Purdue University Northwest
Hammond, Indiana · Also known as Purdue Northwest | PNW · Website
$48,318
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$48,318
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Purdue University Northwest is a public 4-year college in Hammond, Indiana with 5,671 undergraduates and 850 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $6,079 a year (tuition and fees $8,675 in-state, $16,094 out-of-state). It admits 72% of applicants and 43% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $48,318 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $21,229 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$6,079
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$8,675
Out-of-state $16,094
Admission rate
72%
US median 78%
Completion rate
43%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$21,229
About $225 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$48,318
Rank 1,624 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
- $6,079
- Tuition in-state
- $8,675
- Tuition out-of-state
- $16,094
- Cost of attendance
- $15,571
- Students with a need-based grant
- 28%
- Students with federal loans
- 25%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $1,432
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $2,428
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $7,026
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $12,452
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $13,645
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2017-18 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $7,582 in 2017-18 to $8,675 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
- 72%
- Average SAT
- 1,024
- SAT reading, middle
- 550
- SAT math, middle
- 540
- ACT, middle
- 23
- Undergraduates
- 5,671
- Graduate students
- 850
- Part-time students
- 19%
- Women
- 53%
- Students per teacher
- 17
- Completion rate
- 43%
- Retention rate
- 66%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 98
- Endowment
- $55.7M
- Other
- Hispanic-serving
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 1,624 of 5,094 US colleges and 49 of 126 in Indiana (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | IN median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $6,079 | $19,432 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $8,675 | $10,090 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 72% | 80% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 43% | 62% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 66% | 75% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $21,229 | $16,666 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $48,439 | $36,186 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $48,318 | $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. 42% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 74% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
98 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 482 | $17,908 | $77,691 | $88,935 | $88,910 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingOnlineMaster's | Master's | 94 | $33,564 | $108,669 | $119,447 | $120,193 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 58 | $24,500 | $45,071 | $49,224 | $47,382 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 57 | $23,120 | $33,155 | $48,094 | $57,214 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 54 | $21,492 | $27,436 | $42,322 | $50,706 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 52 | $22,875 | $49,993 | $69,186 | $76,194 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 43 | $26,850 | $44,971 | $57,191 | $68,257 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 42 | $25,000 | $25,541 | $49,326 | $56,359 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 42 | $41,226 | $65,615 | $88,461 | $103,485 |
| Engineering-Related FieldsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 37 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $125,651 |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 37 | $25,218 | $41,942 | $63,333 | $69,303 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 34 | $18,153 | $61,699 | $75,365 | $92,374 |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 32 | $22,352 | $68,632 | $91,229 | $92,135 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 32 | $20,031 | $33,944 | $46,277 | $61,296 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 32 | $18,933 | $53,062 | $65,912 | $83,343 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 30 | Withheld | $68,485 | $88,158 | $107,009 |
| Civil EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 29 | $25,000 | $69,339 | $84,514 | $86,517 |
| Computer ScienceMaster's | Master's | 28 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $145,571 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 28 | $23,000 | $33,295 | $51,349 | $53,072 |
| Education, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 26 | $28,188 | $49,025 | $64,815 | $65,824 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 26 | $25,147 | $79,917 | $96,206 | $100,647 |
| Mechanical EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 24 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $115,974 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/TechniciansBachelor's | Bachelor's | 23 | $20,750 | $65,059 | $85,242 | $82,073 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 21 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Human Resources Management and ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 19 | $25,750 | $47,640 | $67,466 | $68,069 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Hammond and Indiana on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Indiana
- Homes: Homes for sale in Indiana
Questions and answers
How much does Purdue University Northwest cost?
$6,079 a year is the average net price at Purdue University Northwest after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $8,675 for in-state students and $16,094 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $15,571. Families earning under $30,000 pay $1,432 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Purdue University Northwest?
72% of applicants are admitted to Purdue University Northwest. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,024 and the middle ACT score is 23. The median admission rate of colleges in Indiana is 80%.
How much do Purdue University Northwest graduates earn?
$48,318 a year is the median pay of former Purdue University Northwest students who work, 10 years after they started ($48,439 after 6 years). That ranks 1,624 of 5,094 US colleges and 49 of 126 in Indiana. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's) at $108,669.
How much student debt do Purdue University Northwest graduates have?
$21,229 is the median federal student loan debt of Purdue University Northwest graduates, about $225 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 25% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Purdue University Northwest?
43% of first-time, full-time students at Purdue University Northwest finish within 6 years. 66% 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 Northwest?
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (482 bachelor's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (94 master's graduates), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (58 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 98 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.