IN · Large public institution · Overall rank #87 nationally
Data snapshot · Updated
#87 nationally, with mobility in the 95th percentile
Who it’s a good fit for
Purdue University-Main Campus is a public university in West Lafayette, Indiana, with a degree mix led by Engineering, Business, and Computer & Information Sciences. Its strongest is mobility, which is among the highest we track.
Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them. The model attributes that to the factors it measures — field of study, enrollment and the local labor market — while the unexplained remainder subtracts from it.
Return is well above average. Affordability is well above average, and the net price for the lowest income band sits well below the published cost, while the highest band pays closer to it.
Pell students complete below the overall rate, and mobility is among the highest we track. The admission rate is below the median for comparable schools, and the degree mix is heavily oriented toward engineering and technology.
Purdue University-Main Campus is a public university in West Lafayette, Indiana, enrolling 44,503 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits near the top of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (94th percentile).
The university admits 49.9% of applicants, a rate well below the 78.1% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Of students who start full time, 92.7% return for a second year and 83.1% finish within six years.
Those figures run above the peer medians of 83.1% and 65.0%. An estimated 22.1% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students.
The four pillars show a clear shape: mobility is the strongest, at the 95th percentile, and affordability is the weakest, at the 76th percentile. Return and access sit between them, with return at the 89th percentile and access at the 79th percentile.
The spread is wide, with the strongest and weakest pillars separated by nearly twenty percentile points.
Azimuth evaluates Purdue University-Main Campus across four pillars among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions. The university's mobility pillar reaches the 95th percentile, the strongest of the four and the one that most distinguishes the school.
The return pillar sits in the 89th percentile, access in the 79th percentile, and affordability in the 76th percentile. Affordability is the weakest pillar, though all four land above the median for nonprofit four-year institutions.
Pell Grants reach 13.0% of undergraduates at Purdue University-Main Campus, a measure of financial access. Students who enter with Pell Grants finish at 74.3%, which is 8.8 percentage points below the rate for the entering cohort as a whole (83.1%).
Azimuth ranks Purdue University-Main Campus #316 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,511 more than the model expects for similar students.
Azimuth ranks the university #75 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks the university higher for mobility than for access.
The published cost of attendance at Purdue University-Main Campus is $24,591, but the average aid recipient pays considerably less. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition and fees of $9,718 and $274, and on-campus food and housing of $16,734 for the 2026-27 academic year.
Out-of-state students face a higher published tuition of $28,520. After grants and scholarships, the average net price—what aid recipients actually pay—is $14,600, with financial aid reducing the published cost by $9,991 on average.
That net price is $1,034 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #342 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The net price is lower than the peer median, but the affordability pillar sits at the 76th percentile, the weakest of the four for the university.
The published cost of attendance is $24,591. Purdue University-Main Campus ranks #342 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
After grants and scholarships, aid recipients in the lowest family-income band average $5,098, those in the middle band average $9,438, and those in the highest band average $22,742. The difference between those two bands is $17,644.
Aid covers about 41% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, and the average across all aid recipients is $14,600. That is $1,034 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $19,500 in federal student loans. That is $576 below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
About 79.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $29,448 in Parent PLUS loans.
If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month.
Your family income
Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.
Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$9,438
After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.
Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.
Borrowing and repayment at Purdue
Borrowers who finish a degree at Purdue University-Main Campus carry a median of $19,500 in federal student debt, and 79.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. That median is $576 below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $29,448. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 34% of graduates borrowed from any source.
The average cumulative debt per borrower was $31,369. Of those graduates, 33% held federal loans averaging $17,657. Including some of the same graduates, 10% held private loans averaging $49,450.
Earnings scenarios tied to the program mix at Purdue University-Main Campus run from $54,891 in a downside case to $115,397 in an upside case; the typical scenario lands at $81,751. Graduates earn about $3,511 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome in the 67th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Among those working and not enrolled four years after completion, median earnings are $81,751, a level in the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. For borrowers who finish a degree, the median federal student debt at completion is $19,500.
The median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $20,076, so the university's level is below by $576. If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment is $222.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $29,448. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $222.
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
Estimated student payment · monthly
$222/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$374/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Four years after graduating, completers at Purdue University-Main Campus who are working and not enrolled post median earnings of $81,751, a level in the 90th percentile nationally. That figure runs above the $65,610 median of comparable institutions (same type and size) by $16,141.
Graduates earn about $3,511 more than the model expects for similar students, placing the university in the 67th percentile for earnings beyond expectations. Azimuth ranks the return pillar 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $17,174. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $13,663. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $7,395.
Four years after completing a degree at Purdue University-Main Campus, the median earnings of the 6,203 federally aided completers in the cohort reach $81,751. That places the university in the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions nationally, and it sits above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $16,141.
Graduates earn about $3,511 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that ranks in the 67th percentile. The university's program mix yields a typical earnings scenario of $81,751, with a downside scenario of $54,891 and an upside scenario reaching $115,397.
An estimated 26.6% of programs' graduates continue to graduate study, derived from the program mix.
Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $81,751, at the 90th percentile nationally. That is $16,141 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Azimuth ranks Purdue University-Main Campus #156 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,511 more than the model expects for similar students.
That places the gap at the 67th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $17,174.
The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $13,663. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $7,395.
