 | |
| Type | Publicland-grantresearch university |
|---|---|
| Established | May 6, 1869; 156 years ago (1869-05-06) |
| Founder | John Purdue |
Parent institution | Purdue University System |
| Accreditation | HLC |
Academic affiliations | |
| Endowment | $4.1 billion (2023) (system-wide)[1] |
| Budget | $2.5 billion (2020–21)[2] |
| President | Mung Chiang |
| Provost | Patrick J. Wolfe |
Academic staff | 2,974 (fall 2023)[3] |
| Students | 52,211 (fall 2023)[3] |
| Undergraduates | 39,170 (fall 2023)[3] |
| Postgraduates | 13,041 (fall 2023)[3] |
| Location | ,, 40°25′30″N86°55′23″W / 40.42500°N 86.92306°W /40.42500; -86.92306 |
| Campus | Small city[5], 2,660 acres (10.8 km2)[4] |
| Newspaper | Purdue Exponent |
| Colors | Old gold and black[6] |
| Nickname | Boilermakers |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division I FBS –Big Ten |
| Mascot | |
| Website | purdue |
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Purdue University is apublicland-grantresearch university inWest Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and theflagship campus of thePurdue University system.[7] The university was founded in 1869 afterLafayette businessmanJohn Purdue donated land and money to establish a college of science, technology, and agriculture;[8] the first classes were held on September 16, 1874.[8]
Purdue University is a member of theAssociation of American Universities and isclassified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".[9] Purdue enrolls the largest student body of any individual university campus in Indiana, as well as the ninth-largestforeign student population of any university in the United States.[10] The university is home to the oldestcomputer scienceprogram and the first university-ownedairport in the United States.
Purdue is the founding member of theBig Ten Conference and sponsors 18 intercollegiate sports teams. It has been affiliated with 13Nobel laureates, 1Turing Award laureate, 1Bharat Ratna recipient,[a] 27astronauts,[11] 2World Food Prize laureates, 3Pulitzer Prize winners, 18Olympic medalists, 3National Medal of Technology and Innovation recipients, 2National Medal of Science recipients, 3Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients, 7 members ofCongress, 3U.S. governors, and 2 heads of state.[12][13]
In 1865, theIndiana General Assembly voted to take advantage of theMorrill Land-Grant Colleges Act of 1862 and began plans to establish an institution with a focus on agriculture and engineering with the preliminary name of the Indiana Agricultural College.[14] Communities throughout the state offered facilities and funding in bids for the location of the new college. Popular proposals included designatingIndiana University or what is nowButler University as Indiana's land-grant, as well as the addition of an agriculture department at what is nowIndiana State University. By 1869,Tippecanoe County's offer included $150,000 (equivalent to $3.5 million in 2024) from Lafayette business leader and philanthropistJohn Purdue; $50,000 from the county; and 100 acres (0.4 km2) of land from John Purdue and local residents.[15]
On May 6, 1869, the General Assembly established the institution in Tippecanoe County as Purdue University, in the name of the principal benefactor. Classes began at Purdue on September 16, 1874, with six instructors and 39 students.[8] ProfessorJohn S. Hougham was Purdue's first faculty member and served as acting president between the administrations of presidentsShortridge and White.[8][16] A campus of five buildings was completed by the end of 1874.[17] In 1875,Sarah D. Allen Oren Haynes, the State Librarian of Indiana, was appointed professor of botany.[18]
Purdue issued its first degree, aBachelor of Science in chemistry, in 1875. The first female student was admitted that autumn.[19][20]
Emerson E. White, the university's president from 1876 to 1883, followed a strict interpretation of the Morrill Act. Rather than emulate the classical universities, White believed Purdue should be an "industrial college" and devote its resources toward providing a broad,liberal education with an emphasis on science, technology, and agriculture.[21]
Part of White's plan to distinguish Purdue from classical universities included a controversial attempt to ban fraternities, which was ultimately overturned by theIndiana Supreme Court. White resigned in protest.[22] The next president,James H. Smart, is remembered for his call in 1894 to rebuild the original Heavilon Hall "one brick higher" after it had been destroyed by a fire.[23]
By the end of the nineteenth century, the university was organized into schools of agriculture, engineering (mechanical, civil, and electrical), and pharmacy; former U.S. PresidentBenjamin Harrison served on theboard of trustees.[24] Purdue's engineering laboratories included testing facilities for a locomotive, and for aCorliss steam engine—one of the most efficient engines of the time. Programs in education and home economics were soon established, as well as ashort-lived school of medicine. By 1925, Purdue had the largest undergraduate engineering enrollment in the country, a status it would keep for half a century.[25]
PresidentEdward C. Elliott oversaw a campus building program between the world wars. Inventor, alumnus, and trusteeDavid E. Ross coordinated several fundraisers, donated lands to the university, and was instrumental in establishing the Purdue Research Foundation. Ross's gifts and fundraisers supported such projects asRoss–Ade Stadium, theMemorial Union, a civil engineering surveying camp, andPurdue University Airport. Purdue Airport was the country's first university-owned airport and the site of the country's first college-credit flight training courses.[26]
Amelia Earhart joined the Purdue faculty in 1935 as a consultant for these flight courses and as a counselor on women's careers. In 1936, the Purdue Research Foundation provided the funds for theLockheed Electra 10-E Earhart flew on her attempted round-the-world flight.[27]
Every school and department at the university was involved in some type of military research or training duringWorld War II.[28] During a project on radar receivers, Purdue physicists discovered properties ofgermanium that led to the making of the firsttransistor.[29][30] The Army and the Navy conducted training programs at Purdue and more than 17,500 students, staff, and alumni served in the armed forces.[31] Purdue set up about a hundred centers throughout Indiana to train skilled workers for defense industries.[32] As veterans returned to the university under theG.I. Bill, first-year classes were taught at some of these sites to alleviate the demand for campus space. Four of these sites are now degree-granting regional campuses of thePurdue University system. On-campus housing became racially desegregated in 1947.[33][34]
