Located in Muncie, Indiana, Ball State University is a public four-year institution. Its campus is in a small city. It enrolled 21,089 students in fall 2024, including 15,189 undergraduates and 5,900 graduate students. It holds the Carnegie R2 designation for high research activity.
Ball State University offers certificates, associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, doctoral degrees, and professional doctorates across 196 programs. Its largest programs by number of graduates are Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities, Special Education and Teaching, and Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism. It awarded 5,931 degrees and certificates in 2024-25. 68 of its programs can be completed entirely online.
78% of full-time first-year students return for a second year. The student-to-faculty ratio is 14 to 1.
Mission
We engage students in educational, research, and creative experiences that empower our graduates to have fulfilling careers and meaningful lives enriched by lifelong learning and service, while we enhance the economic, environmental, and social vitality of our community, our state, and our world.
Key figures
21,089
Students enrolled
78%
First-year retention
5,931
Degrees and certificates awarded, 2024-25
196
Programs and majors
14:1
Student-to-faculty ratio
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Delivery modes
CampusOnlineHybrid
Program levels
CertificateAssociateBachelorMasterPhDProfessional
Programs and majors offered 196
Graduate counts are degrees and certificates awarded in each program between July 2024 and June 2025. Largest fields are listed first.
Retention is for students who started in fall 2023 and returned in fall 2024.
First-year retention, full-time students
78%
First-year retention, part-time students
52%
Student-to-faculty ratio
14:1
Degrees and certificates awarded
Awards conferred between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025.
Bachelor's degrees
2,664
Associate degrees
47
Master's degrees
2,234
Doctoral degrees (research)
44
Professional doctorates
10
Certificates under 1 year
22
Certificates of 1 to 2 years
9
Postbaccalaureate certificates
881
Post-master's certificates
20
Enrollment
Students, fall 2024
21,089
Undergraduates, fall 2024
15,189
Graduate students, fall 2024
5,900
Full-time, fall 2024
68%
Students over the full 2024-25 year
24,326
Undergraduates, 2024-25
16,423
Graduate students, 2024-25
7,903
Full-time, 2024-25
62%
Size category
20,000 students or more
Student body
Share of all students enrolled during 2024-25. Small groups can round to zero and are not listed.
Women
66%
Men
34%
White
68%
Hispanic or Latino
9%
Black or African American
11%
Asian
3%
Two or more races
4%
International (U.S. nonresident)
2%
Race or ethnicity unknown
2%
Online and flexible learning
Distance education in 2024-25.
Programs that can be completed fully online
68
Online undergraduate programs
Yes
Online graduate programs
Yes
Students studying fully online
34%
Students taking some online courses
31%
Weekend or evening classes
Yes
Campus and services
Setting
Small city
Academic calendar
Semester
Carnegie classification
Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity
Research designation
Research 2: High Spending and Doctorate Production
Athletic association
NCAA
Athletic conference
Mid-American Conference
President
Geoffrey S. Mearns
Services and opportunities
Study abroad, ROTC, Undergraduate research, Teacher certification, Academic and career counseling, Student employment services, Job placement for graduates, Accepts AP credit, Credit for life experience
For veterans and service members
Yellow Ribbon Program, Credit for military training, Dedicated veterans contact, Student veteran organization