The degree profile tilts toward engineering, computer science and business. Estimated from the program mix, the downside earnings scenario is $54,891 and the upside is $115,397.
An estimated 26.6% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.
Graduates of Purdue University-Main Campus earn about $3,511 more than the model expects for similar students. The earnings scenarios show the variation across the university's program mix: a downside scenario of $54,891 and an upside scenario of $115,397 four years after completion.
The highest-earning programs illustrate this spread. Computer Science completers earn a median of $146,685, and Computer Engineering graduates earn $121,462.
Materials Engineering, a smaller program with 74 degrees awarded, reaches a median of $107,557.
Completers at Purdue University-Main Campus earn about $3,511 more than the model expects for similar students. The median federal student debt for borrowers who completed is $19,500, which is below the median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment on that debt is $222. Parent PLUS borrowers, a separate population, carry a median of $29,448.
The university's of $14,600 sits below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price drops to $5,098, and the spread between the lowest and highest income bands is $17,644.
These debt and net-price figures coincide with a median earnings level four years after completion of $81,751, which runs above the peer median of $65,610 for comparable institutions. The combination of higher-than-expected earnings and below-peer debt places the university's return pillar in the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$17,174
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$13,663
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$3,511
These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.
Purdue University-Main Campus admitted 49.9% of applicants in the most recent cycle, well below the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 87,220 applicants, 37,881 admitted, and 9,656 enrolled.
SAT: reported composite scores
Admission rate
49.9%
25th percentile
1220
Median
1360
75th percentile
1470
CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
Purdue University-Main Campus's largest bachelor's program, Computer Science, awarded 439 degrees and carries an Azimuth national rank of #27 with median earnings of $146,685 four years after completion. Computer Engineering graduates earn a median of $121,462 and the program ranks #24 nationally on 297 degrees awarded.
Further down the earnings scale, Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians reports a median of $86,891 and an Azimuth national rank of #6 with 307 degrees awarded. Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering reaches $97,332 and ranks #16 nationally on 298 degrees awarded, showing how engineering and computer-science fields at the university span a wide earnings band.
Purdue University-Main Campus has 63 ranked bachelor's programs, and the five largest by degrees awarded are concentrated in engineering and computing. Computer Science leads with 439 degrees awarded, a national rank of #27, and median earnings of $146,685 four years after completion.
Mechanical Engineering follows with 430 degrees awarded, ranked #19 nationally, and median earnings of $102,572. Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, ranked #16 nationally, and Computer Engineering, ranked #24 nationally, round out the largest programs, with 298 and 297 degrees awarded and median earnings of $97,332 and $121,462, respectively.
Engineering dominates the degree mix at Purdue University-Main Campus, accounting for 26.1% of bachelor's degrees awarded, with Business and Computer & Information Sciences following at 11.3% and 10.8%. The university publishes earnings data for 68 programs, 63 of which carry an Azimuth national rank.
The largest programs are Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering, awarding 439 and 430 degrees a year, with Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians close behind at 307 degrees awarded. The strongest programs are concentrated in engineering and technology fields.
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians holds the highest national rank in its field, with 105 degrees awarded and median earnings of $97,594 four years after completion. Materials Engineering ranks #1 nationally and #1 in Indiana within its field.
The program awarded 74 degrees and its completers earn a median of $107,557 four years after completion. Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians ranks #2 nationally within its field, with 163 degrees awarded and median earnings of $88,474 four years after completion.
The highest-earning program is Computer Science, where completers earn a median of $146,685 four years after completion, a benchmark ratio of 1.37x against the national median for its field. The pattern is a large public university where engineering strength is broad rather than narrow: the top-ranked programs span architectural, industrial, and mechanical engineering technologies alongside computer fields.
54.7% of degrees awarded are in STEM, and the largest programs by degrees awarded post strong earnings, with Mechanical Engineering completers earning a median of $102,572 four years after completion.
Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Computer Science 439 degrees awarded
$146,685
Mechanical Engineering 430 degrees awarded
$102,572
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians 307 degrees awarded
$86,891
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering 298 degrees awarded
$97,332
Computer Engineering 297 degrees awarded
$121,462
Research and Experimental Psychology 285 degrees awarded
$52,170
Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.
How does Purdue serve students from different backgrounds?
Azimuth places the mobility pillar of Purdue University-Main Campus in the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pell recipients in the first-time full-time cohort reach a six-year completion rate of 74.3%, while the overall six-year graduation rate stands at 83.1% — a gap of 8.8 percentage points below the overall rate.
Graduates earn about $3,511 more than the model expects for similar students, placing the earnings beyond expectations measure in the 67th percentile nationally.
Azimuth places the access pillar of Purdue University-Main Campus in the 79th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The public university admits 49.9% of applicants, a rate well below the peer median of 78.1%, and enrolls 44,503 undergraduates.
Pell Grant recipients make up 13.0% of the undergraduate body, and an estimated 22.1% of undergraduates arrive as transfers or part-time students.
Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.
Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.
Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.
Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.
Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.
Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.
Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.
Source fields: ADM_RATE
Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.
Source fields: C150_4
Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.
Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR
Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.
Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN
National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.
Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.
Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV
Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.
Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.
Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.
SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.
First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.
Source fields: RET_FT4
Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.
Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.
Source fields: PCTPELL
Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.
Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF
Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.
Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR