By Glyn Caddell, BSME · Author of Digital SAT Math Secrets · Tutoring since 2008 — Updated October 6, 2026
Twelve Indiana colleges with pre-med programs, what they cost, and the SAT scores of the students they admit.
Indiana has one MD program and it runs across nine campuses, so most of the colleges below share a town with part of the state’s medical school. That comes after the table.
Scores are given by section rather than as a single total, because a student at 680 Reading & Writing and 590 Math is in a different position from a student at 590 and 680.
Table of Contents
- Indiana Pre-Med Colleges by SAT Score
- Indiana’s Medical School Has Nine Campuses
- Does Indiana Have a Scholarship Tied to SAT Scores?
- What If Your Scores Are Below the Range You Want?
Indiana Pre-Med Colleges by SAT Score
| College | Reading & Writing | Math | Cost of attendance | Undergraduates | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Notre Dame | 720 to 770 | 735 to 790 | $83,271 | 8,818 | 11% |
| Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | 650 to 730 | 670 to 770 | $77,890 | 2,309 | 77% |
| Purdue University | 600 to 720 | 600 to 760 | $24,591 | 44,503 | 50% |
| DePauw University | 600 to 690 | 600 to 720 | $74,320 | 1,905 | 57% |
| Indiana University Bloomington | 590 to 690 | 580 to 710 | $28,801 | 37,806 | 78% |
| Butler University | 590 to 680 | 570 to 670 | $65,970 | 4,317 | 85% |
| Ball State University | 550 to 640 | 530 to 620 | $26,146 | 13,988 | 86% |
| Taylor University | 540 to 670 | 530 to 660 | $53,405 | 2,025 | 74% |
| Valparaiso University | 540 to 640 | 520 to 640 | $58,437 | 2,083 | 89% |
| Indiana University Indianapolis | 520 to 630 | 510 to 610 | $23,316 | 13,830 | 76% |
| Purdue University Fort Wayne | 490 to 610 | 480 to 610 | $22,183 | 5,484 | 84% |
| Indiana State University | Does not report SAT data | Does not report SAT data | $24,535 | 6,188 | 81% |
Each range covers the middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores. A quarter scored below the lower number, and the top quarter scored at or above the upper one. Being under the lower number does not rule a student out, and being just above it is not as safe as it looks.
Three things in that table deserve attention.
The public and private split is sharp. Notre Dame is $83,271, Rose-Hulman $77,890 and DePauw $74,320. Purdue is $24,591, Indiana Indianapolis $23,316 and Purdue Fort Wayne $22,183. The six public entries all sit under $29,000 and every private one is over $53,000.
Rose-Hulman admits 77% of applicants while reporting the second-highest Math range in the state. A specialist engineering institute draws applicants who already know they want that, so most of who applies is a fit and the admitted class is still strong. The same effect shows up at Wheaton College in Illinois.
Purdue costs less than Indiana University Bloomington while reporting higher ranges in both sections, which is the reverse of what a reader normally finds when comparing two flagships.
Want to Know What 5 Topics Will Improve Your SAT Score the Most?
Sample Feedback from our Diagnostic Test:
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame with 8,818 undergraduates, and it is the most selective institution in the state.
Reading & Writing 720 to 770, Math 735 to 790. The top quarter of admitted students scored at or above 770 and 790. Cost of attendance $83,271, with tuition and fees at $65,025. 8,818 undergraduates, 11% admitted.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is a private engineering and science institute in Terre Haute with 2,309 undergraduates. Terre Haute also hosts a campus of the Indiana University School of Medicine.
Reading & Writing 650 to 730, Math 670 to 770. The top quarter scored at or above 730 and 770. Cost of attendance $77,890, with tuition and fees at $58,649. 2,309 undergraduates, 77% admitted.
Purdue University
Purdue University is in West Lafayette with 44,503 undergraduates, the largest school on this page, and West Lafayette hosts a medical school campus.
Reading & Writing 600 to 720, Math 600 to 760. The top quarter scored at or above 720 and 760. Cost of attendance $24,591, with tuition and fees at $9,992 in-state and $28,794 out-of-state. 44,503 undergraduates, 50% admitted.
