Photo: Publichall · CC BY-SA 3.0Goshen College is 11.3 miles from Elkhart
No college sits inside Elkhart’s boundary, but Goshen College’s campus in Goshen, with 803 students on campus, is 11.3 miles from the center of town, and Ivy Tech Community College is 130.9 miles away in Indianapolis. About 3% of Elkhart’s residents are enrolled in college, below Indiana (6%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Elkhart. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Elkhart
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Elkhart
Five private colleges within 15 miles, and one public college within 13.5 miles.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at $48–75k, where Elkhart’s median household income ($51,028) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Elkhart: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.
Questions about college near Elkhart
Is Elkhart a college town?
No. About 3 of every 100 Elkhart residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), below Indiana (6). The nearest campus, Goshen College, is 11.3 miles away in Goshen.
What colleges are near Elkhart?
Within 15 miles: Goshen College (11.3 miles, 803 students on campus), Bethel University (12 miles, 972), Indiana University-South Bend (13.5 miles, 3,778), the University of Notre Dame (14.3 miles, 12,910), John Patrick University of Health and Applied Sciences (14.9 miles, 365) and Holy Cross College (15 miles, 547).
What is the closest community college to Elkhart, and what does it cost?
Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis, 130.9 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,154 a year for Indiana residents; the federal net price, $7,258, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does Indiana University-South Bend cost if we live in Indiana?
Tuition and fees are $8,424 a year in-state and $22,811 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $4,637 (under $30,000 income) to $15,825 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Elkhart. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →