by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Purdue retention and graduation rates. First year retention rates let you know how many first-time, full-time students students come back for their second year. Graduation rates tell you how many students complete their degree and how long it takes.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 93% students making it past their freshmen year, Purdue has freshmen retention rates above the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Indiana, the average is 70.89%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Purdue | 93% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Indiana | 70.89% |
Of the 7053 students in the class of 2023, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 60% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 78% of the students had graduated and after eight years 79% of this class completed their degree.
Any student who completes their bachelor's degree within six years is considered to have graduated on time, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. This makes the offical Purdue graduation rate 78%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 5414 | 60% |
| Six Years | 7053 | 78% |
| Eight Years | 120 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 1916 | 21% |
The non-completers rate is anyone who is not still enrolled at the institution after eight years. Both transfer students and drop-outs could be included in this group.
Approximately 1916 students or 21% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1916 students who did not complete their degree?
30 are still enrolled.
1078 transferred to another institution.
Purdue lost contact with the remaining 794 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 30 | 1.6% |
| Transferred | 1078 | 56.3% |
| Dropped Out | 794 | 41.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 88% |
| Asian | 88% |
| Black / African-American | 70% |
| Hawaiian | 67% |
| Hispanic | 79% |
| International | 87% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 82% |
| Unknown | 82% |
| White | 83% |
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years. Some schools cater to mostly traditional students while others cater to 'non-traditional' students. So called 'non-traditional' students include part-time students or those who may be returning after an absense. It is common for part-time and/or adult students to take longer to graduate.
Traditional Students:
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25.
Non-Traditional Students:
Any student that is not first-time, full-time, and under the age of 25.
The majority of students at Purdue are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Comparing the graduation rates of the specific cohorts below can be more revealing than the overall graduation rates.
First-time / full-time students at Purdue University-Main Campus represent 81.79% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Purdue graduation rate was 83%, and by the eight year mark, 84% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| Completions | Purdue | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 62% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 83% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 84% | 47.82% |
1164 first-time / full-time students or 16% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
30 are still enrolled.
772 transferred to another institution.
Purdue lost contact with the remaining 362 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 30 | 2.58% |
| Transferred | 772 | 66.32% |
| Dropped Out | 362 | 31.10% |
First-time / part-time students at Purdue University-Main Campus represent 1.26% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Purdue graduation rate was 28%, and by the eight year mark, 28% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, and 23.72% after eight years.
| Completions | Purdue | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 19% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 28% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 28% | 23.72% |
83 first-time / part-time students or 72% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
21 transferred to another institution.
Purdue lost contact with the remaining 60 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 2.41% |
| Transferred | 21 | 25.30% |
| Dropped Out | 60 | 72.29% |
Returning / full-time students at Purdue University-Main Campus represent 13.89% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Purdue graduation rate was 65%, and by the eight year mark, 66% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Completions | Purdue | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 65% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 66% | 55.07% |
431 non first-time / part-time students or 34% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
6 are still enrolled.
129 transferred to another institution.
Purdue lost contact with the remaining 296 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 1.39% |
| Transferred | 129 | 29.93% |
| Dropped Out | 296 | 68.68% |
Returning / part-time students at Purdue University-Main Campus represent 3.06% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Purdue graduation rate was 12%, and by the eight year mark, 14% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 30.46% after four years, 36.03% after six years, and 37.80% after eight years.
| Completions | Purdue | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 9% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 12% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 14% | 37.80% |
238 non first-time / part-time students or 86% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
6 are still enrolled.
156 transferred to another institution.
Purdue lost contact with the remaining 76 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 2.52% |
| Transferred | 156 | 65.55% |
| Dropped Out | 76 | 31.93% |