After the war, a decade-long construction program emphasized science and research. In the late 1950s and early 1960s the university established programs in veterinary medicine, industrial management, and nursing, as well as the first computer science department in the United States.[35] Undergraduate humanities courses were strengthened, graduate-level study in these areas were slowly established. Purdue awarded its first Bachelor of Arts degrees in 1960.[36]
The official seal of Purdue was officially inaugurated during the university's centennial in 1969. Consisting of elements from emblems that had been used unofficially since the 1890s, the current seal depicts agriffin, symbolizing strength, and a three-part shield, representing education, research, and service.[37]
In 1975, Purdue University joinedARPANET, an early packet-switching network that would ultimately become the foundation for the modern internet.[38]
In recent years, Purdue's leaders have continued to support high-tech research and international programs. In 1987, U.S. PresidentRonald Reagan visited the West Lafayette campus to give a speech about the influence of technological progress on job creation.[39]
In the 1990s, the university added more opportunities to study abroad and expanded its course offerings in world languages and cultures.[40] The first buildings of the Discovery Park interdisciplinary research center were dedicated in 2004.[41]
On April 27, 2017, Purdue University announced plans to acquirefor-profit collegeKaplan University and convert it to a public university in the state of Indiana, subject to multiple levels of approval.[42] That school now operates asPurdue University Global, and aims to serve adult learners.[43]
On July 1, 2024, Purdue launchedPurdue University in Indianapolis, an extension of the West Lafayette campus, after the formal split ofIndiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis. It conveys Purdue West Lafayette degrees and has the same academic rigor as the flagship campus. Purdue currently has a 28-acre (11 ha) footprint in downtownIndianapolis that includes space in the existing engineering and technology buildings, and has established partnerships with companies for facilities and shared spaces throughout themetro area.[44]
Purdue had black graduates by the 1890s, and in 1905 a Black man ran for its track team. But some time in the 1910s the teams became segregated, and remained so until a student protest in 1947. Black students were not allowed to live in the residence halls until the 1940s. Black males were able to live in cooperatives, but Black females were not allowed to live anywhere in West Lafayette. In 1946, the women's dormitories were integrated by an order of the governor of Indiana.[45][46]
Helen Williams became the first Black faculty member in 1968.[47]
In 2025, in response to state-level executive orders aligning with directives issued by PresidentDonald Trump, the university terminated its Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, saying that staff who had been a part of that office would have the chance to interview for current vacancies in other areas. The university also terminated the Recruitment and Diversity Office for the Polytechnic Institute, despite diversity only being a small part of the office's function. Terminated staff members believed that it was because of the name alone that the office was terminated, as other recruitment offices for different parts of the university that did not have "diversity" in the name had remained untouched.[48][49][50]
In June of that year, theIndiana General Assembly passed a state budget bill mandating that Indiana's public universities phase out programs that produce fewer than a certain number of graduates over a three-year period. As a result, Purdue eliminated or merged a number of master's and Ph.D. programs in areas such as microbiology, mathematics, and literature.[51]
Purdue's campus is situated in the small city ofWest Lafayette, near the western bank of theWabash River, across which sits the larger city ofLafayette. Mitch Daniels Boulevard (formerly State Street) divides the northern and southern portions of campus. Academic buildings are mostly concentrated on the eastern and southern parts of campus, with residence halls and intramural fields to the west, and athletic facilities to the north. An extensive system of underground tunnels protects pedestrians from snow, ice, wind, rain andUV during movements between buildings.[52]
The Purdue Mall is the central quad of Purdue University and was created to connect the academic campus with Ross-Ade Stadium. It is also known as the Engineering Mall due to its proximity to several engineering buildings. The most prominent feature of the Purdue Mall is the 38-foot (12 m)-tall concreteEngineering Fountain.
ThePurdue Bell Tower is between the Stadium and Centennial Malls. The Bell Tower is considered an icon of the university and can be found on many Purdue logos and those of the cities ofLafayette andWest Lafayette.[53]
Southwest of the Stadium Mall is theEdward C. Elliott Hall of Music, one of the largestproscenium theaters in the world.[54] Elliott Hall of Music serves as the home of theWBAA (AM) andWBAA-FM studios, and was the base of operations for Purdue Bands and Orchestras until the completion of the Marc and Sharon Hagle Hall in 2022.[55]
West of the Elliott Hall of Music is the Armory Building. The Armory Building was rebuilt in 1918 after a fire and houses the university's ROTC programs and other clubs.[56]
The Purdue Memorial Mall, south of the Purdue Mall, is the original section of campus. It is a popular meeting place for students and is surrounded by other buildings used for academic and cultural purposes.[57][58][59]
Near this section of campus is Felix Haas Hall, which was constructed in 1909 as Memorial Gymnasium in memory of the 17 Purdue University football players, coaches, alumni, and fans who died in thePurdue Wreck railroad accident of 1903. The structure was renovated in 1985 to house thecomputer science department. In 2006, it was renamed in honor of retired Provost Felix Haas and began to also house the Statistics department.[60] East of the Memorial Mall is thePurdue Memorial Union, Purdue'sstudent union building, and the adjacent Union Club Hotel.[61][62]
University Hall is the only building remaining from the original six-building campus. Construction began in 1871, when the building was known as "The Main Building". The building was dedicated in 1877. University Hall originally housed the office of the president, a chapel, and classrooms. At the request ofJohn Purdue, he was buried in the Memorial Mall, directly across from the main entrance of University Hall.[63][64]
The area south of Mitch Daniels Boulevard is home to Purdue's agricultural, fine arts, life sciences, and veterinary buildings. This area also includes the Krannert School of Management,Horticulture Gardens,Discovery Park, Lyles Porter Hall and thePurdue Airport.
