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Purdue University-Main Campus: Rankings, Admissions, Cost & Majors

1893 awards Ranking Badges
Fair Price Value for Your Money
50% Acceptance Rate

Purdue University-Main Campus is a public institution in West Lafayette, Indiana enrolling 44,503 undergraduates. It accepts 50% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 83%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #33 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 1%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.

Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.

How Is Purdue University-Main Campus Ranked?

Purdue University-Main Campus ranks #33 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 1%.

#33 Best Colleges in Nation
#2 Best Colleges in IN
Purdue University-Main Campus ranking badge

2027 Rankings

College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities in its annual rankings and ranks them in a variety of ways, including most diverse, best overall quality, best for non-traditional students, and much more.

Purdue University-Main Campus was awarded 1893 badges in the 2027 rankings.

Overall Quality

According to College Factual’s 2027 analysis, Purdue University-Main Campus is ranked #33 out of 5,159 schools in the nation that were analyzed for overall quality. This puts it in the top 1% of all schools in the nation!

Within the state, Purdue University-Main Campus holds the #2 spot on the Best Colleges in Indiana ranking.

See all of the rankings for Purdue University-Main Campus.

Is It Hard to Get Into Purdue University-Main Campus?

50% Acceptance Rate
55% Of Accepted Are Women
79% Submit SAT Scores

Acceptance Rate

Purdue University-Main Campus has an acceptance rate of 50%, which means the school is serious about who it admits. Take your time in putting together a strong application that highlights why you are a good fit for Purdue University-Main Campus.

Average Test Scores

About 79% of students accepted to Purdue University-Main Campus submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 600 and 720. Math scores were between 600 and 760.

SAT Reading and Writing Scores for Purdue University-Main Campus  ( 600 to 720 )
200
800
SAT Math Scores for Purdue University-Main Campus  ( 600 to 760 )
200
800

Purdue University-Main Campus received ACT scores from 25% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 27 and 34.

ACT Composite Scores for Purdue University-Main Campus  ( 27 to 34 )
1
36

Learn more about Purdue University-Main Campus admissions.

What Is the Student-to-Faculty Ratio at Purdue University-Main Campus?

14 to 1 Student to Faculty
96% Full Time Teachers

Student to Faculty Ratio

With a student to faculty ratio of 14 to 1, Purdue University-Main Campus is about average in this regard as the nationwide rate is 15 to 1. While this does not translate directly to class size, it’s a good indicator of how much time professors will have to spend with their students on a one-on-one basis.

Percent of Full-Time Faculty

When estimating how much access students will have to their teachers, some people like to look at what percentage of faculty members are full time. This is because part-time teachers may not have as much time to spend on campus as their full-time counterparts.

The full-time faculty percentage at Purdue University-Main Campus is 96%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  96 out of 100
0
100

What Are the Graduation and Retention Rates at Purdue University-Main Campus?

93% Freshmen Retention
83% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshmen Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate of 93% tells us that most first-year, full-time students like Purdue University-Main Campus enough to come back for another year. This is a fair bit higher than the national average of 68%. That’s certainly something to check off in the good column about the school.

Freshmen Retention Rate  93 out of 100
0
100

Graduation Rate

Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At Purdue University-Main Campus the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 83%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  83 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Purdue University-Main Campus.

How Diverse Is Purdue University-Main Campus?

44,503 Undergraduate Students
30.1% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
41.4% Percent Women

In the current academic year, there are 44,503 undergraduates at Purdue University-Main Campus.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at Purdue University-Main Campus.

How Much Does Purdue University-Main Campus Cost?

$17,140 Net Price
22% Take Out Loans
$24,544 Total Student Loans

The average net price of Purdue University-Main Campus is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.

Net Price by Income Group for Purdue University-Main Campus

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$5,098 $6,241 $9,438 $18,177 $22,742

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of Purdue University-Main Campus, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Student Loan Debt

While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At Purdue University-Main Campus, approximately 22% of students took out student loans averaging $6,136 a year. That adds up to $24,544 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 4.6%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for Purdue University-Main Campus.

How Much Do Purdue University-Main Campus Graduates Earn?

$72,424 Avg Salary of Grads
High Earnings Boost

The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University-Main Campus make about $72,424 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. That’s great news for Purdue University-Main Campus students since it is 47% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. Average Salary for Purdue University-Main Campus Graduates

See which majors at Purdue University-Main Campus make the most money.

Where Is Purdue University-Main Campus Located?

Indiana State
44,503 Undergraduate Students
Small City Campus Setting

Purdue University-Main Campus is an public institution situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. The location of the school is great for students who enjoy the amenities of city life. Get more details about the location of Purdue University-Main Campus.

Location of Purdue University-Main Campus

Contact information for Purdue University-Main Campus are listed below.

Contact Details
Address: Hovde Hall of Administration, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2040
Phone: 7654944600
Website: www.purdue.edu
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purdue_University
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PurdueUniversity
Twitter: twitter.com/LifeAtPurdue

What Majors Does Purdue University-Main Campus Offer?

31 Majors With Completions
34,632 Undergraduate Degrees

In the most recent reporting year, students from 31 majors graduated from Purdue University-Main Campus. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.

Most Popular Majors Completions Average Salary of Graduates
Multi-Disciplinary Studies 17,316 NA
Mechanical Engineering 1,148 $78,092
Business Administration & Management 1,047 $70,115
Computer Science 944 $81,749
Electrical Engineering 673 $91,230
Aeronautical Engineering 668 $72,060
Management Sciences & Methods 601 $69,207
Computer Information Systems 513 $71,592
Computer Engineering 455 $76,843
Child Development & Psychology 402 $28,965

Learn more about the majors offered at Purdue University-Main Campus along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Does Purdue University-Main Campus Offer Online Classes?

37% Take At Least One Class Online
2% Take All Classes Online

16,312 students took at least one online class at Purdue University-Main Campus.

Online learning is becoming popular at even the oldest colleges and universities in the United States. Not only are online classes great for returning adults with busy schedules, they are also frequented by a growing number of traditional students.

Learn more about online learning at Purdue University-Main Campus.

Curious how schools stack up against Purdue University-Main Campus? Compare them side by side using College Combat, a free interactive tool for comparing colleges on the features you care about.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

References

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