Why Purdue? Vibrant Campus and Top Academic Opportunities

The flagship campus of the Purdue University system is Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Founded in 1869 and named after a businessman who donated money for its establishment, John Purdue, it’s a founding member of the Big Ten Conference, the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the US.

Enrollment-wise, Purdue is the largest postsecondary institution in IN, having more than 50,880 students.

So, is Purdue a good school?

Definitely, Purdue University is a good school in that it offers strong academic programs, especially undergraduate ones in the fields of business, engineering, and various tech-related disciplines.

It’s also an R1: Doctoral University, offering plenty of opportunities for students to conduct groundbreaking research.

Meanwhile, Purdue’s campus is vibrant and supportive — it has plenty of fraternity and sorority chapters and is one of the biggest party schools in IN and the US.

Applying to Purdue, a Less Selective University

What is Purdue’s Acceptance Rate?

The acceptance rate of Purdue is 53%.

Admitting a little more than half of all applicants, Purdue is a less selective institution.

Purdue puts some applicants on a waitlist in case slots become available for them — less than 0.5% of students who accept a place on the waitlist end up getting an acceptance letter from Purdue.

Does Purdue Require a Minimum GPA?

Purdue does not impose a minimum GPA requirement for first-time, first-year applicants.

The average GPA of successful candidates at Purdue is 3.74 — approximately 48% have an average GPA ranging from 3.57 to 3.99, while only around 13% have an average GPA of 4.0.

However, students applying for readmission to Purdue must have a GPA of at least 2.0.

Is Purdue Test Optional?

As of this writing, Purdue is no longer a test-optional school.

Applicants are expected to submit their SAT or ACT scores — Purdue’s admissions officers do not prefer one standardized test score over the other, so students may report whatever test score they have.

For reference, successful applicants have composite test scores of 1200 to 1470 (ACT) and 27 to 34 (ACT).

When is the Application Deadline at Purdue?

Regular decision application at Purdue has no hard deadline.

That’s because it has a rolling admission policy, which means that Purdue keeps accepting applications until there are no more available slots to fill. Interested students may start applying on August 1.

Purdue has an early action (EA) plan, with a November 1 deadline.

Is Purdue Ivy League?

Purdue is not an Ivy League institution.

Similarly, it doesn’t have any Ivy-like designation — it’s not like those American colleges and universities with titles such as Hidden Ivies, New Ivies, Southern Ivies, and Little Ivies.

However, Purdue is known as the cradle of astronauts because it produced more than two dozen astronauts.

Which Criteria are Parts of Purdue Admissions?

The most important factors admissions officers at Purdue consider are:

• GPA
• Academic rigor
• Test scores

The following are also considerations, but with less weight:

• Class rank
• Application essay
• Recommendation letters
• Extracurriculars
• Character
• Being a first-generation student
• Residence
• Race or ethnicity
• Volunteer work
• Work experience
• Demonstrated interest

Purdue Cost of Attendance and Academics

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Purdue?

As of this writing, tuition at Purdue costs $9,992 for Indiana residents and $28,794 for non-residents.

Here’s the breakdown of the estimated cost of attending Purdue for one academic year:

Expenditure	In-State Cost	Out-of-State Cost
Tuition	$9,992	$28,794
Room and board	$10,030	$10,030
Books and supplies	$1,010	$1,010
Transportation	$250	$250
Miscellaneous	$1,530	$1,530
Total	$22,812	$41,614

Meanwhile, tuition for undergraduate students attending Purdue online is $371.00 per quarter credit hour.

Related Article: 425 Colleges Charging In-State Tuition for Out-of-State Applicants

Does Purdue Offer Financial Aid?

Around 32% of Purdue’s entire population receives financial aid.

On the other hand, among undergraduate students, approximately 79% of those who demonstrate financial need receive aid, each receiving an average of $12,378 per year.

Purdue meets about 65% of a student’s demonstrated financial need.

What are the Most Popular Majors at Purdue?

