Purdue
Source: purdue.md
Purdue
Admissions Overview
- Overall acceptance rate: 49% (Class of 2028, from 78,745 applicants)
- Fall 2025 projected: ~43% on ~87K applicants
- Early Action rate: ~54% vs Regular Decision ~46%
- No ED offered
- Testing policy: test-required (97% submit scores)
Academic Profile
- SAT middle 50%: 1210-1470
- ACT middle 50%: 27-34
- Average unweighted GPA: 3.76 (average SAT 1337 for Fall 2024)
- Top 10% of HS class: ~50%
- Freshman class size: ~11,000
Engineering Selectivity
- Engineering acceptance rate: 34.7% (SAT 1380-1520, GPA 3.89-4.00)
- Much more selective than university overall for engineering and CS
Yield
- Yield rate: 29.1% (Fall 2024, highest since Common App adoption; historically 25-27%)
- Unexpectedly high yield led to overcrowding, triggering more restrictive future admissions
Demographics (College Scorecard)
| Group |
Pct |
| White |
59% |
| Asian |
14% |
| International |
10% |
| Hispanic |
7% |
| Multiracial |
5% |
| Black |
3% |
| Women |
47% |
Net Cost by Income (College Scorecard)
| Income Bracket |
Net Price |
| $0-30K |
$4,927 |
| $30K-48K |
$5,925 |
| $48K-75K |
$8,948 |
| $75K-110K |
$18,919 |
| $110K+ |
$21,130 |
Purdue froze tuition in 2012-13 and has maintained it since.
Athletics
- Division: NCAA Division I (Big Ten)
- Total athletes: 633 (374 men, 259 women)
- Sports: 18 varsity programs
- Athlete pct: ~1.4% of undergrads
Simulation Notes
- Category:
flagship_public
- Test-required (unlike most peers) -- 97% submit standardized test scores
- Engineering is significantly more selective (35%) than overall (49%)
- Tuition freeze since 2012-13 makes Purdue very cost-competitive; net price for lowest income bracket is only $4,927
- In-state admission rate 71% vs out-of-state 39% -- strong in-state preference
- Large class size (11K) makes it one of the biggest freshman classes nationally
Admissions Strategy
- Strong in-state preference: 71% in-state acceptance rate vs 39% OOS — a 32-point gap. Purdue has explicitly stated its commitment to Indiana residents, and recent admissions data shows increasing focus on in-state applicants.
- Engineering is significantly more competitive: 34% acceptance rate (down from 46% in Fall 2024) on 35K applications (+20% YoY). College Confidential users describe Purdue engineering as "not for the faint of heart."
- Test-required is a differentiator: 97% of students submit scores, making Purdue one of the few large publics still requiring standardized tests. This self-selects the applicant pool.
- EA available (Nov 1): ~54% EA rate vs ~46% RD. Applying EA is recommended on forums.
- Over-enrollment crisis (2024): 29% yield (historically 25-27%) caused overcrowding, leading to more restrictive admissions for subsequent classes.
Campus Culture & Fit
- West Lafayette is a small college town — Purdue IS the town. Students describe a focused, engineering-centric culture.
- Strong "Boilermaker" identity with passionate sports fandom (especially basketball, "Mackey Arena is electric").
- Greek life is active. Social scene is present but secondary to academics for many students.
- Dining and campus facilities have been heavily invested in under the Mitch Daniels/current administration era.
- Collaborative academic culture, especially in engineering. Study groups and industry connections are emphasized.
Financial Aid Reputation
- Tuition freeze since 2012-13 is Purdue's signature value proposition. In-state tuition ($9,992) is among the lowest for any flagship. OOS tuition ($28,794) is also competitive.
- Net cost for low-income students ($4,927 for <$30K) is excellent.
- Forum consensus: Purdue offers the best value in the Big Ten for engineering, and the tuition freeze makes long-term cost planning reliable.
Simulation-Relevant Takeaways
- Model significant in-state preference (71% IS vs 39% OOS acceptance).
- Yield is volatile — 29% in 2024 caused problems; admissions is tightening to prevent recurrence. Model ~25-27% as steady-state.
- Engineering vs overall split (34% vs 49%) is important context but hard to model at university level.