More selective than 95% of Indiana colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $24,591. College Scorecard.
Higher than 98% of Indiana colleges we cover and 91% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 94% of Indiana colleges we cover and 88% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
PU acceptance rate & admissions
Of 73,083 applicants, Purdue University admitted 36,763 and 9,381 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1200–1480 on the SAT or 27–34 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
PU tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Indiana residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What PU costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Purdue University took 4.3 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Indiana. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $5,098 | $21,717 | under 1 year |
| $30–48k | $6,241 | $26,587 | under 1 year |
| $48–75k | $9,438 | $40,206 | 1.1 years |
| $75–110k | $18,177 | $77,434 | 2.1 years |
| $110k+ | $22,742 | $96,881 | 2.6 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (64% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($72,424) minus $35,534 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IN (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $36,890 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
PU majors, earnings & careers
Purdue University offers 112 bachelor's majors across 11 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Science & Math · 31
- Engineering · 22
- Humanities & Languages · 15
- Health & Medicine · 11
- Business & Finance · 9
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 8
- Arts & Design · 5
- Technology & Computing · 5
- Education · 4
- Communications & Media · 1
- Trades & Applied Technology · 1
Highest-earning majors at PU
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $146,685 | $19,375 |
| Computer Engineering | $121,462 | $23,000 |
| Materials Engineering | $107,557 | $21,335 |
| Industrial Engineering | $107,031 | $19,427 |
| Electrical Engineering | $105,396 | $19,000 |
| Chemical Engineering | $104,514 | $21,500 |
| Statistics | $104,047 | $19,500 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $102,572 | $19,937 |
Quick list of all 112 majors
- Accounting$90,119
- Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical / Space Engineering$97,332
- Agricultural Business$65,900
- Agricultural Engineering$86,306
- Agricultural Mechanization$73,393
- Agricultural Production Operations$71,868
- Agricultural Public Services—
- Agriculture—
- Air Transportation$86,161
- Animal Sciences$54,089
- Anthropology$55,624
- Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services—
- Applied Mathematics—
- Architectural Engineering Technologies / Technicians$97,594
- Area Studies—
- Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology—
- Biochemistry$67,639
- Biological and Physical Sciences—
- Biology$58,225
- Biomedical Engineering$93,434
- Botany / Plant Biology$57,530
- Business Administration$81,040
- Cell / Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences—
- Chemical Engineering$104,514
- Chemistry$67,680
- Civil Engineering$90,873
- Classical and Ancient Studies—
- Communications$65,517
- Computer and Information Sciences$99,896
- Computer Engineering$121,462
- Computer Science$146,685
- Construction Engineering$101,108
- Dietetics$59,649
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—
- Economics$83,195
- Education—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$48,502
- Education (Subject Teaching)$54,559
- Electrical / Electronic Engineering Technologies / Technicians$85,224
- Electrical Engineering$105,396
- Engineering / Engineering-Related Technologies / Technicians, Other$63,954
- Engineering Technologies / Technicians—
- Engineering-Related Fields$87,914
- Engineering, Other$87,331
- English$52,053
- Environmental Engineering$78,770
- Environmental Science / Conservation$69,768
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences—
- Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences Business Services$69,246
- Film and Photography$52,105
- Finance$85,924
- Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management$40,053
- Food Science and Technology$75,060
- Forestry$56,754
- General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations$82,441
- Genetics—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$58,917
- Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other$82,581
- Health Sciences—
- History$53,708
- Hospitality Management$58,861
- Human Development and Family Studies$49,649
- Industrial Engineering$107,031
- Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians$88,474
- Information Technology—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$72,724
- Landscape Architecture$67,113
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Linguistics—
- Management Science / Analytics$93,976
- Marketing$84,725
- Materials Engineering$107,557
- Mathematics$58,453
- Mathematics and Computer Science—
- Mechanical Engineering$102,572
- Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies / Technicians$86,891
- Medical Laboratory Science—
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music—
- Neuroscience—
- Nuclear Engineering—
- Nursing$80,403
- Nutrition Science—
- Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration—
- Philosophy—
- Physics$67,505
- Physiology—
- Plant Sciences—
- Political Science$71,601
- Psychology—
- Psychology (Research)$52,170
- Public Health$66,892
- Religious Studies—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Sociology$55,072
- Software and Media Applications$59,766
- Soil Sciences—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Special Education$55,308
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$59,050
- Statistics$104,047
- Studio Art—
- Systems Science and Theory—
- Theatre—
- Veterinary / Animal Health Technologies / Technicians$45,935
- Writing$49,918
- Zoology / Animal Biology—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Computer Science → Software developer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Lafayette
Overall prices in the Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,273. Housing costs 24% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 43 inches of rain a year, 19 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Tippecanoe County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Tippecanoe County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare PU with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Indiana by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purdue University | 50% | $14,600 | 83% | $72,424 | This school |
| Indiana University-Bloomington | 78% | $16,264 | 80% | $63,742 | |
| Indiana University-Indianapolis | 76% | $11,668 | 54% | $55,198 | |
| Vincennes University | — | $11,225 | 39% | $41,110 | |
| Ball State University | 86% | $14,940 | 62% | $51,833 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Purdue University would cost you $1,664 less per year than Indiana University-Bloomington, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Purdue University, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$2,152).
- Indiana University-Bloomington gives aided families $2,546 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Indiana resident | PU | IUB | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $9,992 | $12,144 | −$2,152 |
| Books & supplies | $1,030 | $690 | +$340 |
| Housing & meals | $11,650 | $13,380 | −$1,730 |
| Personal & travel | $2,210 | $3,040 | −$830 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$291 | −$453 | +$162 |
| Sticker price | $24,591 | $28,801 | −$4,210 |
| Average grants | −$9,991 | −$12,537 | +$2,546 |
| You pay | $14,600 | $16,264 | −$1,664 |
“+” means PU costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about PU
What is the PU acceptance rate?
Purdue University accepts 50% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 36,763 of 73,083 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1200–1480 on the SAT or 27–34 on the ACT.
How much does Purdue University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $24,591 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $14,600 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $5,098 and families earning $110k+ pay $22,742.
How much do PU graduates earn?
Former Purdue University students earn a median $72,424 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the PU graduation rate?
83% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 93% return for their second year.
How long does a PU degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Purdue University costs about $40,206 after grants ($9,438 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $72,424 ten years after starting, $36,890 more than high school graduates in Indiana ($35,534), so the cost is repaid in 1.1 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Purdue University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/purdue-university-main-campus (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).