Lyles Porter Hall houses interdisciplinary healthcare facilities and classroom space within the College of Health and Human Sciences as well as the West Lafayette branch of theIndiana University School of Medicine.[65]
The western portion of campus consists of student housing, dining, and recreation facilities. The Córdova Recreational Sports Center, built in 1957, is the first building in the nation created solely to serve university student recreational needs.[66][67]
Much of the northern part of campus sits on land purchased for the university by industrialist David E. Ross and authorGeorge Ade in the 1920s. Many of Purdue's athletic facilities are there, includingRoss–Ade Stadium (American football),Mackey Arena (basketball), andLambert Fieldhouse (indoor track and field). This area also includes theSlayter Center of Performing Arts and Cary Quadrangle, one of the largest all-male housing units in the country.[68]
| Undergraduate admissions statistics | |
|---|---|
| Admit rate | 49.8% (  −10) |
| Yield rate | 29.1 (  +4.6) |
| Test scoresmiddle 50% | |
| SAT Total | 1210–1470 (among 75% ofFTFs) |
| ACT Composite | 27–34 (among 35% ofFTFs) |
| |
Purdue University is ranked 43rd in the annual ranking of 2024 U.S. News & World Report. The 2022 annual ranking ofU.S. News & World Report categorizes Purdue University-West Lafayette as "more selective".[70] For the Class of 2025 (enrolled fall 2021), Purdue received 59,173 applications and accepted 40,759 (68.9%). Of those accepted, 10,157 enrolled, ayield rate (the percentage of accepted students who choose to attend the university) of 24.9%. Purdue's freshmanretention rate is 92%, with 81.5% going on to graduate within six years.[69]
The university started test-optional admissions with the Fall 2021 incoming class in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and has extended this through Fall 2023. Of the 62% of the incoming freshman class who submittedSAT scores; the middle 50 percent Composite scores were 1190–1430.[69] Of the 31% of enrolled freshmen in 2021 who submittedACT scores; the middle 50 percent Composite score was between 26 and 33.[69]
Purdue University is a college-sponsor of the National Merit Scholarship Program and sponsored 88 Merit Scholarship awards in 2020. In the 2020–2021 academic year, 127 freshman students wereNational Merit Scholars.[71]
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applicants | 78,526 | 72,800 | 68,309 | 59,173 | 57,279 | 54,912 | 53,439 | 48,912 | 48,775 |
| Admits | 39,096 | 36,602 | 35,995 | 40,759 | 38,457 | 32,834 | 30,965 | 28,092 | 27,226 |
| Admit rate | 49.8 | 50.3 | 52.7 | 68.9 | 67.1 | 59.8 | 57.9 | 57.4 | 55.8 |
| Enrolled | 11,388 | 9,206 | 9,354 | 10,157 | 8,869 | 8,056 | 8,357 | 7,566 | 7,242 |
| Yield rate | 29.1 | 25.2 | 25.9 | 24.9 | 23.1 | 24.5 | 27.0 | 26.9 | 26.6 |
| ACT composite* (out of 36) | 27–34 (25%†) | 27–34 (24%†) | 27–34 (29%†) | 26–33 (31%†) | 25–33 (46%†) | 25–32 (50%†) | 25–32 (51%†) | 25–31 (60%†) | 25–31 (62%†) |
| SAT composite* (out of 1600) | 1210–1470 (79%†) | 1210–1450 (73%†) | 1210–1450 (67%†) | 1190–1430 (62%†) | 1190–1430 (82%†) | 1190–1440 (82%†) | 1180–1410 (76%†) | 1150–1380 (69%†) | — |
| * middle 50% range † percentage of first-time freshmen who chose to submit | |||||||||
| College/school founding | |
|---|---|
| College/school | Year founded |
| College of Agriculture | 1869 |
| College of Education | 1908 |
| College of Engineering | 1876 |
| College of Health and Human Sciences | 2010 |
| College of Liberal Arts | 1953 |
| Daniels School of Business | 1962 |
| College of Pharmacy | 1884 |
| Purdue Polytechnic Institute | 1964 |
| College of Science | 1907 |
| College of Veterinary Medicine | 1959 |
Purdue offers bothundergraduate andgraduate programs in over 211major areas of study, and is well known for its competitive engineering curricula. The university has also been integral in America'shistory of aviation, having established the firstcollege credit offered inflight training; the first four-year bachelor's degree in aviation; and the first university airport:Purdue University Airport. Purdue's aviation technology and aeronautical engineering programs remain among the most competitive aviation-specific programs in the world.[80] In the mid-20th century, Purdue's aviation program expanded to encompass advancedspaceflight technology, giving rise to Purdue's nicknamesCradle of Astronauts[81] andMother of Astronauts.[82] Twenty-six Purdue graduates have become astronauts, includingGus Grissom, one of the originalMercury Seven astronauts;Neil Armstrong, who was the first person to walk on the Moon; andEugene Cernan, who was the last person to walk on the Moon.[83]
The English department at Purdue launched the firstOnline Writing Lab (OWL), in 1994.[84][85] Many colleges and universities use the Purdue OWL website as anacademic writing reference source for proper word usage, punctuation, grammar, and style.[86] Professors criticized the partnership, begun in 2020, between OWL and the company Chegg, which providesAI-generated "homework help" that some consider to be plagiarism.[87]
Purdue is organized into 10 colleges and schools. In 2010, the College of Health and Human Sciences was formed, through combining existing academic units, including the School of Nursing, the School of Health Sciences, the College of Consumer and Family Sciences, and non-humanities majors psychology and hearing and speech pathology from the College of Liberal Arts.[88]
The university's College of Agriculture supports the university's charge as aland-grant university for the study of agriculture throughout the state.
