Enrollment: 16832
Average SAT: 525
Average ACT: 21
Most Popular Majors: Elementary Education and Teaching,Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General,Radio and Television,
Regular Application Deadline: 08/15
Student Faculty Ratio: 15.9:1

Average Freshman Total Need-Based Gift Aid: $5,692.00

2010 Top Entrepreneurial Programs: Undergraduate

Students Say - Academics
"Ball State's recently adapted slogan, "Education Redefined," is "very applicable to the university" because it reflects the school's new commitment to "immersive learning." The approach includes "enriching life and learning experiences in and out of the classroom while providing access to as many resources as possible," all in an effort to "enhance what students are learning in the classroom" through internships and field experience. The school offers "many ranked programs," such as a "telecommunications department with brand new facilities," including the David Letterman Communication and Media Building. Other programs receiving students' plaudits include architecture, education, physical sciences, and sociology. All students enjoy access to "an abundance of resources, particularly through the Career Center to help students find internships and jobs during and after their collegiate careers." Professors are another great resource; as one student notes, "Our professors… focus their efforts on teaching students. We don't have a lot of grad students teaching undergrads, and the professors are in the classroom and are highly involved with students' success.""

Students Say - Campus Life
""Quality of life on campus has increased drastically in the past few years" at Ball State, students report. "A beautiful new residence hall was built and a dining hall was renovated. The center of campus has been reconstructed to help with traffic and make it safer for students. There has also been an increase in shuttle buses to decrease the wait for students." The school "provides a lot of activities/events that are free for students," such as "sports events; theater/musical tickets that are free or highly discounted; and many other groups, workshops, and programs." One student asserts that "There [are] no limitations to the amount of fun that is capable on this campus. There are great fields for playing Frisbee, plenty of room to lay out and tan, all varieties of things to do." These opportunities help offset the perception that "There isn't much to do in Muncie besides going to chain restaurants and a tiny shopping mall." As one student observes, "Muncie is a poor town currently caught in an economic downturn…It doesn't have the conveniences that most towns this size have.""

Students Say - Student Body
"Because Ball State is "a school of 17,000," there "are all types of people" here, which "makes it very nice to not have cookie cutter kids all the time." As one student puts it, "You cannot not find your niche at Ball State!" Nor should you have trouble doing so, as "You can tell who are the drama majors, the art majors, the music majors, the frat guys. Everyone fits in." Many here "are Midwest region natives," meaning "the demographics are typically white and middle class," although others point out that "We're a pretty diverse bunch. I think back to a time at one of the computer labs there were people speaking Spanish on one side, there were two other people chatting in Chinese. I felt as if I were in a melting pot of cultural diversity. Through my experiences, most of the students are accepting of differences.""

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