Purdue University system

The Purdue University system is a public university system in the U.S. state of Indiana. It is a land-grant university with many students studying at three different schools.

These schools have five campuses, a technology program, learning centers in Indiana's 92 counties, and many classes for adult learners. About 44,000 students take classes online.

Each school has its own teachers and rules for accepting students. These rules are watched over by the Purdue University Board of Trustees. The most famous school is the main campus in West Lafayette. This campus is well known for its strong programs in engineering and related subjects.

Traditional campuses

The Purdue University system has one main university with two locations and two regional universities, one of which also has two locations. It used to work together with the Indiana University system.

Purdue University

Main article: Purdue University

The biggest university is in West Lafayette, Indiana, near the Wabash River. This university is very important for the whole system and has the main offices.

Purdue University in Indianapolis

Main article: Purdue University in Indianapolis

Purdue University in Indianapolis began on July 1, 2024, after separating from Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis. It is in downtown Indianapolis and works with local companies for buildings and shared spaces in the metro area.

Regional universities

The Purdue system runs two regional universities, Purdue University Northwest and Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Purdue Northwest

Main article: Purdue University Northwest

Purdue Northwest was created in 2016 by combining Purdue University Calumet and Purdue University North Central. It has campuses in Hammond, IN and Westville, IN.

Purdue Fort Wayne

Main article: Purdue University Fort Wayne

Purdue Fort Wayne started on July 1, 2018, after separating from Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne. It now runs many academic programs that were shared before.

Online programs

Purdue Global

Main article: Purdue University Global

Purdue University Global, also called PG, used to be known as Kaplan University. It is a public university that mainly offers classes online. It is part of the Purdue system and run as a public benefit corporation. PG gives out certificates and degrees, including associate's, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels. The school has its own teachers, rules for joining, and lessons, but is watched over by the Purdue University Board of Trustees. PG also has a law school called Purdue Global Law School.

Purdue Online

Purdue Online helps plan and organize online classes for students at Purdue West Lafayette, Purdue Fort Wayne, Purdue Northwest, and Purdue Global. This idea was approved in December 2018 by Purdue President Mitch Daniels and the Purdue Board of Trustees. Degrees from Purdue Online are given as Purdue University degrees.

Purdue statewide

The Purdue Polytechnic Institute is one of Purdue University’s colleges. It has nine smaller schools across Indiana. These schools are in Anderson, Columbus, Indianapolis, Kokomo, Lafayette, New Albany, Richmond, Vincennes, and South Bend. Each school offers different kinds of learning, like certificates, associate degrees, and bachelor’s degrees, based on what people in the area need.

Purdue also works with the state of Indiana to run a cooperative extension office in every one of the 92 counties. These offices help farmers, gardeners, and community members with useful tips and advice. They also support programs for young people, families, and help communities grow.

History

Founding of the main campus

The state of Indiana got a lot of money from John Purdue, a business leader, to help start a college. In 1869, they decided to build the college near Lafayette and name it Purdue University after John Purdue.

Classes at the main Purdue campus began on September 16, 1874. The first degree given by Purdue was in Chemistry in 1875. The buildings on the main campus are mostly red brick.

Extension centers become degree-granting regional campuses

After World War II, Purdue University opened many extension centers across Indiana. These centers offered first-year classes so students could start close to home before moving to the main campus. They also helped reduce the number of new students at the main campus.

Five of these extension centers grew into full colleges that could award four-year degrees. Three of these—Purdue Fort Wayne, IUPUI, and Purdue Calumet (now part of Purdue Northwest)—became medium-sized universities offering many fields of study.

Purdue University Fort Wayne

Main article: Purdue University Fort Wayne

See also: Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne

Purdue University started the Purdue Fort Wayne Extension Center in 1941 to help students in Fort Wayne begin their studies.

In 1958, Indiana University and Purdue University decided to work together in Fort Wayne. In 1964, a new campus called Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) opened. IPFW gave its first four-year degree in 1968. The campus was run by Purdue University, but medical programs and the library were managed by Indiana University. IPFW offered over 170 different degrees and programs.

In 2017, the leaders of Indiana University and Purdue University decided to split IPFW into two separate schools. In 2018, the health sciences programs became part of Indiana University Fort Wayne, while all other programs joined Purdue University as Purdue University Fort Wayne (PFW). The sports teams at IPFW became Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons.

Purdue University Northwest

Main article: Purdue University Northwest

Purdue University Northwest was created in 2016 by joining two older Purdue campuses—Purdue University Calumet in Hammond and Purdue University North Central in Westville. Both of these schools opened in 1946.

Calumet started by holding classes in different places but moved to a new campus in Hammond in 1951. The campus grew over time. In 1962, Purdue made Calumet a full regional campus, and in 1979, it became a regional university. In 2005, Calumet opened its first dorms.

North Central also began by holding classes in different places but moved to a new site in 1962. The new campus opened in 1967 and grew over time.

Former collaborative campuses

IUPUI

Main article: Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis

Purdue University started the Purdue Indianapolis Extension Center in 1946 to help students in Indianapolis begin their studies.

In 1969, this extension center joined the Indiana University Indianapolis campus to create IUPUI. IUPUI gave its first four-year undergraduate degree in 1970. IUPUI was run by Indiana University. Degrees from IUPUI were given by either Purdue or Indiana University depending on the program.

In July 2024, IUPUI split into separate parts of Indiana University and Purdue University. Purdue’s new campus in Indianapolis is now an expansion of the West Lafayette campus.

IUPUC

Main article: Indiana University–Purdue University Columbus

Purdue University opened an extension center in Columbus in 1942. IUPUI Columbus started in 1970 as part of IUPUI. The building for IUPUC was first used in 1974.

In 2022, the leaders of Purdue and IU announced that IUPUI would split into two separate universities, with the split happening on July 1, 2024. After the split, IUPUC became IU Columbus and is run by IU Indianapolis. Only the mechanical engineering program is now run by the new Purdue University in Indianapolis.

IPFW

Main article: Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne

IPFW was a public university in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was founded in 1964 and was a joint campus of Indiana University and Purdue University.

On July 1, 2018, Indiana University and Purdue University separated in Fort Wayne. The health sciences programs became Indiana University Fort Wayne, and the other programs became Purdue University Fort Wayne (PFW).

Athletics

Main articles: Purdue Boilermakers, Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons, and Purdue Northwest Pride

Two campuses of the Purdue University system have teams that play sports. The Purdue Boilermakers, from the West Lafayette campus, have 18 teams, including the only football team. They play in the Big Ten Conference. The Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons have 14 teams and play mostly in the Horizon League. The Purdue Northwest Pride has 15 teams and plays in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Administration

Purdue University is led by ten trustees chosen by the governor of Indiana. Three of these trustees are Purdue graduates picked by alumni, and one must be a current full-time student.

The president of Purdue is the main leader of the university. Most campuses have a chancellor, but at West Lafayette and the new campus in Indianapolis, the president handles these duties instead.

Notable alumni

Main article: List of Purdue University alumni

Many famous people went to Purdue University. The school has helped create leaders in areas like business, science, and entertainment. Some of these graduates have become very successful and well-known for what they do.

Notable faculty

Main article: List of Purdue University faculty

Purdue University has many teachers and experts. They work in different areas and have done important research. Some of them have won big prizes for their work. These teachers help students learn and discover new things.