The College of Education offersundergraduatedegrees inelementary education,social studies education, science education andspecial education, andgraduate degrees in these and many other specialty areas ofeducation.[89]
The Purdue University College of Engineering was established in 1874 with programs in Civil and Mechanical Engineering. The college now offersBS,MS, andPhD degrees in more than a dozen disciplines.[90] Purdue's engineering program has also educated 27 of America'sastronauts, includingNeil Armstrong andEugene Cernan, who were the first and last astronauts to have walked on theMoon, respectively, andGus Grissom, a member of theMercury Seven.[91] Many of Purdue's engineering disciplines are recognized as top-ten programs in the U.S.[92] The college as a whole is currently ranked 4th in the U.S. of all doctorate-granting engineering schools byU.S. News & World Report.[93]
The university's Exploratory Studies program supports undergraduate students who enter the university without having a declared major. It was founded as a pilot program in 1995 and made a permanent program in 1999.[94]
The College of Health and Human Sciences was established in 2010 and is the newest college. It offersBS,MS andPhD degrees in all 9 of its academic units.[95]
Purdue's College of Liberal Arts contains the arts,social sciences andhumanities programs at the university.Liberal arts courses have been taught at Purdue since its founding in 1874. The School of Science, Education, and Humanities was formed in 1953. In 1963, the School of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education was established, althoughBachelor of Arts degrees had begun to be conferred as early as 1959. In 1989, the School of Liberal Arts was created to encompass Purdue's arts,humanities, andsocial sciences programs, whileeducation programs were split off into the newly formed School of Education. The School of Liberal Arts was renamed the College of Liberal Arts in 2005.[96]
The Daniels School of Business offers management courses and programs at the undergraduate, master's, and doctoral levels.[97]
The university's College of Pharmacy was established in 1884 and is the 3rd oldest state-fundedschool of pharmacy in the United States.[98]
The Purdue Polytechnic Institute, formerly known as the College of Technology, offersbachelor's,master's andPhD degrees in a wide range of technology-related disciplines. With over 30,000 livingalumni, it is one of the largest technology schools in the United States. In addition to the main school in West Lafayette, Purdue Polytechnic operates nine satellite campuses inAnderson,Columbus,Indianapolis,Kokomo,Lafayette,New Albany,Richmond,Vincennes, andSouth Bend.[99] These locations offer certificate, associate, and/or bachelor's degrees, some of which areABET-accredited technical degrees.
The Polytechnic Institute also maintains three high school campuses (two inIndianapolis and one inSouth Bend) that focus onscience, technology, engineering, and mathematics and feature hands-on project-based learning.[100]
The university's College of Science houses the university's science departments: Biological Sciences; Chemistry; Computer Science; Earth, Atmospheric, & Planetary Sciences; Mathematics; Physics & Astronomy; and Statistics. The sciencecourses offered by the college account for about one-fourth of Purdue's one million studentcredit hours.[101]
The College of Veterinary Medicine is accredited by theAVMA.
