Graduates of Purdue University-Main Campus earn median earnings of $81,751 four years after enrollment, placing Purdue University-Main Campus in the 87.0 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs well above the $65,228 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $4,579 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the university in the 74.8 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Purdue University-Main Campus #155 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Engineering is the dominant program family, accounting for 26% of degrees awarded, followed by Business at 11% and Social Sciences at 4%. That concentration in applied and quantitative fields helps explain the university's strong earnings profile. Computer Science combines large cohort scale with strong pay, making it a central driver of Purdue University-Main Campus's aggregate return story. Azimuth ranks Computer Science #35 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology, with 439 graduates earning median earnings of $146,685 four years after enrollment. The Mechanical Engineering program graduates 430 students with median earnings of $102,572, and Azimuth ranks it #26 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. Among the highest-earning programs, Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians posts median earnings of $86,891 with 307 graduates, while Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering reaches $97,332 with 298 graduates — both reflecting the depth of Purdue University-Main Campus's engineering and technical pipeline in IN.
Graduates of Purdue University-Main Campus earn median earnings of $81,751 four years after enrollment, placing Purdue University-Main Campus in the 87.0 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs well above the $65,228 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $4,579 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the university in the 74.8 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Purdue University-Main Campus #155 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Engineering is the dominant program family, accounting for 26% of degrees awarded, followed by Business at 11% and Social Sciences at 4%. That concentration in applied and quantitative fields helps explain the university's strong earnings profile. Computer Science combines large cohort scale with strong pay, making it a central driver of Purdue University-Main Campus's aggregate return story. Azimuth ranks Computer Science #35 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology, with 439 graduates earning median earnings of $146,685 four years after enrollment. The Mechanical Engineering program graduates 430 students with median earnings of $102,572, and Azimuth ranks it #26 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. Among the highest-earning programs, Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians posts median earnings of $86,891 with 307 graduates, while Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering reaches $97,332 with 298 graduates — both reflecting the depth of Purdue University-Main Campus's engineering and technical pipeline in IN.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Graduates of Purdue University-Main Campus earn median earnings of $81,751 four years after enrollment, placing Purdue University-Main Campus in the 87.0 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs well above the $65,228 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $4,579 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the university in the 74.8 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Purdue University-Main Campus #155 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Engineering is the dominant program family, accounting for 26% of degrees awarded, followed by Business at 11% and Social Sciences at 4%. That concentration in applied and quantitative fields helps explain the university's strong earnings profile. Computer Science combines large cohort scale with strong pay, making it a central driver of Purdue University-Main Campus's aggregate return story. Azimuth ranks Computer Science #35 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology, with 439 graduates earning median earnings of $146,685 four years after enrollment. The Mechanical Engineering program graduates 430 students with median earnings of $102,572, and Azimuth ranks it #26 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. Among the highest-earning programs, Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians posts median earnings of $86,891 with 307 graduates, while Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering reaches $97,332 with 298 graduates — both reflecting the depth of Purdue University-Main Campus's engineering and technical pipeline in IN.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
Purdue University-Main Campus's program mix is anchored in Engineering, which accounts for 26% of degree output — a concentration that shapes the institution's earnings profile and employer-recruitment footprint. Business represents 11% of graduates and Social Sciences accounts for 4%, rounding out a portfolio tilted toward applied, workforce-ready fields. Computer Science is the largest program with 439 graduates, followed by Mechanical Engineering (430 graduates), Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (307 graduates), Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering (298 graduates), and Computer Engineering (297 graduates). Across 102 programs serving roughly 8,664 students annually, 68 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold. The strongest national ranks cluster in engineering and computing subfields. Azimuth ranks Computer Science #35 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 439 graduates earning $146,685. Azimuth ranks Computer Engineering #24 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning $121,462, and Azimuth ranks Industrial Engineering #7 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 262 graduates earning $107,031. Computer Science combines large cohort scale with strong pay, making it a defining program for the institution's overall return profile — Azimuth ranks it #35 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning $146,685. Mechanical Engineering and Artificial Intelligence round out the top earners, with graduates earning $102,572 and $99,896 respectively — Azimuth ranks them #26 and #71 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Engineering and computer science programs at Purdue University-Main Campus are high-mobility pathways where graduates enter the national labor market directly, and four-year earnings reflect actual workforce outcomes rather than a holding pattern before graduate school. Programs like Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering and Computer Engineering may include a larger share of graduates who continue to graduate or professional study, where four-year earnings undercount the full trajectory. The framework provides context for how Purdue University-Main Campus's dominant engineering and computing fields align with national labor-market demand, and the methodology explains the ranking approach behind these figures. ```
Lower quartile, 10-year field
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of Purdue University-Main Campus earn median earnings of $81,751 four years after enrollment, placing Purdue University-Main Campus in the 87.0 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs well above the $65,228 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $4,579 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the university in the 74.8 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Purdue University-Main Campus #155 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Engineering is the dominant program family, accounting for 26% of degrees awarded, followed by Business at 11% and Social Sciences at 4%. That concentration in applied and quantitative fields helps explain the university's strong earnings profile. Computer Science combines large cohort scale with strong pay, making it a central driver of Purdue University-Main Campus's aggregate return story. Azimuth ranks Computer Science #35 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology, with 439 graduates earning median earnings of $146,685 four years after enrollment. The Mechanical Engineering program graduates 430 students with median earnings of $102,572, and Azimuth ranks it #26 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. Among the highest-earning programs, Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians posts median earnings of $86,891 with 307 graduates, while Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering reaches $97,332 with 298 graduates — both reflecting the depth of Purdue University-Main Campus's engineering and technical pipeline in IN.
