The Best Online Colleges in Indiana

Indiana Wesleyan University is among the largest private universities in the state and is one of the largest members of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. The school has over 15,000 students in attendance and offers more than 80 undergraduate degree programs. The strong enrollment numbers led to the establishment of the university’s nursing school in 2009.

Indiana Wesleyan University offers numerous online degrees. Associate’s degrees include criminal justice and education. Bachelor’s degrees available include healthcare administration and addiction counseling. Master’s degree options include athletic training and nursing. Doctoral degree offerings include organizational leadership and occupational therapy. Certifications include human services and financial planning.

The university provides technical support over the phone and access to several scholarly article and ebook databases through its library.

Indiana State University, a public university offers more than 100 degree programs and teaches over 10,000 students. This university is a College Consortium of Western Indiana member.

Indiana State University has an excellent variety of baccalaureate, master’s, doctoral and certificate programs available online. Baccalaureate degrees include technology and psychology. Master’s degree options include criminology and nursing. Doctoral degree offerings include educational administration and athletic training. Certifications available include genomic advocacy and public administration.

The university also gives students access to many online resources, including an online student employment program, technical support over the phone and various services offered through the online library, including math and writing assistance as well as access to journal, video and government databases.

IUPUI formed as the result of a partnership between Indiana's two largest public universities. Indiana University and Purdue University operated separate Indianapolis locations until 1969, when they combined forces in 1969 to create one campus. Today, nearly 30,000 students attend the urban research institution; 8,111 of whom are pursuing a degree entirely online.

IUPUI offers hundreds of individual online courses and, through Indiana University, 120 online degree and certificate programs. Students may pursue associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in subjects ranging from business and labor studies to music therapy. Courses are presented asynchronously, allowing distance learners to complete coursework when and where it is most convenient, without the hassle of mandatory login times or proctored exams. IUPUI offers resources exclusively for online students, including career services, success coaching, and digital math and writing support.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, an originally all-female Roman Catholic college founded in 1840, is renowned for its School of Equine Studies. It keeps more than 50 horses on campus as part of its veterinary program and is one of a few universities in America that offers a baccalaureate degree in equine studies. Pope Benedict canonized the college’s founder, Mother Theodore Guerin, as a saint in 2006, making her Indiana’s first saint.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College taught correspondence courses in the 1970s and began offering online programs in 2010 through Woods Online. Among other subjects, it currently offers associate’s degrees in accounting and education, baccalaureate degrees in professional writing and psychology and certificates in paralegal studies and music therapy.

Resources for online students include online technical support, career services, math tutoring, writing assistance and an online library with librarian assistance over the phone, online or via text messages.

Originally founded in 1930 as an engineering college for men, Indiana Tech has evolved to become a private coeducational institution known for its rigorous business and engineering programs. Based in Fort Wayne, the university maintains campus locations throughout Indiana and Kentucky, as well as enrollment centers in Chicago and Detroit. The school is known is one of the largest online colleges in Indiana, with distance learners making up more than 80% of the university's 10,300-student population.

Indiana Tech's College of Professional Studies offers nearly 30 online programs in business, arts and sciences, criminal justice, and computer science. Undergraduate students can earn an AS, BA, or BS online. The school also offers online MBA programs that feature several different concentrations, as well as MS degrees in engineering management, organizational leadership, psychology, and management. Tuition is based on course load, rather than residence.

Trine University, founded in 1884, was originally Tri-State University due to its location at the crossroads of Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. The university changed its name in 2008 to honor Dr. Ralph Trine, a university alumnus and contributor. The university is home to the Zollner Golf Course, which has been the site of the National Collegiate Golf Championships and multiple PGA tournaments.

Trine University has several associate, baccalaureate and master’s degrees available online. Associate’s degrees include accounting and engineering. Bachelor’s degree options include psychology and criminal justice. Master’s degree offerings include sport management and public administration.

Resources for online students include an online job board, technical support over the phone and an online library with scholarly article, video and ebook databases.

Indiana University East, founded in 1971, is a public university and part of the Indiana University system. The school teaches over 4,000 students, offers over 50 degree programs and is comprised of the following academic schools: business and economics, education, humanities and social sciences, natural sciences and mathematics, nursing, social work, informatics and general studies.

