NurseSavvy ranking · Indiana · updated October 10, 2026
Best Nursing Schools in Indiana (2026): The NurseSavvy Top 10
We ranked all 56 RN programs in Indiana that publish a first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate, on the four things that decide whether a program gets you to a nursing license you can afford: passing the NCLEX, actually finishing, the cost next to what nurses earn in Indiana, and what graduates earn a year out.
Indiana University South Bend comes out on top. Here are the top 10, with every number’s source — and you can re-rank them by what matters to you.
No school can pay for placement. Public data only — see the full methodology.
Rank it your way
Rank Indiana’s 56 RN programs on what matters to you
NCLEX pass rate, students who finish, cost vs nurse pay, grads’ early pay — compare in-state, by region, or nationwide.
The top 10 nursing programs in Indiana
Scores are out of 100 under the default NurseSavvy weights. A school with two programs (say, an ADN and a BSN) can appear twice.
- 174score
Indiana University South Bend
South BendBaccalaureate Degree Nursing Programs· Public
A 97.6% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 42 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 97.6% of 42
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $8,653/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $67,253 1 yr out
- 273score
Indiana University Northwest
GaryBaccalaureate Degree Nursing Programs· Public
A 91.2% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 57 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 91.2% of 57
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $5,130/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $73,335 1 yr out
- 373score
Indiana University Kokomo
KokomoBaccalaureate Degree Nursing Programs· Public
A 90% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 60 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 90% of 60
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $3,968/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $74,172 1 yr out
- 471score
Purdue University
West LafayetteBaccalaureate Degree Nursing Programs· Public
A 94.5% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 185 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 94.5% of 185
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $14,600/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $71,759 1 yr out
- 571score
University of Southern Indiana
EvansvilleBaccalaureate Degree Nursing Programs· Public
A 94.6% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 112 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 94.6% of 112
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $12,923/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $68,945 1 yr out
- 671score
University of Evansville
EvansvilleBaccalaureate Degree Nursing Programs· Private nonprofit
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 25 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100% of 25
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $18,499/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $71,066 1 yr out
- 770score
Indiana Wesleyan University
MarionBaccalaureate Degree Nursing Programs
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 75 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100% of 75
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- Not publishedfill-in
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
- 869score
Purdue University Northwest
HammondBaccalaureate Degree Nursing Programs· Public
A $6,079 average net price is low next to $83,500 median RN pay in Indiana.
- NCLEX strength
- 85.9% of 128
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $6,079/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $77,691 1 yr out
- 966score
Bethel University
MishawakaBaccalaureate Degree Nursing Programs· Private nonprofit
A 95.6% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 23 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 95.6% of 23
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $18,610/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $68,848 1 yr out
- 1066score
Ivy Tech Community College- Evansville
EvansvilleAssociate Degree - Nursing Programs· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 59 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100% of 59
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- Not publishedfill-in
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
Fill-in: a figure the program hasn’t published is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs that publish it (same degree type) — not its own number.
The Indiana leaders on each measure
Different students weigh these differently — here is who leads on each one alone, among programs that publish it.
- Highest NCLEX pass rate: Indiana Wesleyan University (Baccalaureate Degree Nursing Programs), 100% first-time.
- Lowest average net price: Indiana University Kokomo, $3,968/yr.
- Highest graduates’ pay: Purdue University Northwest, $77,691 one year out.
- Top ADN vs top BSN: Ivy Tech Community College- Evansville (#10 overall) and Indiana University South Bend (#1 overall).
No Indiana RN program in our data has published its own completion rate yet, so every program here scores the completion fill-in.
How we ranked Indiana’s nursing schools
- NCLEX pass rate (33%). The 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN rate from the Indiana board of nursing, steadied for small cohorts.
- Students who finish (33%). The program’s own on-time completion rate, where a board or the program publishes it.
- Cost vs nurse pay (20%). Average net price per year next to Indiana’s median RN pay (College Scorecard + BLS).
- Graduates’ early pay (14%). What the program’s nursing graduates earn one year out, next to the state’s RN median.
A missing figure is a labeled 33rd-percentile fill-in, never a guess. Programs without a published NCLEX rate, and direct-entry master’s programs, are not ranked. Every formula and source →
Frequently asked questions
What is the best nursing school in Indiana?
Under the NurseSavvy ranking, Indiana University South Bend (Baccalaureate Degree Nursing Programs, South Bend) ranks #1 of 56 RN programs in Indiana with a score of 74 out of 100 and a 97.6% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate. "Best" depends on what you weigh most — re-rank the list on this page by your own priorities.
How did NurseSavvy rank Indiana nursing schools?
Every RN program with a published 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate is scored 0–100 on four public measures: NCLEX pass rate (33%), students who finish (33%), cost next to local RN pay (20%), and graduates’ pay one year out (14%). Pass rates come from the Indiana board of nursing; cost and pay from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
What does “fill-in” mean on this list?
When a program has not published a figure, we do not guess it. It is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs (same degree type) that do publish it — below typical — and labeled “fill-in” wherever it appears. Publishing its real number can only help a program that performs well.
Can a school pay to rank higher?
No. Schools cannot pay, partner, sponsor, or advertise their way to a better rank. Every input is public data, and the same formula applies to every program.
Keep going
- ReferenceHow NurseSavvy ranks nursing schoolsHow NurseSavvy ranks nursing programs: every formula, data source, and refresh rule, plus why no school can pay for placement.
- State guideNursing in IndianaIndiana in one page: 88 nursing schools and their NCLEX pass rates, RN pay (median 83,500), NP pay, and compact-license status — each with its source.
- Pay dataNurse practitioner salary in IndianaNurse practitioners in Indiana earn a median of 128,830 a year (May 2025).
- Pay dataRN salary in IndianaRegistered nurses in Indiana earn a median of 83,500 a year (May 2025).
- GuideNursing School Dropout Rates: What a 100% NCLEX Pass Rate Can HideHow many nursing students actually finish, why a high NCLEX pass rate can hide high attrition, where programs publish completion rates, and the start-to-license number to ask every school for.
- FinderNursing school rankings you controlRank nursing programs by what matters to you — pass rate, students who finish, cost, and graduate earnings.