Purdue's John Martinson Honors College supports anhonors program for undergraduate students[102] at the university. The Honors College's mission is to "create and foster well-rounded, well-educated global leaders,"[103] through their four pillars of interdisciplinary academics, undergraduate research, community and global engagement, and leadership development.[103]
Through Purdue Online, the administrative unit charged with planning and enabling the effort, Purdue has a growing online presence, in addition toPurdue Global, offering more than 200 programs through the university's four accredited institutions (Purdue West Lafayette, Purdue Northwest and Purdue Fort Wayne in Indiana and Purdue Global) including master's degree programs.[104] Purdue Online, the unified online education initiative approved by Purdue President Mitch Daniels and the Purdue Board of Trustees in December 2018, is intended to radically expand these offerings by developing a "coordinated, unified system-wide portfolio of online course and degree offerings for students of all types."[105] Students manage their Purdue University admin account using the BrightSpace Purdue Student Portal.[106]
The university expended $622.814 million in support of research system-wide in 2017, using funds received from the state and federal governments, industry, foundations, and individual donors. The faculty and more than 400 research laboratories put Purdue University among the leading research institutions.[107] Purdue University is considered by theCarnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education to have "very high research activity".[108] Purdue also was rated the nation's fourth best place to work in academia, according to rankings released in November 2007 byThe Scientist magazine.[109] Purdue's researchers provide insight, knowledge, assistance, and solutions in many crucial areas. These include, but are not limited to Agriculture; Business and Economy; Education; Engineering; Environment; Healthcare; Individuals, Society, Culture; Manufacturing; Science; Technology; Veterinary Medicine.[110]The Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP), a global research consortium focused onglobal economic governance challenges (trade, climate, resource use) is also coordinated by the university. Purdue University generated a record $438 million in sponsored research funding during the 2009–10 fiscal year with participation fromNational Science Foundation,National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the U.S. departments ofAgriculture,Defense,Energy, andHealth and Human Services.[111] Purdue University was ranked fourth in Engineering research expenditures amongst all the colleges in the United States in 2017, with a research expenditure budget of 244.8 million.[112]
Purdue University established theDiscovery Park to bring innovation through multidisciplinary action.[113] In all of the eleven centers of Discovery Park, ranging from entrepreneurship to energy and advanced manufacturing, research projects reflect a large economic impact and address global challenges.[114] Purdue University'snanotechnology research program, built around the new Birck Nanotechnology Center in Discovery Park, ranks among the best in the nation.[115]
ThePurdue Research Park which opened in 1961[116] was developed by Purdue Research Foundation which is a private, nonprofit foundation created to assist Purdue. The park is focused on companies operating in the arenas of life sciences, homeland security, engineering, advanced manufacturing and information technology.[117] It provides an interactive environment for experienced Purdue researchers and for private business and high-tech industry.[116] It currently employs more than 3,000 people in 155 companies, including 90 technology-based firms.[118] The Purdue Research Park was ranked first by the Association of University Research Parks in 2004.[119]
Purdue's library system consists of fifteen locations throughout the campus, including an archives and special collections research center, an undergraduate library, and several subject-specific libraries. More than three million volumes, including one million electronic books, are held at these locations.[120] The Library houses theAmelia Earhart Collection, a collection of notes and letters belonging to Earhart and her husbandGeorge Putnam along with records related to her disappearance and subsequent search efforts.[121] An administrative unit of Purdue University Libraries,Purdue University Press publishes books in the areas of agriculture, health, and engineering.
Purdue's Sustainability Council, composed of university administrators and professors, meets monthly to discuss environmental issues and sustainability initiatives at Purdue.[122] The university's firstLEED Certified building was an addition to the Mechanical Engineering Building, which was completed in Fall 2011.[123] The school is also in the process of developing an arboretum on campus.[124] In addition, a system has been set up to display live data detailing current energy production at the campus utility plant.[124] The school holds an annual "Green Week" each fall, an effort to engage the Purdue community with issues relating to environmental sustainability.[125]
| Academic rankings | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Forbes[126] | 51 |
| U.S. News & World Report[127] | 43 |
| Washington Monthly[128] | 26 |
| WSJ/College Pulse[129] | 48 |
| Global | |
| ARWU[130] | 100 |
| QS[131] | 88 (tie) |
| THE[132] | 79 |
| U.S. News & World Report[133] | 173 (tie) |
| Audiology | 8 |
|---|---|
| Biological Sciences | 50 |
| Chemistry | 27 |
| Analytic Chemistry | 1 |
| Computer Science | 19 |
| Earth Sciences | 42 |
| Economics | 49 |
| Education | 48 |
| Overall Engineering | 6 |
| Electrical Engineering | 7 |
| Aerospace Engineering | 2 |
| Biological/Agricultural Engineering | 1 |
| Civil Engineering | 5 |
| Computer Engineering | 8 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 8 |
| Nuclear Engineering | 10 |
| Environmental Engineering | 9 |
| Industrial Engineering | 6 |
| English | 46 |
| Mathematics | 37 |
| Applied Mathematics | 24 |
| Mathematical Analysis | 20 |
| Pharmacy | 9 |
| Physics | 38 |
| Political Science | 63 |
| Psychology | 46 |
| Industrial and Organizational Psychology | 7 |
| Public Health | 68 |
| Sociology | 54 |
| Speech-Language Pathology | 2 |
| Statistics | 22 |
| Veterinary Medicine | 11 |
Purdue University is well-regarded for the strength of itsSTEM programs.
