Indiana State University Newsroom

Indiana State University ranked first in the state for the third year in a row in CollegeNet's annual Social Mobility Index (SMI).

It is also the sixth time in the past seven years that ISU ranked best among Indiana's public institutions.

"Our focus in developing the SMI is to comparatively assess the role of our higher education system in providing a conduit for economic and social advancement," CollegeNet says.

The Social Mobility Index "measures the extent to which a college or university educates more economically disadvantaged students (with family incomes below the national median) at lower tuition and graduates them into good paying jobs. Competing around these factors, our higher education system can reverse the destabilizing trend towards growing economic immobility, advance the American Dream, and promote the public interest."

ISU President Deborah Curtis said she's proud of the university's success in educating first-generation and Pell Grant-eligible students.

Among ISU's freshman in Fall 2020, 47 percent were first-generation college students and 47 percent were Pell Grant-eligible.

"We often talk about the transformative impact of an ISU education, and this survey shows, once again, that it's real," Curtis said. "This is just one of the ways we're distinct - providing opportunities for affordable, high-quality education at a comprehensive university."

ISU has a placement rate of 99 percent for graduates, meaning they go into jobs, graduate school or the military. The average starting salary is $57,593.

Here is Indiana State's year-by-year performance in the Social Mobility Index: