Acceptance Rate
50%
Avg. SAT
1480
75th percentile
“Purdue forges no-nonsense engineers, aviators, and agronomists who build rockets and feed the world from a sprawling Midwest campus.”
West Lafayette, IN
Location
Small City
Campus Setting
You arrive at Purdue, founded in 1869 by Indiana philanthropist John Purdue, who bet big on a land-grant university to train practical minds amid post-Civil War America's industrial boom. This legacy shapes a place where you thrive if you're a hands-on problem-solver who geeks out over welding projects or crop yields rather than abstract theory—think collaborative tinkerers who pull all-nighters in labs, not solo philosophers. The Boilermaker spirit pulses through a massive 2,600-acre campus in West Lafayette, a small city of 45,000 that revolves around Purdue like a satellite; you'll grab burritos in quirky Chauncey Village or bike along the Wabash River, but expect quiet evenings studying amid cornfields, not urban buzz.
Tradeoffs hit hard here: with 40,000 undergrads, you'll navigate crowds and occasional bureaucratic mazes that smaller privates avoid, and Midwest winters bury you in snow and gray skies from November to March, testing your grit. Yet this fosters resilience; Purdue attracts straight-shooting students from farms, factories, and heartland suburbs who value affordability— in-state tuition under $10,000—and real-world prep over coastal glamour.
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Admissions
Acceptance Rate
Test Policy
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Average GPA
Application Fee
Academics
Student-Faculty Ratio
Programs Offered
Full-Time Faculty
Women Faculty
Research Spending
Degree Levels Offered
In Purdue's classrooms, you dive into engineering's mecca, where the College of Engineering ranks among the nation's elite, churning out grads who staff Boeing and NASA; agriculture and pharmacy programs trace innovations back to hybrid corn revolutions and antibiotic breakthroughs. Expect massive lectures in cavernous halls for intro classes, but intimate labs where your 14:1 student-faculty ratio shines—professors who flew combat missions or patented biofuels mentor you directly. Research beckons early: undergrads co-author papers at Discovery Park, tackling everything from quantum computing to sustainable farming.
The intellectual vibe rewards doers over debaters; you'll wrestle CAD software or dissect engines more than pontificate in seminars. Tradeoffs include weeder courses that cull the casual—pass rates can sting—and a STEM skew that leaves humanities feeling like afterthoughts, though interdisciplinary pushes like data science bridges help.
Student Body
Total Enrollment
44,819 undergrad • 13,839 grad
Undergraduate
Graduate
International
White
54%
Black / African American
3%
Hispanic / Latino
7%
Asian
12%
Other / Multi-racial
24%
Campus Life
Campus Setting
West Lafayette, IN
Varsity Athletics
A typical week at Purdue blends grind with gusto: Monday labs yield to Thursday's engineering open houses, Friday tailgates swell Ross-Ade Stadium for Big Ten football, and weekends host go-kart thrills at the legendary Purdue Grand Prix. You'll bunk in high-rise dorms like Wiley or Hillenbrand, where freshmen bond over roommate roulette and late-night ping-pong; upperclassmen scatter to off-campus houses or co-ops, fostering a mix of Greek life (20% join) and independent scenes. Traditions glue it together—the Breakfast Club's pre-dawn football ticket camps, Marching Band's "Hot Dog" strut, or All-American Milkshake at the student union.
The vibe skews wholesome and hardworking, with collaborative hackerspaces outpacing frat bashes; diversity grows but Midwest homogeneity lingers, and the sheer scale means you'll hustle to find your niche amid 1,000 clubs. Winters confine you indoors, sparking cabin fever, but spring blooms reveal bike paths and riverfront festivals that make it feel like home.
Housing
On-Campus Housing
Housing Capacity
Meal Plan Available
Average Room & Board
Athletics
Athletic Association
NCAA
ROTC & Veteran Support
Army
Yes
Navy
Yes
Air Force
Yes
Veteran’s Programs Available
Yellow Ribbon Program (Post-9/11 GI Bill)
Yes
Credit for military training
Yes
Dedicated point of contact for veteran support services
Yes
Recognized student veteran organization
Yes
Member of DoD Voluntary Educational Partnership MOU
Yes
Cost & Aid
In-State Tuition
Out-of-State Tuition
Room & Board
Estimated Cost
Financial Aid
Students Receiving Aid
Receiving Pell Grants
Average Grant
Average Federal Loan
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Outcomes & Earnings
Retention Rate
93%
4 Years Graduation Rate
58%
6 Years Graduation Rate
77%
Median 10-Year Earnings
$72,424
93% of first-time, full-time students complete their freshman year at Purdue University-Main Campus and return in the fall. 58% of first-time, full-time students graduate in 4 years, and 77% graduate within 6 years.
Graduation Rate
4-year grads
58%
4-5 years
19%
6-8 years
2%
Non-grad
21%
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Key Statistics
Type
Public
Tuition
$9,718
Acceptance
50%
Undergrads
44,819
4-Year Grad Rate
58%
Endowment
$3.7B
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2040