Purdue University-Main Campus: Acceptance Rate and Cost

Purdue University-Main Campus is a public 4-year college in West Lafayette, Indiana with 44,503 undergraduates. It admits 50% of applicants, costs an average of $14,851 a year after grants and graduates 84% of its students.

Figures from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, released October 15, 2026. What each number covers.

Purdue University-Main Campus acceptance rate and admissions

Purdue University-Main Campus admitted 50% of applicants for fall 2024, about 1 in 2. The median acceptance rate at 4-year colleges is 77%.

Test scores: Required (as reported for fall 2024 admission). Check the admissions office for the current policy.

SAT total

1200 to 1480

4001600

ACT composite

27 to 34

136

The colored band is the middle 50% of enrolled students in fall 2024 (reading and writing 600 to 720, math 600 to 760). The tick marks the typical 4-year college. Check how your scores fit.

Purdue University-Main Campus application deadlines 2026-27

Round	Deadline
Early action	Nov 1, 2026 (passed)
Regular decision	Jan 15, 2027

Next deadline: Regular decision, Jan 15, 2027. Application fee through the Common App: $60 for U.S. applicants. Confirm dates on Purdue University-Main Campus’s admissions page; see every college on the deadline calendar.

Source: Common App 2026-27 first-year deadlines, fees and requirements grid, updated Sep 25, 2026.

Purdue University-Main Campus tuition, cost and net price

Tuition and fees, in-state (2025-26)	$9,992
Tuition and fees, out-of-state (2025-26)	$28,794
On-campus housing and food (2025-26)	$13,720
Total cost of attendance (2024-25)	$25,610
Average net price after grants (2024-25)	$14,851

Students who get federal aid pay an average of $14,851 a year after grants and scholarships, $10,759 less than the full cost of attendance. This figure covers in-state students.

What families pay, by income

Average yearly cost after grants for aided first-time students paying in-state tuition, by family income (2024-25):

$0 to $30,000$6,147

$30,001 to $48,000$5,618

$48,001 to $75,000$9,056

$75,001 to $110,000$15,253

Over $110,000$23,490

Your own price depends on your family's full situation. Run Purdue University-Main Campus's net price calculator for a personal estimate, or make a "what it costs us" card.

Purdue University-Main Campus graduation rate, earnings and debt

84%

finished within 6 years

93%

came back for year two

16%

get a Pell Grant

84% of first-time, full-time students finished within six years (students who started in 2019).
Former students earned a median of $80,082 a year, 10 years after they started (students who received federal aid and were working).
Students who completed left with a median of $18,750 in federal student loans.

Earnings compared

Purdue University-Main Campus$80,082

Indiana median, public 4-year$52,604

U.S. median, public 4-year$59,509

Debt compared

Purdue University-Main Campus$18,750

Indiana median$19,484

U.S. median$19,500

Median debt is 23% of median earnings 10 years after entry. Many advisers suggest keeping total student debt below one year of expected pay. See the monthly payment.

Purdue University-Main Campus majors and what graduates earn

Purdue University-Main Campus awarded bachelor's degrees in 110 fields recently. The best-paid graduates four years out came from computer science ($146,685).

