Cost & financial aid brief
Purdue University-Main Campus Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Purdue cost after financial aid?
At Purdue University-Main Campus, the average aid recipient pays a net price of $14,600, a $9,991 reduction from the $24,591 sticker. About 41% of the published cost is offset by aid for the average recipient.
Average net prices range from $5,098 for families earning under $30,000 to $22,742 for those earning over $110,000, with the middle bands at $6,241 for $30,001–$48,000, $9,438 for $48,001–$75,000, and $18,177 for $75,001–$110,000. The $17,644 gap between the lowest and highest bands reflects a steep income gradient in net price.
With 13.0% of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants, the lowest-band figure applies to a limited share of enrollment.
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.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
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 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.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $29,448
- Estimated parent payment
- $374/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 22.1% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 9.9% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 4.7% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 3.1% | Safe |
The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. Open the parent tool for your own numbers. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $19,500
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $29,448
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $222/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $374/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $596/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $81,751, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
4.6% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
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.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
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. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.