Purdue University College Portrait
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Purdue University
Purdue University is ranked 18th among the nation’s public universities by
U.S. News & World Report and is globally renowned for empowering student success, promoting field-defining research, and delivering real-world discovery to solve humanity’s grand challenges. Purdue has earned more than 20 top-ten rankings and more than 40 top-twenty rankings from national ranking agencies. Numerous luminaries have launched their careers at this Big Ten university, including Neil Armstrong and 21 other astronauts, C-SPAN founder/CEO Brian Lamb, Forbes' "100 Most Powerful Women" honoree Beth Brooke, legendary basketball coach John Wooden, the 2010 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Ei-ichi Negishi, and 2009 World Food Prize Winner, Gebisa Ejeta. Purdue’s top-ranked students have earned the university a no. 4 ranking in a 2010 Wall Street Journal survey of corporate recruiters, which ranked student preparedness for the workforce. Its award-winning faculty attracted record levels of research funding in 2010, with more than $440 million in awards, up nearly $100 million from the previous year.
Living in the Boilermaker Community
Boilermakers are students, faculty, staff and alumni who move the world forward in positive ways. To complement classroom work and homework, Purdue students – both undergraduate and graduate – have unmatched opportunities to perform leading-edge original research, serve internships, and enjoy experiential, real-word learning activities. Purdue discoveries address societal challenges at both the local and global level. State-of-the art facilities and centers of innovation such as Discovery Park, the university's $350 million interdisciplinary research hub, and Purdue Research Park, a non-profit high-tech business incubator, draw researchers and entrepreneurs from all over the world to work at Purdue. Purdue is dedicated to helping each student succeed and in 2010 celebrated a record first-year retention rate of 89 percent. Students, faculty, and staff representing more than 130 countries provide a rich mixture of culture and diversity to complement the university’s land-grant roots; Purdue has the second-highest international enrollment among public universities in the country. Students can choose from more than 15 residence halls in Purdue’s university housing system, explore nearly 900 student organizations, sample everything from brick-oven pizza to Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and African cuisine in Purdue’s award-winning dining courts, and enjoy on- and off-campus entertainment options from theatre to Big Ten sports.
The Big Picture: How many students were on campus in Fall 2010?
More Information
| Total Students | 39,726 | |
|---|---|---|
Undergraduate Snapshot
| Total Undergraduate Students | 30,836 | |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | ||
| Women | 13,082 | 42% |
| Men | 17,754 | 58% |
| Race/Ethnicity | ||
| American Indian / Alaskan Native | 106 | <1% |
| Asian | 1,634 | 5% |
| African American / Black | 1,077 | 3% |
| Hispanic | 958 | 3% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 14 | <1% |
| White | 22,837 | 74% |
| Two or More Races | 217 | 1% |
| International | 3,420 | 11% |
| Race/Ethnicity Not Reported | 573 | 2% |
| Where do Purdue undergraduates call home? | |
|---|---|
| Indiana | 63% |
| Other US States & Territories | 26% |
| Other Countries | 11% |
| Residency Unknown | <1% |
| How old are Purdue undergraduates? | |
| Average Age | 20 |
| Percent of Undergraduates Age 25 or Older | 4% |
New Student Applications (Fall 2010)
New Freshmen High School Background and Test Scores
Test(s) Required for Admission: SAT or ACT recommended
| Test Scores of Enrolled New Freshmen | ACT | SAT |
|---|---|---|
| Composite | 23 - 29 | |
| Math | 23 - 31 | 540 - 680 |
| English | 22 - 29 | |
| Critical Reading | 500 - 610 |
50% of admitted students have test scores within the ranges listed, 25% have scores above, and 25% have scores below.
| High School Background of Enrolled New Freshmen | ||
|---|---|---|
| Percent in top 25% of High School Graduating Class | 71% | |
| Percent in top 50% of High School Graduating Class | 95% | |
| Percent of New Freshmen who submitted HS GPA | 57% | |
| Average High School GPA (4-point scale) | 3.6 | |
| Percent who submitted High School GPA | 84% | |
Sticker Price: How much does it cost on average?
