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Purdue University-Main Campus
About 50 in 100 applicants get into Purdue University-Main Campus — solidly within reach for students near the ranges below.
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Purdue University-Main Campus sits in West Lafayette proper — a public campus woven into the city rather than walled off from it. It carries a land-grant charter — the 1862 mandate that ties it to agricultural and practical education.
Its highest-earning path is Computer Science, where graduates median $146,685 four years out. Faculty pay averages $173,676 a year here — a rough proxy for what the school spends on the teaching itself. With 44,503 undergraduates and a residential core, weekends happen on campus — and 92.7% of first-years come back for a second year.
Submitters admitted here typically landed between 1190 and 1460 — above the IN middle for four-year schools. Put your own practice estimate on Purdue University-Main Campus's range with the SAT calculator, or bring a saved GPA from the grade tools.
Admissions
Purdue University-Main Campus requires SAT or ACT scores from all applicants — the middle 50% ranges below describe Purdue University-Main Campus's full admitted class, not a self-selected subset.
| Score | 25th | 50th | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Reading & Writing | 590 | 650 | 710 |
| SAT Math | 600 | 670 | 750 |
| ACT Composite | 27 | 31 | 34 |
Percentiles are among students who submitted scores (Fall 2023 admissions cycle).
In the Fall 2023 cycle, Purdue University-Main Campus received 73,083 applications and admitted 36,763 (50.3%), with 9,381 enrolling.
How Purdue University-Main Campus compares
| Purdue University-Main Campus | Indiana median | National median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 49.9% | 77.9% | 77.2% |
| Tuition (in-state) | $9,992 | $32,352 | $19,591 |
| Median earnings (10 yr) | $72,424 | $52,071 | $53,781 |
Ten years after enrolling, the median Purdue University-Main Campus student earns $72,424 — 39% above the Indiana median of $52,071 for college-goers.
Cost, size & completion
As a public university, Purdue University-Main Campus prices by residency: $9,992 in-state versus $28,794 out-of-state — a $18,802 gap that makes state lines part of the decision.
44,503 undergraduates make Purdue University-Main Campus a large campus: broad course catalogs and big intro lectures come as a package.
83.1% of Purdue University-Main Campus students finish a bachelor's within six years — 28.2 points above the national 54.9% — and the single best predictor that the $9,992 price above buys a degree, not just enrollment.
Top majors by earnings at Purdue University-Main Campus
| Bachelor's program | Median earnings, 4 yrs after completion |
|---|---|
| Computer Science | $146,685 |
| Computer Engineering | $121,462 |
| Materials Engineering | $107,557 |
| Industrial Engineering | $107,031 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | $105,396 |
| Chemical Engineering | $104,514 |
| Statistics | $104,047 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $102,572 |
| Construction Engineering | $101,108 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | $99,896 |
| Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians | $97,594 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | $97,332 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $93,976 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | $93,434 |
| Civil Engineering | $90,873 |
| Accounting and Related Services | $90,119 |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | $88,474 |
| Engineering-Related Fields | $87,914 |
| Engineering, Other | $87,331 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians | $86,891 |
| Agricultural Engineering | $86,306 |
| Air Transportation | $86,161 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | $85,924 |
| Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians | $85,224 |
| Marketing | $84,725 |
| Economics | $83,195 |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other | $82,581 |
| General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations | $82,441 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | $81,040 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $80,403 |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering | $78,770 |
| Food Science and Technology | $75,060 |
| Agricultural Mechanization | $73,393 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | $72,724 |
| Agricultural Production Operations | $71,868 |
| Political Science and Government | $71,601 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | $69,768 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services | $69,246 |
| Chemistry | $67,680 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | $67,639 |
| Physics | $67,505 |
| Landscape Architecture | $67,113 |
| Public Health | $66,892 |
| Agricultural Business and Management | $65,900 |
| Communication and Media Studies | $65,517 |
| Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other | $63,954 |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | $59,766 |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | $59,649 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | $59,050 |
| Design and Applied Arts | $58,917 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | $58,861 |
| Mathematics | $58,453 |
| Biology, General | $58,225 |
| Botany/Plant Biology | $57,530 |
| Forestry | $56,754 |
| Anthropology | $55,624 |
| Special Education and Teaching | $55,308 |
| Sociology | $55,072 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | $54,559 |
| Animal Sciences | $54,089 |
| History | $53,708 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | $52,170 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | $52,105 |
| English Language and Literature, General | $52,053 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | $49,918 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | $49,649 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $48,502 |
| Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians | $45,935 |
| Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management | $40,053 |
Median earnings for these 69 Purdue University-Main Campus programs come from a different federal cohort than the campus-wide $72,424 above — compare rows to each other, not to that 10-year figure. 43 additional Purdue University-Main Campus programs have earnings withheld under federal privacy rules.
Frequently asked questions
What GPA and test scores do you need for Purdue University-Main Campus?
Among the admitted class, the middle 50% scored 1190–1460 on the SAT. There's no published GPA cutoff — pair these ranges with the 49.9% admission rate to judge your odds.
What is Purdue University-Main Campus's acceptance rate?
50.3% in the Fall 2023 cycle — 36,763 admitted from 73,083 applicants.
How much does Purdue University-Main Campus cost?
In-state tuition is $9,992; out-of-state students pay $28,794. Fees, housing and aid move the real total in both directions.
What do Purdue University-Main Campus graduates earn?
Federal data puts median earnings at $72,424 ten years after enrolling. The table above breaks this down by major.
Similar colleges in Indiana
- DePauw University — 57.2% admitted
- Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses — 39.9% admitted
- Wabash College — 63.3% admitted
- Valparaiso University — 89.4% admitted
Run your own numbers
Data: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Jun 2026), IPEDS ADM2023/HD2024. Retrieved 2026-09-01. Figures reflect the latest federal cohorts, which lag the current admissions cycle.