Undergraduate students at Purdue can choose from more than 220 majors.

Some of the most popular majors at Purdue include the following:

• Business
• Management
• Marketing
• Computer science
• Engineering
• Psychology
• Finance
• Computer graphics
• Social sciences
• Biology
• Mathematics
• Statistics

Purdue puts you ahead of many others and it allows you to have a wonderful experience on a big campus. However, there isn’t much help for hard classes that aren’t based in Engineering and the food is not too good.

Niche.com

Does Purdue Have an Online Campus?

Purdue has an online campus, and it’s called Purdue Global.

Non-traditional students who are transferring from other colleges to complete their degrees online or starting their undergraduate careers may enroll at Purdue Global and choose from 40 bachelor’s degree programs.

Tuition at Purdue Global costs $371.00 per quarter credit hour ($315.00 per quarter credit hour for nursing).

Related Article: How Good Is Purdue Global? Is It Worth The Money?

Are Class Sizes Big at Purdue?

Most classes at Purdue University are large.

Approximately 39% of classes have fewer than 20 students.

Meanwhile, the student-to-faculty ratio is 14:1 — Purdue employs 2,945 instructional faculty members, and roughly 89% of those are teaching at the public research institution full-time.

What are Purdue’s College Rankings?

US News ranks Purdue #43 in National Universities and #17 in Top Public Schools.

Meanwhile, on an international scale, Purdue still impresses — it’s #99 in the QS World University Rankings and #86 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

Life on the Purdue Campus

How Big is the Purdue Campus?

The Purdue University campus, which has a city setting, is 2,468 acres big.

It’s home to more than 160 major buildings and 13 schools, namely:

• College of Agriculture
• Daniels School of Business
• College of Education
• College of Engineering
• Exploratory Studies
• College of Health and Human Sciences
• College of Liberal Arts
• College of Pharmacy
• Purdue Polytechnic Institute
• College of Science
• College of Veterinary Medicine
• John Martinson Honors College
• The Graduate School

How Many Students Go to Purdue?

As of this writing, more than 50,880 students are attending Purdue.

Approximately 75% of those are undergraduate students, while around 71% are attending full-time.

On the other hand, roughly 33,500 students are attending Purdue Global.

Does Purdue Have a Diverse Campus?

Purdue has a slightly diverse campus, with around 27% of the students from minority groups.

Up to 61% of the students are white, while only 2% are black.

However, it’s worth noting that Purdue has the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging responsible for administering diversity organizations, initiatives, resources, and cultural centers.

Must Freshmen Students at Purdue Reside in Dorms?

First-time, first-year students at Purdue are not required to reside on campus.

However, most of them choose to live in Purdue’s residence halls — among freshmen students, as much as 93% live on campus, while around 42% of all undergraduate students do so.

At Purdue, students can choose from 31 residence halls.

While Purdue feels like home, professors and staff do not complete their job nor do a lot of them seem like they enjoy what they do. Great college experience, but very expensive and does not support all majors.

Niche.com

Is There Greek Life at Purdue?

Greek life at Purdue is one of the largest and most active in the United States.

There are 81 fraternities and sororities at Purdue, each one making sure to maintain a member’s balanced life based on the following four principles:

• Friendship
• Leadership
• Scholarship
• Service

Around 15% of male undergraduates are fraternity members, and 17% of females are sorority members.

Is Purdue a Party School?

Purdue University is a party school.

As a matter of fact, Niche ranks Purdue #5 in Top Party Schools in Indiana (out of 40 ranked institutions in IN) and #298 in Top Party Schools in America (out of 298 ranked institutions in the US).

Polled students give Purdue’s party scene a grade of A-.

Is Purdue Known for Sports?

There are 18 varsity teams at Purdue, and they’re called the Boilermakers.

The Boilermakers have won five national championships:

• Men’s basketball
• Women’s basketball
• Men’s golf
• Women’s golf
• Cheerleading

Additionally, the Boilermakers have won 31 individual championships.