Purdue University

Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, Purdue University is one of the top-rated universities in the USA. Having been started in 1869, the University has some of the best academic programs to offer and is currently engaged in very high levels of research. The University confers degrees through various schools, such as the College of Engineering, the Krannert School of Management, the School of Nursing, and the College of Education amongst others.

With more than 1,000 student societies and 30 sports clubs, Purdue students have a wide variety of activities to choose from during their studies here. Purdue University ranking is 7 by the US News, 55 by the QS World University Rankings, and 28 by THE's World University Rankings.

 

 

Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. It has been ranked as among the best public universities in the United States by major institutional rankings, and is well-renowned for its engineering program. The main campus in West Lafayette offers more than 200 majors for undergraduates, over 69 masters and doctoral programs, and professional degrees in pharmacy, veterinary medicine, and doctor of nursing practice. In addition, Purdue has 18 intercollegiate sports teams and more than 900 student organizations.

Purdue defines Diversity as excellence expressing itself through the intersections of perspectives and lived experiences. They make proactive and persistent efforts to ensure that all members of the University community feel welcome and supported.

8,562 students from 126 different countries around the world attended Purdue University in 2012. Twenty-two percent of the student body is international, representing 126 countries. In 2012–13, 19,689 out of a total of 39,256 students enrolled were Indiana residents. As of 2013, the racial diversity of the US-resident undergraduate student body was 5.7% Asian, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, and 4.0% black or African American. Of the undergraduate students, 42.6% were female. Domestic minorities constitute a total of 10.8% in the graduate student body population of which 37.3% are female. In the graduate and professional student population, non-Indiana residents occupy an overwhelming majority, about 75%. Almost all undergraduates and about 70% of the graduate student population attend full-time. The school's selectivity for admissions is "more selective" by USNWR: approximately 49% of applicants are admitted.

Purdue University administers its largest and most comprehensive campus in West Lafayette, Indiana, home to the Purdue University Graduate School. The Graduate School offers more than 160 graduate programs on the West Lafayette campus and nearly 80 additional programs on its three regional campuses, located across the State of Indiana.

When applying to the Purdue Graduate School, you will have an opportunity to apply for up to three different campuses and/or majors with a single application and fee payment. You will also be able to rank your graduate program selections by 1st choice, 2nd choice and 3rd choice.

West Lafayette Campus

Purdue University's oldest and largest campus with approximately 40,000 students is located in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Regional Campuses

Purdue University Fort Wayne

Purdue University Fort Wayne, located in Northeast Indiana in Fort Wayne, offers graduate study for Purdue University master's degrees and certificate programs.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)

IUPUI, located near downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, offers Purdue University masters and doctoral degrees. Combined and dual degree and certificate programs are also available.

Purdue Northwest

Purdue Northwest, with campus locations in Hammond and Westville, offers graduate studies in the near-Chicago northwestern region of Indiana.

About one-third of the single undergraduate students on the West Lafayette campus live in university-owned buildings. The rest live in fraternities, sororities, cooperatives, or private off-campus housing. There are 11,844 spaces available for undergraduate students, graduate students, and student families who choose to live on campus. Sixteen percent of the undergraduate student body is members of the 40 fraternities and 20 sororities on campus.

Purdue University operates seventeen separate residence halls for its undergraduate and graduate students. Of the residence halls, four are male-only while two are female-only; the rest of them are co-ed.

There are 12 cooperative houses at Purdue (five men's houses and seven women's houses). All cooperative houses are governed under the Purdue Cooperative Council which is led by Purdue University students who live in these houses. The cooperative system allows for a much lower cost of living than other types of housing, averaging $2900 annually with all-inclusive monthly rent ranging from $250-$625 varying by house.

Purdue University routinely ranks highly in accredited national and world university rankings like the US News and World Report Best Colleges and the QS World University Rankings for their distinguished academic programs. 

Purdue ranks 5th among public institutions in the United States, based on a survey in 2018 by The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education. The rankings, according to The Wall Street Journal, focus on performance indicators for student success and learning. 40% of the overall score is based on student outcomes, 30% from resources, 20% from engagement with students and 10% from the learning environment. The rankings include a list of more than 1,000 institutions in the United States. 

Purdue is 5th among public institutions and 43rd overall nationally, according to the rankings. UCLA, University of Michigan, University of North Carolina and University of California, Berkeley, rank ahead of Purdue among public institutions. Purdue also tied with the University of Michigan and William & Mary for the best student-faculty ratio among public universities, with a rate of 12-to-1.

Purdue is currently home to 2001 Indian students—933 undergraduates and 1068 graduate and professional program students. Purdue’s Indian students hail from every major metropolitan area in India and from Indian students on six continents. Indian students represent 21.9% of the international student body—up from 18.2% two years ago. Thanks to the generous contributions of Purdue alumni, since 2016, Purdue has offered merit-based scholarships to students from India, through the Indian Emerging Scholar fund.

The selection process is directed by the dean of international programs at Purdue. The Indian Emerging Scholar Fund currently offers a limited number of renewable four-year scholarships. Scholarship offers are made in March and awardees have until May 1 to accept offers. Scholarships are awarded in rupees in August to an Indian bank account after the awardee arrives on campus and commences his/her first semester at Purdue.

If you are interested in receiving a scholarship, please be informed that all Indian students who apply to Purdue after graduating from a high school in India will be considered based on academic merit. No separate application required. Indian students play an active role in campus activities. There are dozens of student organizations in which students can become involved.

For example, Indian Graduate Students at Purdue (IGRASP) is a campus cultural organization that aims to build a sense of community away from home for Indian graduate students at Purdue by easing the initial transition to U.S. university life while celebrating the major Indian holidays.