In its 2025 edition,U.S. News & World Report ranked Purdue University the 7th most innovative national university, 8th best engineering school, and 18th best public university in the United States.[135] For its graduate programs, Purdue is ranked 5th for overall engineering, 1st for biological/agricultural engineering, 5th for aerospace engineering, 9th for computer engineering, 9th for electrical engineering, 7th for mechanical engineering, 1st for analytic chemistry, 19th for computer science, 24th for applied mathematics, and 22nd for statistics.[136]
In its 2025 edition, theTimes Higher Education ranked Purdue University 20th among all global universities for Interdisciplinary Science (12th among universities in the United States).[137] It also ranked Purdue 30th among all global universities for engineering (16th among universities in the United States).[138]
As of April 2025, CSRankings.org ranked Purdue's computer science program 13th overall in the United States.[139]
| Race and ethnicity[140] | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 64% | ||
| Foreign national | 12% | ||
| Asian | 10% | ||
| Hispanic | 6% | ||
| Other[b] | 5% | ||
| Black | 3% | ||
| Economic diversity | |||
| Low-income[c] | 15% | ||
| Affluent[d] | 85% | ||
In 2012, 8,562 students from 126 countries around the world attended Purdue University.[141] For international student enrollment, Purdue ranks ninth among 4,500-plus public and private institutions and ranks fourth among all U.S. public universities, based on the 2024 Open Doors Report.[142]
In 2012–13, 19,689 out of a total of 39,256 students enrolled were Indiana residents.[141] As of 2013[update], the racial diversity of the US-resident undergraduate student body was 5.7%Asian, 4.4%Hispanic orLatino, and 4.0%black orAfrican American.[143] Of the undergraduate students, 42.6% were female.[144] Domestic minorities constitute a total of 10.8% in the graduate student body population[143] of which 37.3% are female.[144] Twenty-two percent of the student body is international, representing 126 countries.[145] In graduate and professional student population, non-Indiana residents occupy an overwhelming majority, about 75%.[146] Almost all undergraduates and about 70% of the graduate student population attend full-time.[147] The school's selectivity for admissions is "more selective" byUSNWR: approximately 49% of applicants are admitted.[148]
About one-third of the single undergraduate students on the West Lafayette campus live in university-owned buildings. The rest live in fraternities, sororities, cooperatives, or private off-campus housing. School sources claim over 10,000 spaces available in seventeen separate residence halls for students on campus.
Purdue University hosts one of the nation's largestGreek communities, with roughly 40 fraternities and 30 sororities.[149]
Students at Purdue participate in more than 1,000 student organizations that cover a variety of interests.[150] Some of the notable clubs founded by Purdue students include thePurdue Reamer Club (a school spirit organization that cares for theBoilermaker Special mascot and raises funds for scholarships) and two clubs that eventually became nationwide organizations: theNational Society of Black Engineers and theRube Goldberg Machine Contest.[151][152]
Several campus-wide programs are planned by the Purdue Alumni Student Experience (part of the Alumni Association),Purdue Student Union Board, Purdue Student Government (PSG), or the Purdue Graduate Student Government (PGSG). PSG and PGSG are made up of representatives from each of the university's academic colleges and give recommendations to the faculty, administration, and sometimes to the state legislature.[153]
Annual campus events include Boiler Gold Rush, Purdue University Dance Marathon, Spring Fest, and Grand Prix. Boiler Gold Rush (BGR) is Purdue's annual student orientation program and a sports pep rally. Purdue University Dance Marathon (PUDM) is an 18-hour no-sitting, no-sleeping, dance marathon; over 2,000 students participate and the event raises over $1 million annually forRiley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. Spring Fest is an annual carnival with entertaining exhibits from many academic departments. A highlight of the weekend is the Entomology Department's Bug Bowl, where the sport ofcricket spitting was invented in 1997.[154][155] ThePurdue Grand Prix, a 50-mile, 160-lap go-kart race ends Gala Week each year. All 33 participating karts are made from scratch by student teams. The event has been raising money for student scholarships since it began in 1958.[156]
Purdue has a number of religious organizations on and near the campus.St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church serves the Catholic community at Purdue and the surrounding community. There is also anon-denominational Christian church, Campus House, which is affiliated with the popular coffee-shop Greyhouse Coffee.[157][158][159] The PurdueHillel Foundation andChabad at Purdue are the university's Jewish campus organizations.[160][161] The Islamic Society of Greater Lafayette has an Islamic center serving the needs of the Muslim community on campus.[162]
ThePurdue Exponent, an independentstudent newspaper, has the largest circulation of any Indiana college newspaper, with a daily circulation of 17,500 copies during the spring and fall semesters.[163] From 1889 to 2008 Purdue published ayearbook called theDebris.[164]
WBAA are radio station operations owned by and licensed toMetropolitan Indianapolis Public Media, with studios at the university, featuring three noncommercial stations: WBAA News, WBAA Classical, and WBAA Jazz. The stations can be heard on AM 920, 101.3 FM, and 105.9 FM. WBAA also broadcasts on HD Radio and digital platforms including wbaa.org and the WBAA app. Its studios are in theEdward C. Elliott Hall of Music on the Purdue campus, and the transmitters are inLafayette, Indiana. WBAA is the longest continuously operating radio station in Indiana, having been licensed on April 4, 1922. WBAA is aNPR member station. Despite some public disapproval, in 2022, Purdue soldWBAA (AM) andWBAA-FM toWFYI-FM.[165] Purdue received $700,000 in underwriting credit while agreeing to provide an investment of $250,000 annually for two years to WFYI to offset initial operating costs.[166]
There are also a fewcampus radio stations on campus. Currently, three radio stations operate fromresidence halls, broadcasting via internet only; WCCR from Cary Quadrangle (not to be confused with the current WCCR FM or WCCR-LP stations in other states), WILY from Wiley Hall, and WHHR from Harrison Hall.[167][168][169][170]
W9YB is thecallsign of theAmateur Radio Club at Purdue University. W9YB is the longest standing club on campus and also holds the self-declared title of having one of the largest and most active collegiateamateur radio stations in the country. W9YB actively participates inemergency management for theTippecanoe County area and maintains ready status with its members in skills to assist. W9YB is among the longest standing amateur radio clubs in the United States, with the current callsign dating back to 1932 and the previous callsign 9YB dating back to 1920.[171]
TheMovie Tribute Show was created in a small television studio (now known as the Erik Mygrant Studio) on campus in 1999.[172]
On October 26, 1891, a newspaper inCrawfordsville, Indiana called Purdue's football team the "Boiler Makers" when writing about their trouncing ofWabash College. Lafayette newspapers soon picked up the name, and in October 1892,The Purdue Exponent, Purdue's student newspaper, gave it the stamp of approval.[173] In the early days of Purdue football, the team was called other names as well, including "haymakers", "railsplitters", "sluggers", and "cornfield sailors". This heritage is reflected in Purdue's official mascot: theBoilermaker Special (a truck-like vehicle that resembles a locomotive) and the athletic mascotPurdue Pete (a muscular hammer-wieldingboilermaker). The school colors ofold gold and black were selected by Purdue's first football team in 1887 to resemble the orange and black ofPrinceton's then-successful team.[174] This made Purdue football the first sports team to ever use a black and gold color palette. The best known fight song is "Hail Purdue!".
