COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · SOUTH BEND, IN

Is Indiana University-South Bend worth the money?

Yes — at resident pricing. A Indiana University-South Bend degree clears +$1.21M in 30-year projected net value over skipping college and investing the difference.

A public four-year school in South Bend, Indiana, priced as a Indiana resident — earnings rolled up from 20 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.

Indiana University-South Bend · South Bend, IN

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$1.21M
30-year net value · non-resident
+$738K
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$51,114
Breaks even by age
50
Annual tuition · Indiana resident
$8,179
Annual tuition · out-of-state
$22,043
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$77,580
Total cost of attendance · out-of-state
$133,036
FREOPP program coverage
20 programs

The out-of-state tax in Indiana, ranked

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

Indiana University-South Bend 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 20 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 Indiana University-South Bend worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: Indiana University-South Bend clears +$1.21M in 30-year projected net value versus skipping college and investing the difference. That is computed from a total cost of attendance of $77,580 and median earnings of $51,114 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 Indiana University-South Bend?
Indiana University-South Bend's annual sticker tuition is $8,179 for Indiana residents and $22,043 for out-of-state students, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $77,580 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of Indiana University-South Bend?
Over 4 years, Indiana University-South Bend's sticker cost of attendance is $77,580 at resident pricing, or $133,036 out-of-state — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at Indiana prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $51,114.
What is out-of-state tuition at Indiana University-South Bend?
Non-resident annual sticker tuition at Indiana University-South Bend is $22,043, versus $8,179 for Indiana residents — a premium of $13,864 a year. Even at the non-resident rate, Indiana University-South Bend clears positive 30-year net value.
How long until a Indiana University-South Bend degree pays for itself?
The degree path overtakes the skip-college path around age 50 under our defaults — from there the gap only widens, ending +$1.21M ahead at the 30-year horizon.
What could change the number for Indiana University-South Bend?
Two levers dominate. Residency: this page prices Indiana University-South Bend as a Indiana resident; at non-resident tuition it still clears +$738K, 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 Indiana University-South Bend worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/indiana-university-south-bend