Typical Undergraduate Costs for 2010-11 without Financial Aid (Full-Time, In-State Students)
Total Typical Cost of Attendance: $17,892
Out-of-State & Other Costs
More Information
The cost to attend Purdue University varies based on the individual circumstances of students and may be reduced through grants and scholarships.
How much would I pay?
Financial Aid: How much help is there to pay?
Scholarships & Grants
- 35% of 2010-11 full-time undergraduates received need-based grants or scholarships; the average award for the year was $8,923. Scholarships and grants are financial aid that does not need to be repaid and is sometimes referred to as gift aid.
Annual Need-Based Loans
- 45% of 2010-11 full-time undergraduates received need-based work-study and/or loans (not including parent loans); the average loan for the year was $5,026. Loans need to be repaid. Typically, repayment starts once you are no longer enrolled full-time. Please refer to page 12 of the Funding Education Beyond High School guide on the US Department of Education's Federal Student Aid website for more information about Financial Need.
Percent of 2008-2009 Full-time Beginning Students Receiving Each Type of Financial Aid
NOTE: Students may receive aid from more than one source.
Purdue Classes & Instructors
| Classroom Environment | |
|---|---|
| Students per Faculty | 14 to 1 |
| Undergraduate classes with fewer than 30 students | <1% |
| Undergraduate classes with fewer than 50 students | <1% |
| Total Full-Time Instructional Faculty | 2,081 |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Are Female | 31% |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Are Persons of Color | 21% |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Have the Highest Academic Degree Offered in Their Field of Study | 98% |
More Information
Campus-based Housing
90% of new freshmen live in campus-based housing or residence halls.
38% of all undergraduates live on campus
More Information
Campus Safety
Purdue’s police force serves the community in partnership with the city, county and state police. A network of 100 phone boxes allows students to summon emergency assistance no matter where they are on the campus. Besides direct efforts in crime prevention and detection, the Purdue University Police Department offers a number of programs to foster safety and security. These include: Bike Patrol by officers, the K-9 program, the Purdue Student Security Patrol, Group Presentations, Bicycle Registration, and Laptop Registration among others. For more information on safety efforts, access the online campus safety brochure at the link above.
Campus Crime Statistics
Carnegie Classification of Institutional Characteristics
The Carnegie Classification's were created "to reference the great diversity of colleges and universities in the United States, and ... enable [people] to identify groups of roughly comparable institutions." For information on the Carnegie Classifications system, please visit their website: http://classifications.carnegiefoundation.org/
- Basic Type
- Research Universities (very high research activity)
- Size and Setting
- Large four-year, primarily residential
- Enrollment Profile
- High undergraduate
- Undergraduate Profile
- Full-time four-year, more selective, lower transfer-in
- Undergraduate Instructional Program
- Professions plus arts & sciences, high graduate coexistence
- Graduate Instructional Program
- Comprehensive doctoral with medical/veterinary
NOTE: Institutional classifications based on the Carnegie 2005 edition.
Student Activities and Involvement at Purdue
Students who are actively involved in their own learning and development are more likely to be successful in college. Colleges and universities offer students a wide variety of opportunities both inside and outside the classroom to become engaged with new ideas, people, and experiences. Institutions measure the effectiveness of these opportunities in a variety of ways to better understand what types of activities and programs students find the most helpful.
Institutions participating in the VSA program measure student involvement on campus using one of four national surveys. Results from the one survey are reported for a common set of questions selected as part of VSA. Following are the selected results from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The questions have been grouped together in categories that are known to contribute to student learning and development. The results reported below are based on the responses of seniors who participated in the survey.
Group Learning Experiences
- 97% percent of seniors worked with classmates on assignments outside of class.
