Purdue University

Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money to establish a college of science, technology, and agriculture; the first classes were held on September 16, 1874.

As a member of the Association of American Universities, Purdue is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity." It enrolls the largest student body of any individual university campus in Indiana and has the ninth-largest foreign student population of any university in the United States. Purdue is home to the world's oldest computer science degree-granting department and the first university-owned airport in the United States.

Purdue is the founding member of the Big Ten Conference and sponsors 18 intercollegiate sports teams. The university has been affiliated with many accomplished individuals, including 13 Nobel laureates, 1 Turing Award laureate, 27 astronauts, and numerous Olympic medalists and award winners.

History

John Purdue, the university's eponymous benefactor

Purdue University was founded in 1869 in West Lafayette, Indiana, following a donation from John Purdue. The university began with a focus on science, technology, and agriculture, and its first classes were held in 1874 with 39 students. Over the years, Purdue grew to become a major research institution, known for its strong programs in engineering and science.

During World War II, Purdue contributed to military research and training. After the war, the university expanded its programs, including the establishment of the first computer science department in the United States. In recent years, Purdue has continued to emphasize research and international programs, and in 2024, it launched Purdue University in Indianapolis, extending its flagship campus’s academic offerings to the city.

Campuses

Purdue Mall, showing the Engineering Fountain, Purdue Bell Tower, and Hovde Hall

Purdue University's campus is located in West Lafayette, close to the Wabash River. The campus is divided by Mitch Daniels Boulevard, with academic buildings mainly in the eastern and southern parts. The Purdue Mall, also called the Engineering Mall, connects the academic area to Ross-Ade Stadium and features a tall Engineering Fountain. The Purdue Bell Tower stands between the Stadium and Centennial Malls and is a well-known symbol of the university.

South of the Purdue Mall is the Memorial Mall, the original part of campus and a popular meeting spot. The area south of Mitch Daniels Boulevard includes buildings for agriculture, fine arts, life sciences, and veterinary studies, along with the Krannert School of Management and Horticulture Gardens. The western part of campus has student housing and recreation facilities, while the northern area features many athletic venues like Ross–Ade Stadium for American football and Mackey Arena for basketball.

Organization and administration

Gateway to the Future arch

Purdue University is led by a board that helps manage the school and its activities. The university is part of a larger system that includes another campus in Indianapolis. Over the years, many leaders have guided Purdue University in its mission to provide education and research opportunities.

Academics

Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering with a statue of Neil Armstrong at the entrance

Purdue University is ranked among the top universities in the United States. For the Class of 2025, Purdue accepted about 69% of applicants, with around 25% of those accepted students choosing to enroll. The university offers over 211 different areas of study, including strong programs in engineering and aviation. Purdue has a long history with aviation, including being the first to offer college credit for flight training and awarding the first bachelor’s degree in aviation.

Purdue is organized into 10 colleges, covering fields such as agriculture, education, engineering, business, and science. The university is also known for its research, with faculty working on important projects in areas like agriculture, engineering, and health. Purdue’s libraries hold over three million volumes, including special collections like the Amelia Earhart Collection. The university supports sustainability efforts, including LEED-certified buildings and an annual Green Week event.

Fall first-time freshman statistics
	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

Rankings

Purdue University is known for its strong science, technology, engineering, and math programs. In 2026, U.S. News & World Report ranked Purdue as the 7th most innovative university in the United States and placed it highly in engineering, internships, and other areas.

The university also does well in global rankings. In 2026, the Times Higher Education placed Purdue 10th worldwide for interdisciplinary science and 30th for engineering. As of April 2025, CSRankings.org ranked Purdue's computer science program 13th in the United States.

USNWR Graduate Program Rankings
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

Campus life

Graduation ceremony in 2008

Purdue University has a vibrant student life with students from over 126 countries. Many students join clubs and organizations, with more than 1,000 options available. Some famous clubs started at Purdue, like the Purdue Reamer Club, which cares for the Boilermaker Special mascot.

The university hosts fun annual events such as Boiler Gold Rush, a student orientation and sports pep rally, and the Purdue University Dance Marathon, where students dance for 18 hours to raise money for Riley Hospital for Children. There is also Spring Fest, a carnival with activities from different departments, and the Purdue Grand Prix, a go-kart race organized by students. Purdue also has many places for students to live, including university housing, fraternities, and sororities. There are also many religious groups on campus for students to join.

Student body composition as of May 2, 2022
Race and ethnicity	Total
White	64%
Foreign national	12%
Asian	10%
Hispanic	6%
Other	5%
Black	3%
Economic diversity
Low-income	15%
Affluent	85%

Media

The Purdue Exponent, an independent student newspaper, is the largest college newspaper in Indiana, with 17,500 copies printed each day during the school year. Purdue once published a yearbook named the Debris from 1889 to 2008.

WBAA is a radio service owned by Metropolitan Indianapolis Public Media and based at Purdue University. It offers news, classical music, and jazz programs on several frequencies and online platforms. Although Purdue sold the WBAA radio frequencies in 2022, it continues to support public broadcasting through a partnership with WFYI-FM.

Purdue has a long history of student-run radio stations, including WCCR, WILY, and WHHR, which now broadcast online. The Amateur Radio Club at Purdue, known as W9YB, is one of the oldest and most active in the United States, helping with emergency management in the Tippecanoe County area.

In 1999, students at Purdue started the Movie Tribute Show in a small television studio on campus.

Athletics

Main article: Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue University's sports teams are called the Boilermakers. The name started in 1891 when a newspaper called the team the "Boiler Makers" after they won a game. Their mascots are the Boilermaker Special, a truck-like vehicle, and Purdue Pete, a strong hammer-wielding character. The school colors, old gold and black, were chosen in 1887.

Purdue has many sports teams, including football, basketball, and wrestling. They are part of the Big Ten Conference and have rivalries with teams like the Indiana Hoosiers. Their football team plays at Ross-Ade Stadium and has a famous tradition called the "Breakfast Club" before games, where students dress up in costumes and celebrate.

The basketball teams have won many Big Ten Conference titles. The men's team was named national champions in 1932 by some organizations, and the women's team won the NCAA Championship in 1999. Both teams have achieved many successes in their competitions.

People

Faculty

Main article: List of Purdue University faculty

Purdue University started with just six teachers in 1874, but today it has over 2,500 teachers. Some of these teachers are famous for their work, like Arden L. Bement Jr., who led the National Science Foundation, and Louis de Branges de Bourcia, who solved a big math problem called the Bieberbach conjecture. Two teachers, Herbert C. Brown and Ei-ichi Negishi, even won Nobel Prizes while they were teaching at Purdue.

Alumni

Main article: List of Purdue University alumni

Many people who graduated from Purdue have done great things. In space, Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the Moon, went to Purdue, as did Gus Grissom, America's second man in space. In science, Purdue graduates have won Nobel Prizes and made big discoveries. In business, you might know names like Stephen Bechtel, Jr., who runs a huge company, or Orville Redenbacher, the popcorn man.

In sports, Purdue has produced many famous basketball and football players, including Drew Brees, who played in the Super Bowl. The university has a special building called the Dauch Alumni Center to help keep all these graduates connected.