Indiana University East provides a variety of baccalaureate degrees and graduate certificates through its online platform. Bachelor’s degree offerings include natural science and technical communication, while certifications include mathematics and composition studies.

Online student resources include an online job board, online writing and math tutoring and an online library with scholarly article databases.

Located in Evansville, on the Indiana-Kentucky border, USI is a public university with a student body of around 11,000. As a Carnegie Foundation Community Engaged University, USI is committed to making higher education accessible to all, offering flexible online programs at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels.

USI presents a variety of opportunities for those seeking career-focused online schools in Indiana. Undergraduates may choose from several options, including bachelor's degree completion programs in respiratory therapy, radiologic technology, and health informatics and information management. Distance learners without prior college experience may earn bachelor's degree in professional studies, while registered nurses can pursue a web-based BS in nursing. Graduate students may earn a master's of sports management, business administration, nursing, or health administration. USI also offers a hybrid doctor of nursing practice program, which requires two three-day on-campus intensive sessions.

This private, Catholic university was founded in 1890 as a teacher training school for nuns. Today, USF is a Franciscan-sponsored liberal arts institution with a student body of around 2,300. The university offers prospective graduate students seeking an online college in Indiana have numerous web-based options, including master's programs in teaching, business administration, healthcare administration, organizational leadership, and environmental health. USF also sponsors an online BS in nursing program for registered nurses.

Each program is presented in an asynchronous format, and all coursework is self-paced. Full-time students may earn their degree in as few as 12 months. All distance learners pay the same per-course tuition rate, regardless of their state of residence. While admission requirements vary slightly between programs, every applicant should provide official undergraduate transcripts, a letter of intent, and a current resume.

Grace College Online is a Christian school which grew out of the Grace Theological Seminary, which established Grace College in 1948. The college offers almost 10 programs of study completely online and offers three-year accelerated degrees in every one of its majors. For especially dedicated students, the university also offers a four-year program which simultaneously awards a baccalaureate and master’s degree.

Grace College Online offers a number of baccalaureate and master’s degrees online. Online bachelor’s degree options include human services and business administration, while online master’s degree offerings include counseling and nonprofit management.

Online student resources include a writing lab via email evaluation and an online library with librarian live chat and various scholarly journals, videos and music databases.

Oakland City University, a Baptist university founded in 1885, did not begin classes until 1891 due to difficulties obtaining funds to complete initial construction. The university almost shut its doors multiple times throughout its history due to the Great Depression and the Vietnam War and did not become a university until the 1990s. Today the university contains 6 academic colleges, offers over 45 degree programs and teaches more than 2,000 students.

Oakland City University continues to grow as an online university, offering a number of associate’s, baccalaureate, master and doctoral programs fully online. Online associate’s degrees include general studies and religious studies. Online bachelor’s degrees available include business administration and criminal justice. Online master’s degree options include strategic management, while online doctoral degree offerings include education.

Online student resources include an extensive online library with access to a number of research databases including JSTOR and LitFinder.

A private liberal arts institution located just 10 minutes from downtown Indianapolis, Marian University prides itself on its Catholic roots and small class sizes. Marian's student body includes around 1,000 graduate students and less than 2,400 undergraduates, many of whom are enrolled in the university's adult programs division.

Marian's adult programs include online associate and bachelor's degree options in business administration, health and human services, paralegal studies, and nursing. Distance learners may also prepare for nursing school through Marian's non-degree online nursing prerequisites program. Accelerated classes begin multiple times throughout the year and last either five or eight weeks. Online students receive access to the same resources as their on-campus counterparts, including peer mentoring and tutoring, counseling and health services, and networking events. Admission requirements differ slightly from program to program, and nursing students are encouraged to contact an admissions counselor before applying.

Founded in 1801, Vincennes University is Indiana's oldest college. In addition to the main residential campus, which is located on the banks of the Wabash River, VU maintains a second location in Jasper, and a robust distance education program that boasts more than 20 online degree options. In addition to associate programs in the behavioral sciences, law enforcement, and information technology, VU offers bachelor's degrees in technology, homeland security and public safety, and nursing. All courses are semester-based, and are between 16 and eight weeks long.

In keeping with its mission is to provide affordable and accessible education, VU features an open admissions policy that guarantees acceptance for students with a high school diploma or equivalent. Illinois residents receive in-state tuition rates. Credit for professional or prior learning experience is available through a portfolio option.