- 64% of seniors tutored or taught other students
- 41% of seniors spent at least 6 hours per week participating in co-curricular activities such as student organizations and intramural sports
Active Learning Experiences
- 87% of seniors spent at least 6 hours per week preparing for class
- 27% of seniors worked on a research project with a faculty member
- 67% of seniors participated in an internship, practicum, or field experience
- 72% of seniors participated in community service or volunteer work
- 22% of seniors participated in study abroad
- 96% of seniors made at least one class presentation last year
Institutional Commitment to Student Learning and Success
- 96% of seniors believe this institution provides support for student success
- 74% of seniors rated the quality of academic advising at this institution as good or excellent
- 63% of seniors reported that this institution provided help in coping with work, family and other non-academic responsibilities
- 93% of seniors reported working harder than they thought they could to meet an instructor's standards or expectations
Student Interaction with Campus Faculty and Staff
- 56% of seniors believed that the campus staff were helpful, considerate, or flexible
- 74% of seniors believed that faculty are available, helpful, or sympathetic
- 93% of seniors reported that faculty members provided prompt feedback on their academic performance
- 67% of seniors discussed readings or ideas with faculty members outside of class
Experiences with Diverse Groups of People and Ideas
- 61% of seniors reported that they often tried to understand someone else's point of view
- 90% of seniors reported their experience at this institution contributed to their understanding people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds
- 55% of seniors often had serious conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity
Student Satisfaction
- 88% of seniors would attend this institution if they started over again
- 89% of seniors rated their entire educational experience as good or excellent
- 86% of seniors reported that other students were friendly or supportive
Evaluation of Experiences
Survey Administration Process
Survey Information
Majors and Degrees
| Degrees awarded at Purdue University in 2009-10 | |
|---|---|
| Associate's | 229 |
| Bachelor's | 6,265 |
| Master's | 1,351 |
| Doctoral | 852 |
| Total | 8,697 |
More Information
| Areas of Study with the largest number of bachelor's degrees awarded in 2009-10 | |
|---|---|
| LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES, GENERAL STUDIES AND HUMANITIES | 21% |
| ENGINEERING | 21% |
| BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES | 15% |
| AGRICULTURE, AGRICULTURE OPERATIONS, AND RELATED SCIENCES | 9% |
| ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES AND ENGINEERING-RELATED FIELDS | 7% |
| Links to degree programs at Purdue University |
|---|
Associate'sBachelor'sMaster'sDoctoral |
Student Success & Progress Rate
A 91% four-year success and progress rate means that 91% of students starting in Fall 2004 either graduated or are still enrolled at a higher education institution four years later.
Counts for the Fall 2004 entering class shown in the graph above.
- 6,625 First-Time, Full-Time Students
- 944 Full-Time Transfer Students
Success & Progress Rate Table
Retention of Freshman Class
First-time students in Fall 2009 that returned for their second year: 88%
Student Learning at Purdue University
All colleges and universities use multiple approaches to measure student learning. Many of these are specific to particular disciplines, many are coordinated with accrediting agencies, and many are based on outcomes after students have graduated.
Purdue University has a learning outcomes assessment process in place that focuses faculty on key elements and principles of effective learning outcomes assessment. The Process involves 1) defining learning outcomes, 2) identifying learning activities aimed at helping students achieve the learning outcome, 3) collecting evidence related to students’ achievement of the learning outcome, 4) determining the extent to which students are achieving the learning outcome, 5) reviewing the assessment evidence to improve student learning, 6) identifying specific changes to help students achieve an acceptable or higher level of the learning outcome, and 7) monitoring the impact of changes on students’ achievement of the learning outcome.
Learning Assessment Examples
Pilot Project to Measure Core Learning Outcomes
Colleges and universities participating in the College Portrait measure the typical improvement in students' abilities to think, reason, and write using one of three tests. This is part of a pilot project to better understand and compare what students learn between their freshman and senior years at different colleges and universities.
This university is in the process of collecting and analyzing learning outcomes test results.