Computer science$146,685

Computer engineering$121,462

Materials Engineering$107,557

Industrial engineering$107,031

Electrical engineering$105,396

Chemical engineering$104,514

Statistics$104,047

Mechanical engineering$102,572

All 110 majors at Purdue University-Main Campus

Major	Graduates (2023-24)	Earnings 1 yr after	Earnings 4 yrs after	Median debt
Computer science	532	$98,322	$146,685	$16,750
Computer engineering	370	$93,048	$121,462	$19,494
Materials Engineering	62	$79,562	$107,557	$16,974
Industrial engineering	257	$84,842	$107,031	$19,000
Electrical engineering	211	$87,713	$105,396	$23,250
Chemical engineering	137	$86,660	$104,514	$19,500
Statistics	216	$79,554	$104,047	$18,000
Mechanical engineering	510	$82,015	$102,572	$16,124
Construction Engineering	35	$78,801	$101,108	$12,000
Computer and information sciences	101	$74,383	$99,896	$19,500
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians	160	$76,065	$97,594	$18,282
Aerospace engineering	323	$81,997	$97,332	$20,500
Business analytics and operations research	159	$74,323	$93,976	$18,250
Biomedical engineering	148	$76,119	$93,434	$18,458
Civil engineering	155	$76,175	$90,873	$19,500
Accounting	166	$69,425	$90,119	$19,500
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians	105	$70,751	$88,474	$19,553
Engineering-Related Fields	41	$78,642	$87,914	n/a
Engineering, Other	37	$78,647	$87,331	$25,000
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians	252	$71,325	$86,891	$19,437
Agricultural Engineering	78	$71,807	$86,306	$22,153
Air Transportation	173	$56,314	$86,161	$18,500
Finance	276	$67,193	$85,924	$18,432
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians	93	$79,634	$85,224	$20,553
Marketing	127	$60,635	$84,725	$15,030
Economics	135	$62,321	$83,195	$17,826
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other	11	n/a	$82,581	n/a
General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations	93	$66,112	$82,441	$19,043
Business administration	167	$58,348	$81,040	$19,500
Nursing	181	$78,769	$80,403	$16,389
Environmental engineering	59	$73,304	$78,770	$18,750
Food Science and Technology	23	$69,120	$75,060	$12,000
Agricultural Mechanization	28	$63,519	$73,393	n/a
Kinesiology and exercise science	2	$35,949	$72,724	n/a
Agricultural Production Operations	25	$62,437	$71,868	n/a
Political science	136	$42,339	$71,601	$16,250
Environmental science	41	$51,198	$69,768	$19,500
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services	24	$47,829	$69,246	$18,499
Chemistry	89	$53,943	$67,680	$17,000
Biochemistry and molecular biology	57	$45,481	$67,639	$18,669
Physics	45	$44,202	$67,505	$17,500
Landscape Architecture	17	$66,461	$67,113	n/a
Public health	58	$44,867	$66,892	$18,505
Agribusiness	133	$61,552	$65,900	$12,200
Communication	121	$51,071	$65,517	$16,750
Computer Software and Media Applications	149	$49,195	$59,766	$19,500
Nutrition and dietetics	43	$54,566	$59,649	$22,499
Speech-language pathology	98	$38,204	$59,050	$19,500
Graphic and industrial design	64	$51,456	$58,917	$22,500
Hospitality management	74	$49,730	$58,861	$15,875
Mathematics	64	$50,650	$58,453	$13,000
Biology	276	$35,791	$58,225	$18,716
Botany/Plant Biology	16	n/a	$57,530	n/a
Forestry	11	$43,795	$56,754	n/a
Anthropology	27	n/a	$55,624	$14,875
Special education	11	$49,288	$55,308	n/a
Sociology	170	$42,555	$55,072	$17,718
Teacher education by subject	55	$48,705	$54,559	$18,528
Animal science	146	$43,099	$54,089	$19,250
History	51	$39,354	$53,708	$19,500
Research and experimental psychology	375	$35,116	$52,170	$18,562
Film and photography	31	$41,207	$52,105	$18,499
English	53	$44,165	$52,053	$13,000
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies	40	$35,359	$49,918	$16,604
Human development and family studies	72	$38,456	$49,649	$17,311
Teacher education by grade level	116	$47,539	$48,502	$17,318
Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians	27	$42,584	$45,935	$17,495
Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management	54	$33,684	$40,053	$17,750
IT and network administration	144	n/a	n/a	$19,500
Physiology	139	n/a	n/a	$16,551
Pharmacy	59	$51,592	n/a	$16,250
Genetics	43	$39,174	n/a	$16,237
Neuroscience	40	n/a	n/a	$13,000
Geology and earth sciences	40	$46,930	n/a	$13,979
Romance languages	36	n/a	n/a	$20,727
Nuclear Engineering	31	$77,236	n/a	$25,495
Philosophy	21	n/a	n/a	n/a
Applied mathematics	20	n/a	n/a	n/a
Biological and physical sciences	20	n/a	n/a	n/a
Fine and studio arts	20	$34,754	n/a	$23,849
Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences	19	n/a	n/a	n/a
Theater	18	n/a	n/a	n/a
Plant and soil science	17	$43,856	n/a	n/a
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies	17	n/a	n/a	n/a
Education	16	n/a	n/a	$18,098
Agricultural Public Services	15	$53,543	n/a	n/a
Medical lab science	15	$64,814	n/a	n/a
Agriculture, General	14	n/a	n/a	n/a
Linguistics	14	n/a	n/a	n/a
Zoology/Animal Biology	13	n/a	n/a	n/a
Interdisciplinary studies, other	13	n/a	n/a	n/a
Ecology and evolutionary biology	10	n/a	n/a	n/a
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General	9	n/a	n/a	n/a
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	9	n/a	n/a	n/a
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology	9	n/a	n/a	n/a
Nutrition Sciences	9	n/a	n/a	n/a
Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology	9	n/a	n/a	n/a
Area Studies	8	n/a	n/a	n/a
Health professions, general	8	n/a	n/a	n/a
Liberal arts and general studies	7	n/a	n/a	n/a
Mathematics and Computer Science	7	n/a	n/a	n/a
Classical and Ancient Studies	6	n/a	n/a	n/a
Music	6	n/a	n/a	n/a
Family and consumer sciences	4	n/a	n/a	n/a
Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services	3	n/a	n/a	n/a
Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	1	n/a	n/a	n/a
Systems Science and Theory	1	n/a	n/a	n/a
Religious studies	1	n/a	n/a	n/a
Soil Sciences	0	n/a	n/a	n/a
Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	0	n/a	n/a	n/a

