Career outcomes brief

Purdue University Northwest Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

How much do Purdue University Northwest graduates earn?

The reported median is $73,337 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is $16,036 per year.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $73,337, in the 81st percentile. That is $16,036 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $14,389 more than expects for similar students, placing that gap at the 91st 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 $8,021.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $6,368. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,687.

Azimuth places the return in the 85th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings at Purdue University Northwest vary widely by field, a pattern captured by the earnings scenarios four years after completion. The downside earnings scenario sits at $46,550, the typical scenario at $73,337, and the upside scenario reaches $89,747.

That spread reflects the range of outcomes across the university's 25 programs with published data. The highest-earning programs show the upper end: Electrical Engineering graduates earn a median of $96,206, Mechanical Engineering graduates earn $91,229, and Nursing graduates earn $88,935.

The large Nursing program, which awarded 603 degrees, sits among the top earners and ranks #84 nationally in its field.

An estimated 24.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the university's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings reflect only those working and not enrolled, the median captures completers already in the workforce rather than those pursuing advanced degrees.

Median earnings · four years after completion: $73,337
Rank for difference from expectations: 91st percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

Purdue University Northwest reported median: $73,337
Peer schools comparable schools · $16,036 below Purdue University Northwest: $57,301
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $14,389 below Purdue University Northwest: $58,948

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. How the model works.

How could earnings differ from the median?

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

Lower estimate: $46,550
Median · reported: $73,337
Higher estimate: $89,747

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

Why the downside matters explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. Read about the move to four-year earnings.

Do Purdue University Northwest graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls value added.

Purdue University Northwest graduates’ reported earnings are $14,389 above that expectation, the 91st percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending Purdue University Northwest caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

Which fields at Purdue University Northwest report the highest earnings?

Purdue University Northwest awards bachelor's degrees across 25 fields with published four-year earnings, and the program mix is anchored by Health Professions, which accounts for 40.3% of degrees awarded. The highest-earning programs cluster in engineering and technology.

The largest program, Nursing, combines scale with strong earnings: 603 degrees awarded and a median of $88,935 four years after completion. Azimuth ranks it #84 nationally and #1 in Indiana.

Electrical Engineering leads on earnings at $96,206, though it awarded only 25 degrees. Mechanical Engineering follows at $91,229 with 48 degrees awarded.

Outside of engineering, Teacher Education and Biology sit near $49,224 and $48,094, showing how the early-career return varies by field even at a university where the overall earnings picture is strong.

Purdue University Northwest offers earnings data across 25 bachelor's fields, yet only 17 carries an Azimuth national rank. That program, Nursing, shows median earnings of $88,935 four years after completion and ranks #84 nationally.

With 603 degrees awarded, it dominates the bachelor's degree count at the university. The highest earnings are concentrated in engineering, where Electrical Engineering, with 25 degrees awarded, leads at $96,206 four years after completion, while Mechanical Engineering (48 degrees awarded) reaches $91,229 and Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (41 degrees awarded) reaches $85,242.

By contrast, the large Teacher Education program reports $49,224, a difference that shows program choice matters greatly here.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering: $96,206
Mechanical Engineering: $91,229
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing: $88,935
Computer Science: $88,158
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians: $85,242
Civil Engineering: $84,514
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians: $84,288
Engineering-Related Fields: $82,075

Explore Purdue University Northwest program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Earnings at Purdue University Northwest depend heavily on field, a spread the earnings scenarios make clear: the downside scenario is $46,550, the typical scenario is $73,337, and the upside scenario reaches $89,747. The highest-earning program is Electrical Engineering at $96,206 four years after completion, while among the largest programs Biology has the lowest median at $48,094.

Purdue University Northwest graduates who received federal aid and are working four years after completion earn a median of $73,337. That result comes from a cohort of 2,012 completers who are working and not enrolled.

Among nonprofit four-year institutions, that median falls at the 81st percentile. Graduates earn about $14,389 more than the model expects for similar students.

That gap is the distance between actual pay and the model's expectation for similar students. It places the university at the 91st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix run from $46,550 on the downside to $89,747 on the upside, with typical earnings at $73,337. An estimated 24.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

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.