated.
- Institutions enrolling fewer than 500 undergraduates are excluded — the same size floor as the national selectivity list — even when they report an admission rate. That cut is not a median-stability adjustment.
- 39 of 55 Indiana institutions in this universe qualify for this ranking (report the measure and pass any enrollment floor); the rest are omitted rather than estimated.
A single measure is a narrow way to judge a college. Read this alongside the others, and see the methodology for what these figures do and do not capture.
Keep exploring
- Re-rank with your weightsRe-score with your weights, pre-filtered to IN
- Showdown: University of Notre Dame vs Purdue University-Main CampusHigher-or-lower on Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Live leaderboardReshuffle Top 10–50 on one Scorecard measure
- Explore games & mapsShowdown, Name That College, sports, and more lists
- Sports at University of Notre DameEADA programs for the #1 school on this list
Keep going
The Most Selective Colleges in America
Lowest share of applicants admitted. Selectivity measures demand and class size, not teaching quality.
Colleges with the Highest SAT Averages
Average SAT score of enrolled students. Reported by fewer than half of institutions as test-optional admissions has spread.
Colleges That Admit Nearly Everyone
Open and near-open admission four-year institutions, ranked by the share of applicants accepted.