Colleges / Purdue University-Main Campus
College · Public · West Lafayette, IN · City
Pur

Purdue University-Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

AddressHovde Hall of Administration, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2040
Websitewww.purdue.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate50%
6-yr median pay$61k
Net price / yr$15k
Undergrad size44,503
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $15k/yr for a shot at a $61k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 50% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1364 · ACT 30.

If you get in

44,503 undergrads. Big. You will have to make it feel small yourself.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $25k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $15k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$98k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$58k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$40k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.0x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$10.0k
Tuition · out-of-state
$28.8k
Room & board
$12.8k
Books & supplies
$1,070

How students pay for it.

Pell grants13%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans22%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$20k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $8k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention92%
Very high — students stay.
Graduation · 6 yr83%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$61k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$72k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Public
Undergrad size
44,503
Location
West Lafayette, IN
Region
Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
Carnegie class
Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity (R1)
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, selective, lower transfer-in
Accreditor
Higher Learning Commission
Also known as
Purdue-West Lafayette · Purdue · PU · Purdue-WL
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White54%
  • Asian15%
  • International10%
  • Hispanic8%
  • Unknown6%
  • Two or more races5%
  • Black3%
First-gen students19%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time6%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Veterans0%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$82k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 112

What you can study.

Colleges / Purdue University-Main Campus
College · Public · West Lafayette, IN · City
Pur

Purdue University-Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

AddressHovde Hall of Administration, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2040
Websitewww.purdue.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate50%
6-yr median pay$61k
Net price / yr$15k
Undergrad size44,503
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $15k/yr for a shot at a $61k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 50% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1364 · ACT 30.

If you get in

44,503 undergrads. Big. You will have to make it feel small yourself.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $25k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $15k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$98k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$58k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$40k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.0x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$10.0k
Tuition · out-of-state
$28.8k
Room & board
$12.8k
Books & supplies
$1,070

How students pay for it.

Pell grants13%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans22%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$20k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $8k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention92%
Very high — students stay.
Graduation · 6 yr83%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$61k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$72k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Public
Undergrad size
44,503
Location
West Lafayette, IN
Region
Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
Carnegie class
Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity (R1)
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, selective, lower transfer-in
Accreditor
Higher Learning Commission
Also known as
Purdue-West Lafayette · Purdue · PU · Purdue-WL
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White54%
  • Asian15%
  • International10%
  • Hispanic8%
  • Unknown6%
  • Two or more races5%
  • Black3%
First-gen students19%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time6%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Veterans0%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$82k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 112

What you can study.