College-based scholarships

Many Purdue colleges have need- and merit-based scholarships they award to students admitted to their programs. To be considered one must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to Purdue West Lafayette by Dec. 15.

In addition, some Purdue colleges use the Supplemental Scholarship Application to identify recipients for awards with very specific criteria. Colleges include Education, Health and Human Sciences, Liberal Arts, and the Polytechnic Institute. This application is available via the Purdue application portal and must be completed by Dec. 15.

University-wide merit scholarships

Freshman merit scholarships are awarded based on a holistic review of all information provided via the admission application. Factors considered include:

Grades in core academic coursework and strength of your high school curriculum (in the context of courses available at your school)

Grades in coursework that is critical to success in your intended major

Application essay and Purdue-specific questions

SAT or ACT score 

Recommendation (if provided)

Evidence of commitment to the academic program to which you applied

Evidence of leadership, service, and other accomplishments; activities, and awards

Personal background and experiences

Information provided by your high school. 

Purdue scholarships are highly competitive - each year about 15% of applicants receive a merit award. Awards are based on credentials and information presented at the time of application for admission and are non-negotiable. Purdue does not match offers from other institutions and does not consider appeals for merit aid. (Only domestic students are eligible for the scholarships described above. Domestic students include U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, permanent resident aliens, and aliens lawfully present in and able to establish domicile in the United States per federal immigration laws. International students who hold F, J, and some other visa types are not eligible.)

The most common jobs for people who hold a degree in one of the 5 most specialized majors at Purdue University-Main Campus are:

Software developers (487,703 people) 

Other managers (352,895 people)

Miscellaneous engineers, including nuclear engineers (345,334 people) 

Civil engineers (273,620 people)

The most specialized majors are:

Agriculture (577 degrees awarded) 

Engineering (2,880 degrees)

Engineering Technologies (832 degrees)

Math & Statistics (327 degrees)

Transportation (153 degrees)

The highest paying jobs for people who hold a degree in one of the 5 most specialized majors at Purdue University-Main Campus are:

Surgeons 

Other financial specialists

Chief executives & legislators 

Lawyers, & judges

magistrates & other judicial workers

Cardiovascular technologists and technicians

The most common industries for people for graduates in one of the 5 most specialized majors are:

Computer Systems Design (497,205 people)

Architectural, engineering & related services (429,712 people)

Construction (307,772 people) 

Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges (255,929 people)

Elementary & secondary schools (189,091 people)

The recruiting companies are as follows: 

Amazon, Deloitte, Exxon, Cognizant, General Electric, EXL Services, KPMG, caterpillar, Microsoft

The university is built on an enormous 2,500-acre campus. The University campus is self-sufficient and has everything that a student might need – from 15 huge libraries to many convenience stores, coffee shops, and casual hangout places too. Gigs, musicals, exhibitions, and plays are regularly held at the campus here.

Purdue University acceptance rate is around 50%. The admission process is fairly competitive. To get an admission, students should have an average ACT score of 24-33 in English and 25-32 in Math. Purdue University SAT scores needed are in the range of 1180-1410. 

The faculty of Purdue University is one of its highlights. With a number of Nobel laureates teaching at the university, it is no wonder then that faculty is one of the main reasons why students select this University. Even though the professors here are busy with high levels of research work, they are quite approachable.

Since Purdue University is one of the best centers for research activity in the world, it is quite obvious that pedagogy includes a lot of practical and research work.

Some famous alumni from Purdue University include:

Neil Armstrong, Astronaut

Lockheed Martin (Skunk Works),

Paul Bevilaqua (Chief Engineer, Advanced Development Projects), 

Ray Ewry (Ten-time Olympic champion in Track & Field).

Hanna Nasser, Former President of Birzeit University, political figure

Dallin D. Oak, Linguistics professor at Brigham Young University

Purdue University is one of the finest universities in the U.S. and it is extremely difficult to get in. Only students with an extremely high GPA, excellent research work, and international technical papers have a chance to be accepted here. Purdue University GRE score requirements are also very high for graduate programs. In general, a combined GRE score of 300 or more is expected. So, apply only if you meet the above conditions.

The main campus of Purdue University is located in West Lafayette in Indiana. Its proximity to the Wabash River provides it a charming setting. The rural surroundings of the West Lafayette area espouse a calm and peaceful academic environment. The natural surroundings of the main campus that comprise of Lake Shafer and Lake Freeman besides the seashore and the Indiana Dunes offer it an environment that is the envy of the best campuses across the US.

Despite the semi-urban setting of the campus, facilities like shopping malls, parks, hospitals, and restaurants are within a walking distance from the campus.
State Road 26 bisects the campus into northern and southern parts.

The campus itself is divided into 5 major zones, namely 

Purdue Mall which forms the central area of the campus,

Memorial Mall south of Purdue Mall,

South Campus,

West Campus (student housing), and a

Stadium Avenue.

Most academic facilities lie in the eastern and southern portions of the campus.

Getting around the campus is easy with the help of the buses of Greater Lafayette Public Transport Corporation that offer 8 routes in and around the campus. The Indianapolis International Airport is the closest airport, lying 65 miles north-west of the campus via I-65N route. Shuttle services to the campus are available from the airport. The Chicago O’Hare and Chicago Midway are other major airports to reach the university.

Other campuses of the university in Indiana are at Lafayette, Hammond, and Indianapolis.

Purdue University Map Location

610 Purdue Mall, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States

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Can I request a gap year because of the uncertainty around the Coronavirus?

If you are considering a GAP year due to the Coronavirus, please contact Admissions to discuss your options.

Will the fall semester be online?

The current plan is that the summer and all 2022 semesters will be conducted in person, and on campus.

Can I get a refund for my Enrolment Deposit if I discover I do not want to start at Purdue for the fall or summer semester?

The $500 deposit is non-refundable.