COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · MUNCIE, IN

Is Ball State University worth the money?

Yes — at resident pricing. A Ball State University degree clears +$1.12M in 30-year projected net value over skipping college and investing the difference.

A public four-year school in Muncie, Indiana, priced as a Indiana resident — earnings rolled up from 54 FREOPP-reported programs.

IPEDS 2023 cost · FREOPP 2021 earnings · BEA 2023 cost-of-living · same model as /worth-it · this school clears positive net value.

Ball State University · Muncie, IN

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$1.12M
30-year net value · non-resident
+$511K
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$51,430
Breaks even by age
—
Annual tuition · Indiana resident
$10,758
Annual tuition · out-of-state
$28,766
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$91,288
Total cost of attendance · out-of-state
$163,320
FREOPP program coverage
54 programs

The out-of-state tax in Indiana, ranked

How this is computed (and what it isn’t)

Ball State University runs through the /worth-it model at its resident tuition rate, with the standard loan assumptions, a 30-year horizon, and Indiana’s own cost-of-living on the skip-college path. The “30-year net value” is the projected accumulated value of going vs. skipping and investing the difference, in real dollars.

What it isn’t: a verdict on every major. The school-level number averages across 54 FREOPP-reported programs — the field you pick swings it by over a million dollars on its own. We only publish school pages that clear positive net value at resident pricing; earnings roll up from at least three FREOPP programs (ADR-0032), so a single high-earning major can’t fake the number.

Questions

Is Ball State University worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: Ball State University clears +$1.12M in 30-year projected net value versus skipping college and investing the difference. That is computed from a total cost of attendance of $91,288 and median earnings of $51,430 ten years after entry (IPEDS 2023 cost, FREOPP 2021 earnings, BEA 2023 cost-of-living — the same model as the LE TEEN calculator).
How much is tuition at Ball State University?
Ball State University's annual sticker tuition is $10,758 for Indiana residents and $28,766 for out-of-state students, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $91,288 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of Ball State University?
Over 4 years, Ball State University's sticker cost of attendance is $91,288 at resident pricing, or $163,320 out-of-state — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at Indiana prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $51,430.
What is out-of-state tuition at Ball State University?
Non-resident annual sticker tuition at Ball State University is $28,766, versus $10,758 for Indiana residents — a premium of $18,008 a year. Even at the non-resident rate, Ball State University clears positive 30-year net value.
How long until a Ball State University degree pays for itself?
Under our defaults the degree path finishes +$1.12M ahead at the 30-year horizon; the year-by-year crossover depends on your loan share and time horizon — run your own assumptions on the calculator.
What could change the number for Ball State University?
Two levers dominate. Residency: this page prices Ball State University as a Indiana resident; at non-resident tuition it still clears +$511K, but the gap is real money (see the out-of-state tax in Indiana). And the major: the field you pick swings lifetime ROI by over a million dollars on its own (see the majors pages).

Keep going

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Is Ball State University worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/ball-state-university