by our College Data Analytics TeamWith all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take when you want to pursue a college degree. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Associate Degree Colleges in Indiana ranking is part of that endeavor.
Jump to Any of the Following Sections: * Our Methodology
We analyzed 14 colleges and universities across Indiana to determine which ones have the best associate degree programs. Instead of depending on subjective information to rank the best schools, we focus on objective factors in our analysis. More specifically, the following explains what we consider and why.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of associate graduates during the early years of their career. Recent students who earned a associate degree in Indiana entered the job market making an average of $43,207 while those in the top 7 schools on our list made an average of $48,562.
Students may also take on a lot of debt while working on their associate so we factor that into our rankings as well. Upon graduation, associate degree recipients from schools in Indiana have accumulated an average of $10,977 in student debt. We consider this number in conjunction with average post-graduation earnings to gauge the difficulty associate recipients will have paying back their loans.
In addition to average post-graduation earnings and average student debt loads, we also look at a host of other factors to determining our Best Associate Degree Schools ranking. These factors include things like the educational resources, the demand associated with the school, whether or not the school offers online classes, and the student body caliber - just to name a few.
Find out more about our best schools ranking methodology
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Purdue University - Main Campus tops this year’s ranking as the best school for associate degrees in Indiana for overall quality. Purdue is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 51 associate degrees to qualified graduate students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis. The school came in at #2 in Indiana on this year’s best associate degree schools ranking. IUPUI is a large public school situated in Indianapolis, Indiana. It awarded 87 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ivy Tech Community College. The school came in at #3 in Indiana on this year’s best associate degree schools ranking. Ivy Tech Community College is a public institution located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8,655 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average salary of a graduate with a associate degree from Ivy Tech Community College is $44,419 during the early years of their career. The average amount of student debt accumulated by associate students is $8,112.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global. The school came in at #4 in Indiana on this year’s best associate degree schools ranking. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Marion, Indiana, and it awarded 494 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Those who receive a associate degree from IWU go into careers with an average salary of $46,583 during the early years of their career. Associate students leave the school with an average of $6,625 in student loans.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University Global. It ranked #5 on our 2025 Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana list. Purdue University Global is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1,895 associate degrees to qualified graduate students.
During the early years of their career, associate degree graduates from Purdue University Global make an average of $45,155 a year. Associate students carry an average student debt load of about $10,767 after getting their degree.
Vincennes University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana ranking. Located in Vincennes, Indiana, the fairly large public school awarded 1,481 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
Graduates with a associate degree from Vincennes University make an average of $45,645 per year during the early years of their career. Associate students leave the school with an average of $13,260 in student loans.
Indiana Wesleyan University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Marion, Indiana, and it awarded 8 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Graduates with a associate degree from IWU make an average of $46,583 per year during the early years of their career. The average amount of student debt accumulated by associate students is $6,625.
University of Indianapolis came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana ranking. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 29 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
During the early years of their career, associate degree graduates from UIndy make an average of $50,907 a year.
University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne ranked #9 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana list. Fort Wayne, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out associate degrees to 142 students in 2021-2022.
The average salary of a graduate with a associate degree from University of St. Francis Fort Wayne is $60,641 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne
Ball State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana list. Ball State is located in Muncie, Indiana and has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 64 associate degrees to qualified graduate students.
University of Southern Indiana landed the #11 spot on the 2025 Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana ranking. USI is located in Evansville, Indiana and has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 42 associate degrees to qualified graduate students.
Purdue University Fort Wayne came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana ranking. PFW is a medium-sized public school situated in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It awarded 52 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Indiana University - Northwest landed the #13 spot on the 2025 Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana ranking. This small public school is located in Gary, Indiana, and it awarded 42 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Indiana University - South Bend did quite well in the 2025 Best Associate Degree Schools in Indiana ranking, coming in at #14. Indiana University - South Bend is a small public school located in South Bend, Indiana that handed out 19 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.