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Admissions & selectivity

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# Purdue University Northwest Acceptance Rate & Admissions

Updated September 30, 2026

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

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## What is the acceptance rate at Purdue University Northwest?

Purdue University Northwest’s reported acceptance rate is 72.4%.

**Acceptance rate · Fall 2024**
72.4%

Source: College Scorecard · Fall 2024 admissions. Acceptance rates can change from year to year; this figure does not predict the current or next admission cycle.

How to interpret the acceptance rate

Purdue University Northwest admits 72.4% of applicants, a rate that sits below the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

## What SAT and ACT scores do Purdue University Northwest students report?

The middle half of enrolled students who submitted SAT scores fell between 890 and 1,140. For ACT submitters, the corresponding range is 16 to 24.

These ranges describe the scores of recent enrolled students who chose to submit them, not a minimum for admission. Applicants can compare their own scores with the university's 890 to 1,140 SAT range and 16 to 24 ACT range.

The figures reflect the middle portion of score submitters, not every enrolled student.

The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at Purdue University Northwest. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle.

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range

**Approximate lower endpoint**
890

**Approximate upper endpoint**
1140

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

ACT: enrolled-student score range

**25th percentile**
16

**75th percentile**
24

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Figures cover fall 2024.

## Who enrolls at Purdue University Northwest?

**Pell Grant recipients**
28.1%

**Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group**
29.5%

**First-year retention**
65.7%

Retention source: College Scorecard; full-time first-year retention.

About these student measures

The entering-student group includes part-time entrants as well as other attendance patterns.

Purdue University Northwest is a public university in Hammond, Indiana, enrolling 5,671 undergraduates. Two groups shape the student body: 28.1% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, and an estimated 29.5% arrive as transfers or part-time students.

That mix means the campus draws from federal grant recipients and students continuing coursework begun elsewhere, rather than a single entry route. The figures describe who attends, not how the university weighs applications.

Among first-time, full-time students, 65.7% return for a second year, which is below the peer median of 73.7%. The [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) for that cohort is 42.9%, also below the peer median of 49.1%.

Pell Grant recipients in the same entering cohort complete at a rate of 38.6%, below the overall six-year rate by 4.3 percentage points. Enrolled students can expect a university where retention and completion run below the peer medians, and where the Pell completion rate trails the overall rate.

The figures point to a campus where staying on track requires active engagement with academic support resources, particularly for students who arrive with financial need.

## 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.

Admission rates describe past applicants, not an individual’s chance of admission; confirm requirements and deadlines with the institution.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).