Purdue University-Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana · Also known as Purdue-West Lafayette|Purdue|PU|Purdue-WL · Website
$72,424
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$72,424
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Purdue University-Main Campus is a public 4-year college in West Lafayette, Indiana with 44,503 undergraduates and 13,839 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $14,600 a year (tuition and fees $9,992 in-state, $28,794 out-of-state). It admits 50% of applicants and 83% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $72,424 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $19,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$14,600
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$9,992
Out-of-state $28,794
Admission rate
50%
US median 78%
Completion rate
83%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$19,500
About $207 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$72,424
Rank 311 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $14,600
- Tuition in-state
- $9,992
- Tuition out-of-state
- $28,794
- Cost of attendance
- $24,591
- Students with a need-based grant
- 13%
- Students with federal loans
- 22%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $5,098
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $6,241
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $9,438
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $18,177
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $22,742
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $10,002 in 2015-16 to $9,992 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 50%
- Average SAT
- 1,364
- SAT reading, middle
- 640
- SAT math, middle
- 670
- ACT, middle
- 30
- Undergraduates
- 44,503
- Graduate students
- 13,839
- Part-time students
- 5.9%
- Women
- 41%
- Students per teacher
- 14
- Completion rate
- 83%
- Retention rate
- 93%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 348
- Endowment
- $4.0B
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 311 of 5,094 US colleges and 5 of 126 in Indiana (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | IN median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $14,600 | $19,432 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $9,992 | $10,090 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 50% | 80% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 83% | 62% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 93% | 75% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $19,500 | $16,666 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $60,838 | $36,186 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $72,424 | $43,603 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 78% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 85% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
348 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 560 | $19,136 | $94,786 | $146,685 | $107,009 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsCertificate | Certificate | 509 | $19,500 | $71,977 | $89,788 | $47,440 |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 478 | $19,500 | $80,374 | $102,572 | $92,135 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsMaster's | Master's | 426 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $124,807 |
| Computer EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 319 | $22,875 | $89,965 | $121,462 | $109,015 |
| Research and Experimental PsychologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 318 | $18,500 | $31,172 | $52,170 | $55,695 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 314 | $21,500 | $71,989 | $97,332 | $98,207 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 290 | $19,500 | $40,145 | $58,225 | $57,214 |
| Industrial EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 269 | $18,357 | $81,379 | $107,031 | $98,442 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/TechniciansBachelor's | Bachelor's | 265 | $19,500 | $67,093 | $86,891 | $82,073 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 224 | $21,500 | $59,938 | $85,924 | $83,343 |
| Mechanical EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 219 | Withheld | $105,764 | $133,021 | $115,974 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 211 | Withheld | $104,331 | $137,523 | $133,654 |
| StatisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 205 | $19,250 | $72,579 | $104,047 | $92,425 |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, GeneralCertificate | Certificate | 197 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Curriculum and InstructionMaster's | Master's | 196 | $28,580 | $57,521 | Withheld | - |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 189 | $41,000 | $103,280 | $132,747 | $103,485 |
| Communication and Media StudiesMaster's | Master's | 186 | $34,280 | $70,112 | $84,920 | $71,953 |
| Computer Software and Media ApplicationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 181 | $20,101 | $38,234 | $59,766 | $58,894 |
| Civil EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 180 | $19,500 | $74,369 | $90,873 | $86,517 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 174 | $32,946 | $104,329 | $131,275 | $122,434 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 174 | $17,750 | $84,300 | $105,396 | $100,647 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 170 | $18,578 | $70,903 | $93,976 | $86,176 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 162 | $19,500 | $71,759 | $80,403 | $88,910 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 148 | $19,500 | $72,132 | $99,896 | $92,374 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: Indiana on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Indiana
- Homes: Homes for sale in Indiana
Questions and answers
How much does Purdue University-Main Campus cost?
$14,600 a year is the average net price at Purdue University-Main Campus after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $9,992 for in-state students and $28,794 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $24,591. Families earning under $30,000 pay $5,098 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Purdue University-Main Campus?
50% of applicants are admitted to Purdue University-Main Campus. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,364 and the middle ACT score is 30. The median admission rate of colleges in Indiana is 80%.
How much do Purdue University-Main Campus graduates earn?
$72,424 a year is the median pay of former Purdue University-Main Campus students who work, 10 years after they started ($60,838 after 6 years). That ranks 311 of 5,094 US colleges and 5 of 126 in Indiana. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Agricultural Business and Management (Master's) at $133,627.
How much student debt do Purdue University-Main Campus graduates have?
$19,500 is the median federal student loan debt of Purdue University-Main Campus graduates, about $207 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 22% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Purdue University-Main Campus?
83% of first-time, full-time students at Purdue University-Main Campus finish within 6 years. 93% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Purdue University-Main Campus?
Computer Science (560 bachelor's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (509 certificate graduates), Mechanical Engineering (478 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 348 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.