Purdue charges different tuition depending on the program, and that matters for a pre-med student deciding on a major. For Indiana residents in 2025-26:
| Program | Tuition and fees |
|---|---|
| Standard rate, which covers biology, chemistry and most pre-med majors | $9,992 |
| Polytechnic Institute | $10,564 |
| Nursing BSN | $10,990 |
| Daniels School of Business and BA Economics | $11,428 |
| Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering and Biological Engineering | $12,042 |
A student doing a conventional pre-med major pays the standard rate. One doing biomedical engineering pays $2,050 a year more, which comes to $8,200 across four years. Both routes lead to medical school, so this is a cost difference rather than an admissions one.
DePauw University
DePauw University is a private liberal arts college in Greencastle with 1,905 undergraduates, the smallest school on this page.
Reading & Writing 600 to 690, Math 600 to 720. The top quarter scored at or above 690 and 720. Cost of attendance $74,320, with tuition and fees at $59,070. 1,905 undergraduates, 57% admitted.
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington is the state flagship with 37,806 undergraduates, and Bloomington hosts a medical school campus.
Reading & Writing 590 to 690, Math 580 to 710. The top quarter scored at or above 690 and 710. Cost of attendance $28,801, with tuition and fees at $12,144 in-state and $41,891 out-of-state. 37,806 undergraduates, 78% admitted.
The in-state and out-of-state tuition gap here is approximately $29,700, the widest on this page.
Butler University
Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis with 4,317 undergraduates, in the city that houses the main campus of the state’s medical school.
Reading & Writing 590 to 680, Math 570 to 670. The top quarter scored at or above 680 and 670. Cost of attendance $65,970, with tuition and fees at $47,560. 4,317 undergraduates, 85% admitted.
Ball State University
Ball State University is in Muncie with 13,988 undergraduates, and Muncie hosts a medical school campus.
Reading & Writing 550 to 640, Math 530 to 620. The top quarter scored at or above 640 and 620. Cost of attendance $26,146, with tuition and fees at $11,082 in-state and $29,630 out-of-state. 13,988 undergraduates, 86% admitted.
Taylor University
Taylor University is a private Christian liberal arts university in Upland with 2,025 undergraduates.
Reading & Writing 540 to 670, Math 530 to 660. The top quarter scored at or above 670 and 660. Cost of attendance $53,405, with tuition and fees at $40,490. 2,025 undergraduates, 74% admitted.
This is the least expensive private option on the page.
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso University is a private university in Valparaiso with 2,083 undergraduates.
Reading & Writing 540 to 640, Math 520 to 640. The top quarter scored at or above 640 in both sections. Cost of attendance $58,437, with tuition and fees at $48,450. 2,083 undergraduates, 89% admitted.
Indiana University Indianapolis
Indiana University Indianapolis has 13,830 undergraduates and sits in the city that houses the principal campus of the Indiana University School of Medicine.
Reading & Writing 520 to 630, Math 510 to 610. The top quarter scored at or above 630 and 610. Cost of attendance $23,316, with tuition and fees at $10,762 in-state and $34,891 out-of-state. 13,830 undergraduates, 76% admitted.
Of every college on this page, this is the one with the shortest walk to a teaching hospital.
Purdue University Fort Wayne
Purdue University Fort Wayne has 5,484 undergraduates and the lowest cost of attendance on this page. Fort Wayne hosts a medical school campus.
Reading & Writing 490 to 610, Math 480 to 610. The top quarter scored at or above 610 in both sections. Cost of attendance $22,183, with tuition and fees at $9,532 in-state and $22,887 out-of-state. 5,484 undergraduates, 84% admitted.
Indiana State University
Indiana State University is in Terre Haute with 6,188 undergraduates, in a town that hosts a medical school campus.
The university does not report SAT score data. Cost of attendance $24,535, with tuition and fees at $10,258 in-state and $22,322 out-of-state. 6,188 undergraduates, 81% admitted.
Indiana's Medical School Has Nine Campuses
Indiana University School of Medicine operates across nine campuses: Indianapolis, Bloomington, Fort Wayne, Terre Haute, South Bend, West Lafayette, Gary, Evansville and Muncie. The school describes itself as the largest medical school in the United States, with approximately 1,460 medical students.
That structure makes Indiana different from every other state in this series, and it is worth understanding before choosing a college.
Six of the colleges in the table above are in towns that host a medical school campus. Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana University Indianapolis, Purdue in West Lafayette, Purdue Fort Wayne, Ball State in Muncie, and both Rose-Hulman and Indiana State in Terre Haute.
