23 Best colleges for Optical Engineering in Indiana, US

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Indiana ranked based on their research performance in Optical Engineering. A graph of 2.06M citations received by 60.6K academic papers made by 23 universities in Indiana was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. Purdue University

West Lafayette

For Optical Engineering

#23 in the United States

#24 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Average SAT: 1340
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 59%

2. University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame

For Optical Engineering

#72 in the United States

#81 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 11%
Average SAT: 1508
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $29,300

3. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

Indianapolis

For Optical Engineering

#103 in the United States

#119 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 76%
Average SAT: 1135
Average ACT: 25
Receiving Aid: 91%

4. Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington

For Optical Engineering

#196 in the United States

#224 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 78%
Average SAT: 1285
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 82%

5. Indiana State University

Terre Haute

For Optical Engineering

#309 in the United States

#349 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 81%
Receiving Aid: 98%
Average Aid: $12,383
Enrollment: 7,895

6. University of Indianapolis

Indianapolis

For Optical Engineering

#333 in the United States

#377 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 66%
Net Price: $22,662
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $29,818

7. Ball State University

Muncie

For Optical Engineering

#341 in the United States

#386 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 85%
Average SAT: 1170
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 91%

8. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Terre Haute

For Optical Engineering

#357 in the United States

#402 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Average SAT: 1410
Average ACT: 32
Net Price: $45,406

9. Valparaiso University

Valparaiso

For Optical Engineering

#411 in the United States

#459 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Average SAT: 1170
Average ACT: 27
Net Price: $21,766

10. Manchester University

North Manchester

For Optical Engineering

#413 in the United States

#461 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Net Price: $19,425
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $30,635

11. Purdue University Northwest

Hammond

For Optical Engineering

#448 in the United States

#501 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Average SAT: 1015
Average ACT: 20
Receiving Aid: 92%

12. Goshen College

Goshen

For Optical Engineering

#537 in the United States

#591 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 84%
Average SAT: 995
Net Price: $16,693
Receiving Aid: 100%

13. Hanover College

Hanover

For Optical Engineering

#606 in the United States

#662 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 84%
Average SAT: 1195
Average ACT: 26
Net Price: $23,683

14. Butler University

Indianapolis

For Optical Engineering

#663 in the United States

#720 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 85%
Average SAT: 1255
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $38,438

15. Wabash College

Crawfordsville

For Optical Engineering

#687 in the United States

#745 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Average SAT: 1165
Average ACT: 26
Net Price: $25,562

16. DePauw University

Greencastle

For Optical Engineering

#737 in the United States

#799 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Average SAT: 1305
Average ACT: 30
Net Price: $31,411

17. University of Evansville

Evansville

For Optical Engineering

#777 in the United States

#840 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 78%
Net Price: $18,773
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $39,167

18. University of Southern Indiana

Evansville

For Optical Engineering

#816 in the United States

#879 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 96%
Average SAT: 1135
Average ACT: 24
Receiving Aid: 98%

19. Martin University

Indianapolis

For Optical Engineering

#879 in the United States

#944 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $18,114
Receiving Aid: 86%
Average Aid: $5,038

20. Saint Mary's College

Notre Dame

For Optical Engineering

#889 in the United States

#954 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 76%
Average SAT: 1228
Average ACT: 28
Net Price: $27,865

21. Earlham College

Richmond

For Optical Engineering

#947 in the United States

#1014 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 73%
Average SAT: 1200
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $27,107

22. Taylor University

Upland

For Optical Engineering

#976 in the United States

#1043 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 74%
Average SAT: 1200
Average ACT: 28
Net Price: $26,178

23. Franklin College

Franklin

For Optical Engineering

#987 in the United States

#1054 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Average SAT: 1150
Average ACT: 23
Net Price: $24,189

Closest to Indiana states to learn Optical Engineering

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Illinois	41	8
Kentucky	12	85
Ohio	40	27
Tennessee	26	64
Michigan	26	5
West Virginia	7	119
Missouri	18	48
Wisconsin	23	16
Iowa	11	46
Virginia	30	52
North Carolina	24	32
Pennsylvania	68	18
Arkansas	11	114
District of Columbia	8	94
Alabama	19	88
South Carolina	15	81
Georgia	26	14
Maryland	21	11
Mississippi	10	137
Minnesota	19	25
New York	92	9
New Jersey	18	15
Kansas	9	99
Louisiana	19	79
Oklahoma	11	97
Connecticut	18	29
Nebraska	7	83
Vermont	4	148
Massachusetts	50	2
South Dakota	7	246
Rhode Island	6	59
New Hampshire	8	95
Florida	31	30
North Dakota	3	193
Maine	7	183
Texas	55	13
Colorado	16	33
New Mexico	6	70
Montana	3	147
Utah	7	36
Arizona	5	20
Idaho	4	166
Nevada	3	126
Washington	17	10
Oregon	15	84
California	80	1
Puerto Rico	9	264
Alaska	3	201
Hawaii	4	124