Purdue has one of the few college athletic programs not funded by student fees or subsidized by the university.[175][176] It is home to 18 Division I/I-ANCAA teams including football, basketball, cross country, tennis, wrestling, golf, volleyball, ice hockey (ACHA), and others. Purdue is a founding member of theBig Ten Conference, and played a central role in its creation. Traditional rivals include Big Ten colleagues theIndiana Hoosiers (seeIndiana–Purdue rivalry), theIllinois Fighting Illini, and theNotre DameFighting Irish from theAtlantic Coast Conference (football program independent, however).[177][178]
Purdue's baseball facility was named in honor of two alumni,Anna Margaret Ross Alexander and her husband, John Arthur Alexander, when the new stadium was dedicated in 2013.[179]
TheBoilermaker football team represents Purdue University in the NCAAFootball Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Purdue plays its home games at Ross-Ade Stadium on the university's campus. The Boilermakers compete in the Big Ten Conference as a member of the West Division.
Found on a farm in southernIndiana, theOld Oaken Bucket is one of the oldestAmerican football trophies. The winner of Purdue's annual game against theIndiana University Hoosiers gets to keep the trophy until the next face-off and add a bronze "P" or "I" link to its chain. The first competition in 1925 led to a 0–0 tie, resulting in the first link on the chain being an "IP."[180] As of 13 January 2024[update], Purdue led the series 77–42–6.
During "Breakfast Club", best described as a cross between a pep rally and a Halloween party, students and even some alumni dress up in costumes, from traditional Halloween garb to creative hand-made costumes, as they bar-hop before Boilermaker home football games. The Breakfast Club plays a significant role during the football season and is informally a part of Purdue tradition. Many Boilermaker fans are dedicated; getting up at 5:00 a.m. on Saturdays and lining up at the bars on Chauncey Hill and the levee by 6:00 a.m. on game days. The Breakfast Club tradition began in the 1980s during the annualPurdue Grand Prix race in April.[181][182] Another tradition is Saturday morning wake-ups, where the Boilermaker Special uses its many loud horns and whistles to wake dorm students up in preparation for the day's game.[183]
ThePurdue Boilermakers men's basketball team competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the Big Ten Conference. Purdue won its 25th Big Ten Conference Championship and 2nd Big Ten Tournament Championship in 2023. This leads the conference, asIndiana University Bloomington is second with 22 conference championships. The Boilermakers were retroactively designated the 1932 national champions by theHelms Athletic Foundation and thePremo-Porretta Power Poll, but have not won an NCAA Championship: they were the 1969 runner-up, falling to legendary coach and former Purdue playerJohn Wooden-ledUCLA in the national championship game, the 1980 third-place finisher, falling to UCLA in the semifinals of the Final Four but defeating Iowa in the consolation game, and the 2024 runner-up, falling to Connecticut in the national championship game. The Purdue men's team has sent more than 30 players to the NBA including two overall No. 1 picks in the NBA draft. ThePurdue women's basketball team were the1999 NCAA Champions and 2001 runners-up. The Boilermakers men's and women's basketball teams have won more Big Ten Championships than any other conference school, with 32 regular-season conference titles and 11 Big Ten Tournament titles. Purdue men's basketball achieved an all-time winning record against all Big Ten Schools when it gained a winning record over Ohio State with three wins in 2023, improving that record from 91–92 to 94–92.[184][185]
The original faculty of six in 1874 has grown to 2,563 tenured and tenure-track faculty in the Purdue Statewide System by Fall 2007 totals. The number of faculty and staff members system-wide is 18,872.[186] The current faculty includes scholars such asArden L. Bement Jr. (director of theNational Science Foundation),R. Graham Cooks,Douglas Comer,Louis de Branges de Bourcia (who proved theBieberbach conjecture),Victor Raskin,David Sanders,Leah Jamieson,James L. Mohler (who has written several manuals of computer graphics), andSamuel S. Wagstaff Jr. (inventor of theWagstaff prime).[187]
Purdue's tenured faculty comprises sixtyAcademic Deans, Associate Deans, and Assistant Deans; 63 Academic Department Heads; 753 Professors; 547 Associate Professors; and 447 Assistant Professors. Purdue employs 892 non-tenure-track faculty, Lecturers, and Postdoctoral Researchers at its West Lafayette campus. Purdue employs another 691 tenured and 1,021 Non-Tenure Track Faculty, Lecturers, and Postdoctoral Researchers at its Regional Campuses and Statewide Technology unit.[186]