What that gives an undergraduate is access. Shadowing a physician, finding a research assistantship, volunteering in a hospital that teaches medical students: all of those are easier to arrange when the faculty and the hospitals are in the same town as your dormitory rather than a two-hour drive away.
What it does not give anyone is an admissions advantage. Medical school applications are national, and a student at an Indiana college without a nearby medical campus is not disadvantaged applying to one. Proximity is a convenience during the degree, not a credential after it.
Compare that with Illinois, which concentrates eight MD programs in one metropolitan area. Indiana took the opposite approach and spread one program across nine towns. For a student who is not in the largest city, the Indiana version is more useful.
Indiana also has one osteopathic school. Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Indianapolis enrolled its first class in 2013. Both Indiana medical schools favour in-state applicants, which matters at the application stage rather than the college stage.
Confirm current campus locations and student numbers at IU School of Medicine before relying on any of this.
Does Indiana Have a Scholarship Tied to SAT Scores?
No, and that is worth stating because some states do.
Indiana’s main state aid programs are the 21st Century Scholars program, which is income-based and asks students to enroll in middle school, and the Frank O’Bannon Grant, which is need-based. Neither uses SAT scores. There is no Indiana equivalent of Florida’s Bright Futures or Georgia’s Zell Miller, where a specific score unlocks a specific amount of state money.
Where scores do work in Indiana is institutional merit aid. Individual colleges set their own thresholds and they vary widely, so that is a question to ask each college on your list rather than one with a statewide answer.
Verify current criteria with the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, since state aid rules change.
What If Your Scores Are Below the Range You Want?
Being below a school’s published range doesn’t disqualify anyone. A quarter of the students admitted to every school on this list that reports a range scored below its lower number.
Indiana gives a student more fallback than most states, and the fallback is better than usual. Purdue Fort Wayne, Indiana University Indianapolis and Indiana State all admit between 76% and 84% of applicants, all cost under $25,000, and all three are in towns hosting a medical school campus. A student whose score is not where he wants it can still land somewhere with real clinical access.
The number worth aiming for is the upper end of a school’s range, the one the top quarter cleared, rather than the middle. The reasoning behind that is on what SAT score you need for college.
The gap is measurable and so is the work to close it. A 70 to 130 point improvement takes approximately 40 hours of effective studying, based on the students we’ve worked with since 2008, and a 130 to 250 point improvement takes approximately 80.
How to improve your SAT score covers the method, including how to work out which topics are actually costing you points. If you don’t have a recent score to compare against this list, a free diagnostic SAT gives you one, broken down by section and by topic.
How to Read These Score Ranges
Every range on this page covers the middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores. The lower number is the 25th percentile and the upper number is the 75th, which means a quarter of admitted students scored at or above it.
Rose-Hulman is the entry worth a second look. A 77% admit rate alongside the second-highest Math range in the state is not a contradiction. A specialist institute draws a self-selecting applicant pool, so it admits most of who applies and still enrolls a strong class.
Because most colleges are now test-optional, these ranges describe only the students who chose to submit. Students with strong scores submit and students with weak ones don’t, so a published range sits higher than the range for everyone who was actually admitted. More on test-optional colleges.
Pre-Med Programs in Nearby States
Indiana sits between Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky, and students apply across those borders in numbers.
See pre-med colleges in Illinois, pre-med colleges in Ohio, and pre-med colleges in Michigan.
Pre-Med Colleges in Other States
We publish the same breakdown for pre-med programs in every state.
See pre-med colleges by state for the full list.
Glyn Caddell
Glyn Caddell holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from NJIT and has been tutoring New York City students since 2008. He founded Caddell Prep in 2012 and is the author of Digital SAT Math Secrets: Lessons & Tricks to Quickly Improve to a Perfect 800 on the Math Test, which contains over 900 practice problems and is used in Caddell Prep’s SAT math classes. He is founding president of the Staten Island Technical High School alumni association and teaches every lesson on this site personally.
Finally, an SAT course that students actually understand
Every question has a video explanation. Not most — every one.
The on-demand Digital SAT course covers all 17 math topics and 15 reading and writing topics, with 5 full-length practice tests and a 100-point score increase guarantee. Keep access for the rest of high school. No subscription.
Want to Know What 5 Topics Will Improve Your SAT Score the Most?
Sample Feedback from our Diagnostic Test: