Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for Ball State University, Wayne State University, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | Ball StateMuncie, IN | Wayne StateDetroit, MI | Nebraska-LincolnLincoln, NE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 85.5% | 81.2% | 87.5% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1080–1260 | 1060–1270 | 1098–1330 |
| Average net price | $14,94034.7% on Pell grants | $12,76645.7% on Pell grants | $17,74722.8% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $11,082 in-state · $29,630 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $15,190 in-state · $32,037 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $10,434 in-state · $28,584 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 62.3% | 58.4% | 67.0% |
| First-year retention | 77.7% | 82.7% | 86.0% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 34.7% | 45.7% | 22.8% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $51,833 | $53,493 | $56,887 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $23,250 | $21,250 | $21,000 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 15:1 | 13:1 | 16:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 13,988 | 15,587 | 19,178 |
| Consensus percentile | 39Lower is better | 39Lower is better | 40Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 67 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 72 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 61 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | Ball State | Wayne State | Nebraska-Lincoln |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #213 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #179 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #158 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| Forbes | Not ranked by this source | #264 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #220 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #134 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #98 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #534 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | #378 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #383 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #344 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #589 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #108 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #193 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source | Listed |
| QS | Not ranked by this source | #798 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #723 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 |
Students comparing Ball State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Wayne State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing University of Nebraska-Lincoln on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profile