Two faculty members (chemistsHerbert C. Brown andEi-ichi Negishi) have been awarded Nobel Prizes while at Purdue. In all, 13 Nobel Prizes in five fields have been associated with Purdue including students, researchers, and current and previous faculty.[188] Other notable faculty of the past have included Golden Gate Bridge designerCharles Alton Ellis, efficiency expertLillian Gilbreth, food safety advocateHarvey Wiley, aviatorAmelia Earhart, president of theNational Association of MathematiciansEdray Goins, radio pioneerReginald Fessenden, andYeram S. Touloukian, founder of the Thermophysical Properties Research Center.[citation needed]
Purdue alumni have achieved recognition in a range of areas, particularly in the science, engineering, and aviation industries. The university's alumni pool collectively holds over 15,000 United States patents.[189]
Purdue alumni include 27 astronauts, includingGus Grissom, America's second man in space and first to fly in NASA's Gemini program,Neil Armstrong, the first to walk on the Moon, andEugene Cernan, the last astronaut to do so.[190] Over one-third of all of NASA's crewed space missions have had at least one Purdue graduate as a crew member.[191]
In science, Purdue has also produced Nobel Prize–winning physicists inEdward Mills Purcell (BS) andBen Roy Mottelson(BS), as well as Nobel Prize–winning chemistAkira Suzuki(Post-doc). Other noted Purdue alumni in science include pioneer of robotics and remote control technologyThomas B. Sheridan;Debian founderIan Murdock; Chinese physicistDeng Jiaxian, a founding father and key contributor to the Chinese nuclear weapon programs; mathematicianYitang Zhang; chemistLawrence Rocks; biochemistEdwin T. Mertz, credited with the discovery of high-protein corn and beans; Indian chemistCNR Rao, who has been awarded theBharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in India;[192] engineerMohamed Atalla who invented theMOS transistor;[193] physical organic chemist and advocate for women and minorities in scienceNina Roscher, who received theACS Award for Encouraging Women into Careers in the Chemical Sciences (1996) and thePresidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (1998);[194] and professorReuben J. Olembo, a geneticist and environmentalist who went on to become the deputy executive director ofUNEP and a UNAssistant Secretary-General, and who was recognized by Purdue in 1994 with a Distinguished Alumni Award for Agriculture.[195]
In business and economics, Purdue alumni includeStephen Bechtel, Jr., owner ofBechtel Corporation; Federal Reserve Bank presidentJeffrey Lacker; and popcorn specialistOrville Redenbacher. In 2010, Bloomberg also revealed Purdue was one of the universities in America with the most undergraduate alumni serving as chief executive officers ofS&P 500 firms.[196] These includeGregory Wasson, president/CEO ofWalgreens; Mark Miller, chairman/president/CEO ofStericycle; Charles Davidson, former chairman/CEO ofNoble Energy; Samuel Allen, chairman/president/CEO ofDeere & Company;Don Thompson, president/COO ofMcDonald's; andJohn Martin, chairman/CEO ofGilead Sciences, Inc.; andPatti Poppe, CEO ofPG&E.[197]
In government and culture, Purdue alumni includePulitzer Prize–winnersBooth Tarkington andJohn T. McCutcheon, as well as Ginger Thompson, former New York Times reporter currently with ProPublica;Akinwumi Adesina, formerNigerian minister of Agriculture and Rural development and current President of theAfrican Development Bank;Essam Sharaf, formerEgyptian Prime Minister;Tom Moore, theater and television director;James Thomson, CEO ofRand Corporation;Brian Lamb, founder and CEO ofC-SPAN;Harry G. Leslie, former Governor of Indiana;Kirk Fordice, former Governor of Mississippi;Earl Butz, formerUnited States Secretary of Agriculture;Birch Bayh, former United States Senator;Herman Cain, 2012 Presidential candidate;David McKinley, current West Virginia Congressman;Sun Li-jen, formerKuomintang general;Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu, Indian Parliament member;Dulquer Salmaan, Indian film actor;Blake Ragsdale Van Leer, formerGeorgia Tech president;Anthony W. Miller, formerUnited States Deputy Secretary of Education; andHugo F. Sonnenschein, formerUniversity of Chicago president.Richard O. Klemm, former CEO of Food Warming Equipment andIllinois state legislator, also graduated from Purdue University.[198]
In sports, Purdue has produced basketball coachJohn Wooden; basketball Hall of FamersStretch Murphy,Piggy Lambert, andRick Mount; NBA ChampionsPaul Hoffman,Herm Gilliam,Frank Kendrick,Jerry Sichting,Glenn Robinson, andBrian Cardinal; and NBA All-StarsGlenn Robinson,Brad Miller,Terry Dischinger, andJoe Barry Carroll. Purdue has three NFLSuper Bowl–winning quarterbacks inDrew Brees,Bob Griese, andLen Dawson. Additionally, a total of 19 Purdue alumni have been on a Super Bowl–winning team as of 2011[update].[199] Purdue also producedSuper Bowl IV winning coachHank Stram.2008 Daytona 500 winnerRyan Newman graduated from Purdue with a bachelor's degree in vehicle structure engineering.[200]
Three Purdue alumni have received thePresidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States:Neil Armstrong,Brian Lamb, andJohn Wooden.[201]
The 67,000-square-foot (6,200 m2) Dauch Alumni Center houses the Purdue for Life Foundation. The foundation was created in 2020 by uniting the Purdue Alumni Association and the University Development Office.[202]
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