Four-year earnings: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars. Fields with few graduates have no published earnings.

Graduate programs at Purdue University-Main Campus

135 graduate programs awarded degrees recently. Largest first.

Show 135 graduate programs

Program	Degree	Graduates (2023-24)	Earnings 1 yr after	Median debt
Electrical engineering	Master's	286	$115,535	$25,000
Mechanical engineering	Master's	218	$102,972	n/a
Aerospace engineering	Master's	193	$110,187	$18,354
Business administration	Master's	185	$95,782	$50,549
Business analytics and operations research	Master's	179	$92,641	$32,560
Pharmacy	Professional doctorate	136	$85,267	$110,188
Civil engineering	Master's	126	$81,733	n/a
Curriculum and Instruction	Master's	123	$65,686	$27,648
Computer science	Master's	119	n/a	n/a
Engineering, general	Master's	111	$132,800	$27,766
Education	Master's	100	$57,493	$26,214
Industrial engineering	Master's	95	n/a	n/a
Public health	Master's	94	$61,104	$40,196
Mechanical engineering	Doctoral	91	$107,798	n/a
Engineering, Other	Master's	87	n/a	n/a
Electrical engineering	Doctoral	80	n/a	n/a
Communication	Master's	78	$76,161	$30,644
Veterinary Medicine	Professional doctorate	74	$114,064	$124,945
Chemistry	Doctoral	68	$96,793	n/a
Air Transportation	Master's	67	$85,722	$20,500
Human resources	Master's	60	n/a	$40,793
Biomedical engineering	Master's	59	n/a	n/a
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians	Master's	57	$130,140	n/a
Speech-language pathology	Master's	55	$63,900	$29,228
Agribusiness	Master's	49	$173,293	n/a
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other	Master's	49	$112,937	$41,000
Computer and information sciences	Master's	48	n/a	n/a
Economics	Master's	46	$105,102	$38,792
Computer Software and Media Applications	Master's	41	n/a	n/a
Computer science	Doctoral	40	n/a	n/a
Chemical engineering	Master's	39	n/a	n/a
Engineering-Related Fields	Doctoral	38	n/a	n/a
Materials Engineering	Doctoral	36	n/a	n/a
Civil engineering	Doctoral	33	n/a	n/a
Agricultural Engineering	Master's	32	$118,852	n/a
Statistics	Master's	30	n/a	n/a
Chemical engineering	Doctoral	28	n/a	n/a
Aerospace engineering	Doctoral	27	$120,263	n/a
Physics	Doctoral	25	n/a	n/a
Physics	Master's	23	n/a	n/a
Nursing	Professional doctorate	23	n/a	n/a
Environmental engineering	Master's	22	n/a	n/a
Pharmacy	Doctoral	22	n/a	n/a
Biomedical engineering	Doctoral	21	n/a	n/a
Biology	Doctoral	21	n/a	n/a
Mathematics	Doctoral	21	n/a	n/a
Statistics	Doctoral	21	n/a	n/a
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other	Professional doctorate	18	n/a	n/a
Curriculum and Instruction	Doctoral	16	n/a	n/a
Materials Engineering	Master's	15	n/a	n/a
Nuclear Engineering	Master's	15	n/a	n/a
Geology and earth sciences	Doctoral	15	n/a	n/a
Agribusiness	Doctoral	14	n/a	n/a
Forestry	Master's	14	n/a	n/a
Agricultural Engineering	Doctoral	14	n/a	n/a
Education	Doctoral	13	$102,582	n/a
Industrial engineering	Doctoral	13	n/a	n/a
Health administration	Master's	13	n/a	n/a
Nursing	Master's	13	$108,415	n/a
Hospitality management	Master's	13	$75,295	n/a
Animal science	Doctoral	12	n/a	n/a
