# Purdue University Northwest (PNW)

Public college in Hammond, IN. IPEDS ID 490805.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/purdue-university-northwest · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/purdue-university-northwest.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 72% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $6,079 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 43%; beats 27% of IN colleges and 30% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $48,318; beats 34% of IN colleges and 35% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $13,031

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $1,432 |
| 30-48k | $2,428 |
| 48-75k | $7,026 |
| 75-110k | $12,452 |
| 110k+ | $13,645 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, in-state. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.46 years on average (28% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $48,318 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $35,534 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IN (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $1,432 | $6,387 | under 1 year |
| 30-48k | $2,428 | $10,829 | under 1 year |
| 48-75k | $7,026 | $31,336 | 2.5 years |
| 75-110k | $12,452 | $55,536 | 4.3 years |
| 110k+ | $13,645 | $60,857 | 4.8 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $15,571 in-state; about $22,990 out-of-state
- Tuition and fees: $8,675 in-state, $16,094 out-of-state
- Housing and meals: $9,097; books: $598

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 450–570; SAT math: 440–570; ACT: 16–24 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 6,394 applicants, 4,516 admitted, 1,192 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 72%, ACT 16–24 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 71%, ACT 16–25 (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (48 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Engineering | $79,917 | $96,206 | $26,471 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $68,632 | $91,229 | $25,250 |
| Nursing | $77,691 | $88,935 | $24,552 |
| Computer Science | $68,485 | $88,158 | not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies / Technicians | $65,059 | $85,242 | $25,000 |
| Civil Engineering | $69,339 | $84,514 | $28,250 |
| Electrical / Electronic Engineering Technologies / Technicians | $75,675 | $84,288 | $25,625 |
| Engineering-Related Fields | $66,798 | $82,075 | not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $61,699 | $75,365 | $18,700 |
| Accounting | $49,993 | $69,186 | $25,099 |
| Human Resources | $47,640 | $67,466 | $26,486 |
| Finance | $53,062 | $65,912 | $23,078 |
| Marketing | $41,942 | $63,333 | $25,437 |
| Business Administration | $44,971 | $57,191 | $28,000 |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | $33,295 | $51,349 | $29,517 |
| Communications | $25,541 | $49,326 | $28,000 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $45,071 | $49,224 | $27,000 |
| Sociology | $35,334 | $48,830 | $24,500 |
| Biology | $33,155 | $48,094 | $24,750 |
| Health Sciences | $33,944 | $46,277 | $26,500 |
| Psychology | $27,436 | $42,322 | $23,929 |
| Human Development and Family Studies | $26,384 | $39,664 | $26,649 |
| Behavioral Sciences | $28,340 | $37,956 | $16,012 |
| English | $31,171 | $34,560 | $26,279 |
| Software and Media Applications | $21,532 | $29,630 | $17,750 |
| Computer Systems Analysis | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Information Technology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Electromechanical Technologies / Technicians | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Construction Engineering Technology / Technician | $68,284 | not reported | not reported |
| Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Mathematics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Philosophy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physical Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Criminal Justice | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Social Work | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Political Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Medical Laboratory Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Business | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Entrepreneurship | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Hospitality Management | $39,017 | not reported | $29,169 |
| Management Information Systems | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Management Science / Analytics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| History | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Nursing → Registered nurse: median wage $100,490 (Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN), $83,500 (IN), $97,550 (U.S.)
- Education (Elementary / Secondary) → Elementary school teacher: median wage $78,390 (Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN), $59,700 (IN), $63,970 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).