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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Purdue University-Main Campus Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

[Overview](/school/purdue-university-main-campus/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/purdue-university-main-campus/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/purdue-university-main-campus/admissions/)[Majors](/school/purdue-university-main-campus/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/purdue-university-main-campus/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Purdue cost after financial aid?

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—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 average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients at Purdue University-Main Campus is $14,600, which is below the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,034. Median federal student debt for borrowers who complete stands at $19,500, below the peer median of $20,076 by $576.

Average net prices range from $5,098 for families earning under $30,000 to $22,742 for families earning over $110,000, a spread of $17,644. Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 76th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $5,098; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $6,241; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $9,438; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $18,177; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $22,742.

Pell Grant recipients make up 13.0% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $17,644.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$5,098

**$30–48K**
$6,241

**$48–75K**
$9,438

**$75–110K**
$18,177

**$110K+**
$22,742

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$14,600**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

At Purdue University-Main Campus, the average aid recipient pays a [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $29,448. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $222.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$29,448

**Estimated parent payment**
$374/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=purdue-university-main-campus#parent-tool). [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=purdue-university-main-campus#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.