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General	Master's	12	n/a	n/a
English	Doctoral	12	$63,796	n/a
Chemistry	Master's	12	n/a	n/a
Geology and earth sciences	Master's	12	n/a	n/a
Business/Corporate Communications	Master's	12	n/a	n/a
Food Science and Technology	Master's	11	n/a	n/a
Botany/Plant Biology	Master's	11	n/a	n/a
Biology	Master's	10	n/a	n/a
Research and experimental psychology	Doctoral	10	n/a	n/a
Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences	Master's	9	n/a	n/a
Forestry	Doctoral	9	n/a	n/a
Communication	Doctoral	9	n/a	n/a
Engineering, Other	Doctoral	9	n/a	n/a
Linguistics	Doctoral	9	n/a	n/a
Biochemistry and molecular biology	Doctoral	9	n/a	n/a
Political science	Master's	9	n/a	n/a
Political science	Doctoral	9	n/a	n/a
Animal science	Master's	8	n/a	n/a
Soil Sciences	Master's	8	n/a	n/a
Research and experimental psychology	Master's	8	n/a	n/a
Speech-language pathology	Professional doctorate	8	n/a	n/a
Business administration	Doctoral	8	n/a	n/a
Linguistics	Master's	7	n/a	n/a
Theater	Master's	7	n/a	n/a
Public health	Doctoral	7	n/a	n/a
Plant and soil science	Master's	6	n/a	n/a
Nuclear Engineering	Doctoral	6	n/a	n/a
Engineering-Related Fields	Master's	6	n/a	n/a
Mathematics	Master's	6	n/a	n/a
Anthropology	Master's	6	n/a	n/a
Economics	Doctoral	6	n/a	n/a
History	Doctoral	6	n/a	n/a
Human development and family studies	Master's	5	n/a	n/a
Botany/Plant Biology	Doctoral	5	n/a	n/a
Zoology/Animal Biology	Doctoral	5	n/a	n/a
Philosophy	Master's	5	n/a	n/a
Philosophy	Doctoral	5	n/a	n/a
Sociology	Master's	5	n/a	n/a
Fine and studio arts	Master's	5	n/a	n/a
Allied health (PA, radiography, therapy and more)	Master's	5	n/a	n/a
Area Studies	Doctoral	4	n/a	n/a
Zoology/Animal Biology	Master's	4	n/a	n/a
Physiology	Master's	4	n/a	n/a
Nutrition Sciences	Doctoral	4	n/a	n/a
Graphic and industrial design	Master's	4	n/a	n/a
Speech-language pathology	Doctoral	4	$81,580	n/a
Pharmacy	Master's	4	n/a	n/a
Soil Sciences	Doctoral	3	n/a	n/a
Environmental engineering	Doctoral	3	n/a	n/a
Apparel and Textiles	Doctoral	3	n/a	n/a
Physiology	Doctoral	3	n/a	n/a
History	Master's	3	n/a	n/a
Agricultural Public Services	Master's	2	n/a	n/a
Agricultural Public Services	Doctoral	2	n/a	n/a
Food Science and Technology	Doctoral	2	n/a	n/a
Plant and soil science	Doctoral	2	n/a	n/a
English	Master's	2	n/a	n/a
Military Technologies and Applied Sciences, Other	Master's	2	n/a	n/a
Sociology	Doctoral	2	n/a	n/a
Nursing	Doctoral	2	$113,142	$32,000
Hospitality management	Doctoral	2	n/a	n/a
Environmental science	Master's	1	n/a	n/a
Area Studies	Master's	1	n/a	n/a
Teacher education by grade level	Master's	1	n/a	n/a
Human development and family studies	Doctoral	1	n/a	n/a
Pharmacology and Toxicology	Master's	1	n/a	n/a
Gerontology	Doctoral	1	n/a	n/a
Kinesiology and exercise science	Doctoral	1	n/a	n/a
Anthropology	Doctoral	1	n/a	n/a
Apparel and Textiles	Master's	0	n/a	n/a
Biochemistry and molecular biology	Master's	0	n/a	n/a
Nutrition Sciences	Master's	0	n/a	n/a
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other	Master's	0	n/a	n/a
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other	Doctoral	0	n/a	n/a

