Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Cost is resident tuition plus required fees, 2023-24.
Bachelor's Degrees in Indiana
6
Meet the Ranking Threshold
3
Median Resident Tuition and Fees
$29,159
With a Fully Online Option
2
General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Indiana
General studies bachelor's degrees in Indiana come from six private colleges, three of them ranked, and the top two scores belong to small residential programs while the biggest program sits third. Oakland City University scores 52.4, 70th in the national bachelor's ranking, on a 66% graduation rate, 23 degrees a year and $27,150 in tuition and required fees for 2023-24. Indiana Wesleyan University's Marion campus scores 49.9, 86th nationally, graduating 67% on 19 degrees at $31,168. Indiana Wesleyan's National and Global division, also based in Marion, awarded 122 general studies bachelor's degrees in the latest year, more than five times either of the others, and scores 44.7, 104th nationally, because its graduation rate is 35% and its price is $9,480.
Three programs fall below the threshold. Trine University in Angola awarded 7 degrees at $35,600 with a 64% graduation rate, the American College of Education in Indianapolis awarded 6 through an online for-profit program at $6,240, and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College awarded 2 at $32,640 with a 47% graduation rate. Two of the six programs can be finished online, Indiana Wesleyan National and Global and the American College of Education, and they are also the two lowest-priced programs at this level.
The 3 Best General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Indiana
The best general studies bachelor's degrees in Indiana are ranked below by their national score, from the national bachelor's degree ranking. The number on each card is the program's place in Indiana. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.
1
Oakland City University
Indiana
52.4- Private nonprofit
- College graduation rate
- 66%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $27,150 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 23
About the Program
Oakland City, Indiana is home to Oakland City University, a private nonprofit university of 640 students. It conferred 23 bachelor's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 33% of the bachelor's programs ranked at this level. Its college-wide graduation rate is 66%, the 87th percentile, because the federal record tracks completion by institution. Tuition and fees are $27,150 a year for every student, residents and nonresidents alike. Getting in is not automatic, because 83% of applicants are admitted. Strongest of its measures is the graduation rate of its college, which lands at the 87th percentile.
2
Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion
Indiana
49.9- Private nonprofit
- College graduation rate
- 67%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $31,168 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 19
About the Program
Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion is a private nonprofit university in Marion, Indiana that enrolls 2,204 students. During the most recent year on record it awarded 19 bachelor's degrees, a count at the 25th percentile for size. A 67% graduation rate puts the college at the 88th percentile, though that figure counts every student who started there and not this degree alone. Tuition and fees hold at $31,168 a year whichever state you come from. Admission is selective enough to plan for, with 89% of applicants accepted. On the graduation rate of its college it does best, reaching the 88th percentile.
3
Indiana Wesleyan University-National & Global
Indiana
44.7- Private nonprofit
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 35%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $9,480 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 122
About the Program
Marion, Indiana is home to Indiana Wesleyan University-National & Global, a private nonprofit university of 14,331 students. During the most recent year on record it awarded 122 bachelor's degrees, a count at the 83rd percentile for size. A 35% graduation rate puts the college at the 15th percentile, though that figure counts every student who started there and not this degree alone. Tuition and fees hold at $9,480 a year whichever state you come from. The degree can be finished entirely online, which suits anyone who cannot move or stop working. Its strongest mark is the number of degrees it awards, at the 83rd percentile.
Other General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Indiana
The other general studies bachelor's degrees in Indiana awarded fewer than 10 degrees in the latest year or did not report a figure the ranking uses, so they are listed here without a score. That says something about size and nothing on its own about quality.
| College | Degrees Awarded | Graduation Rate | Tuition and Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trine University, Angola | 7 | 64% | $35,600 |
| American College of Education, Indianapolis | 6 | $6,240 | |
| Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, Saint Mary of the Woods | 2 | 47% | $32,640 |
Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Graduation rate is the college's, for first-time, full-time students.
How Much Does a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Cost in Indiana?
A general studies bachelor's degree in Indiana costs $29,159 a year in tuition and required fees at the median program for 2023-24, and the six programs run from $6,240 at the American College of Education to $35,600 at Trine University. Among the ranked three, Indiana Wesleyan University's National and Global division is $9,480, Oakland City University $27,150 and Indiana Wesleyan's Marion campus $31,168. Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is $32,640. All six are private, so the sticker price is the same for Indiana residents and everyone else.
If you're a working adult finishing a first bachelor's, the Adult Student Grant is the state aid built for you. The Commission for Higher Education describes it as meeting the needs of working adults starting or completing an associate degree, bachelor's degree or certificate, with a grant of up to $2,000 for the academic year. The course of study has to lead to an associate or first bachelor's degree, so a second bachelor's doesn't qualify, and the same rule names Ivy Tech Community College and Vincennes University. Ask the Commission whether a private college's general studies program counts before you plan on the money.
How Does Credit Transfer Into a General Studies Bachelor's Degree in Indiana?
Credit transfers into a general studies bachelor's degree in Indiana under each college's own policy, because the six programs are all private and the state's transfer guarantees cover public institutions only. Those guarantees still shape what you arrive with. If you completed the Indiana College Core at a public college, a public university will not require you to complete the core again after you transfer, and a private college that honors the core saves you the same coursework. Ask Oakland City, Indiana Wesleyan or Trine whether it accepts the core as a block or reads your transcript course by course.
If you're coming with a full associate degree from Ivy Tech Community College or Vincennes University, ask whether it was a Transfer Single Articulation Pathway degree. TSAP degrees include 30 Indiana College Core credits, and a public university accepts that documentation as satisfying the first two years of degree requirements only if the student is accepted into the institution and into the specific program. A private general studies program can treat a TSAP degree the same way, but nothing requires it to.
People often finish a general studies bachelor's with credits from two or three colleges, so the credit evaluation is the document that matters. Get it in writing, with the number of credits applied to the major rather than to electives, before you enroll anywhere.
What Do Jobs With a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Pay in Indiana?
Jobs open to a general studies bachelor's degree in Indiana pay the state medians below, from the May 2025 federal wage survey, with the national median beside each for comparison. Each row links to the salary guide for that job.
How to Choose a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Program in Indiana
How to choose a general studies bachelor's degree program in Indiana is mostly a question of campus or screen, because the format decides the price. The two campus programs that rank, Oakland City University at $27,150 and Indiana Wesleyan's Marion campus at $31,168, graduate 66% and 67% of their students. The online program that ranks, Indiana Wesleyan National and Global at $9,480, graduates 35% and awards 122 degrees a year, so it's where most of Indiana's general studies bachelor's graduates come from. The American College of Education is cheaper still at $6,240 and online, but it's a for-profit that awarded 6 degrees in the latest year.
Before you pick, ask how many of your existing credits will count toward the general studies major rather than as electives, since that decides how many semesters remain. Ask whether the college accepts the Indiana College Core as a block. Ask the financial aid office whether the Adult Student Grant has been awarded to its students. And at either online program, ask how long part-time students take to finish, because a graduation rate measured on first-time, full-time students says little about a working adult taking two courses a term.
If you're starting with an associate degree, the general studies associate degrees in Indiana have their own page.