Students and location

Frequently asked questions

What is the acceptance rate at Purdue University-Main Campus?

Purdue University-Main Campus admitted 50% of applicants for fall 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

How much does Purdue University-Main Campus cost?

Tuition and fees for 2025-26 are $9,992 for in-state students and $28,794 for out-of-state students. After grants and scholarships, aided students paid an average net price of $14,851 a year in 2024-25.

What SAT score do you need for Purdue University-Main Campus?

The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 600 to 720 in reading and writing and 600 to 760 in math, and 27 to 34 on the ACT. Scores inside these ranges are typical for admitted students.

Is Purdue University-Main Campus test-optional?

For fall 2024 admission, Purdue University-Main Campus reported that test scores were: required. Policies change, so confirm with the admissions office.

What is the graduation rate at Purdue University-Main Campus?

84% of first-time, full-time students finished within six years.

How much do Purdue University-Main Campus graduates make?

Former students who received federal aid earned a median of $80,082 a year 10 years after they started, in 2024 dollars.

Similar colleges

Matched on location, type, selectivity, size, net price and graduation rate.

Indiana University-BloomingtonBloomington, IN78% admitted · $16,003 net price University of Maryland-College ParkCollege Park, MD45% admitted · $14,296 net price University of California-DavisDavis, CA42% admitted · $14,318 net price University of Wisconsin-MadisonMadison, WI45% admitted · $16,600 net price University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignChampaign, IL42% admitted · $13,042 net price Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN86% admitted · $13,877 net price

More: all colleges in Indiana · Purdue University-Main Campus on the College Scorecard

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, data release of October 15, 2026. What each figure means and the year it covers.