Purdue University brings big-name rankings to life with measurable scale, from a global QS World University Ranking of #129 in 2024 to an endowment of $3.45 billion as of June 2023: June 2026. On campus, 49,639 students fill a West Lafayette footprint of 2,468 acres, while programs span 200 undergraduate majors and 69 master’s programs. The contrast between Purdue’s standout engineering reputation and its wide student life and research activity makes these statistics worth a close look.
Key Takeaways
- Purdue University is ranked #43 among National Universities by U.S. News & World Report for 2024
- Purdue University's undergraduate engineering program is ranked #4 nationally by U.S. News & World Report 2024
- The computer science program at Purdue University ranks #18 in U.S. News & World Report's 2024 undergraduate rankings
- Purdue University competes in NCAA Division I as part of the Big Ten Conference
- Purdue athletics has won 30 Big Ten championships since 2010
- The men's basketball team reached the Final Four in 2024 NCAA tournament
- Purdue University's main campus covers 2,468 acres in West Lafayette, Indiana
- Purdue's FY2023 operating budget was $1.9 billion
- The university has 100+ major buildings on campus including 40 residence halls
- Purdue University's total enrollment for fall 2023 was 49,639 students including 37,498 undergraduates and 12,141 graduates
- Undergraduate enrollment at Purdue University stood at 37,498 students in fall 2023, representing 75.5% of total enrollment
- Purdue University had 12,141 graduate students enrolled in fall 2023, comprising 24.5% of the total student body
- Purdue has 2,300 full-time instructional faculty members
- In FY2023, Purdue faculty authored or co-authored 12,500 scholarly publications
- Purdue University received $682 million in research expenditures in FY2022
Purdue ranks among the nation’s top universities for engineering and research, with standout rankings across STEM.
Related reading
01 · Category
Academic Programs and Rankings28 stats
01
Purdue University is ranked #43 among National Universities by U.S. News & World Report for 2024
02
Purdue University's undergraduate engineering program is ranked #4 nationally by U.S. News & World Report 2024
03
The computer science program at Purdue University ranks #18 in U.S. News & World Report's 2024 undergraduate rankings
04
Purdue University offers 200 undergraduate majors and 69 master's programs
05
Purdue's undergraduate business program (Krannert) ranks #33 in U.S. News & World Report 2024
06
Purdue University is ranked #10 for undergraduate aerospace engineering by U.S. News 2024
07
The university confers over 15,000 degrees annually across all levels
08
Purdue University has 11 academic colleges and schools offering diverse programs
09
Purdue's graduate engineering program ranks #3 nationally per U.S. News 2024
10
Purdue University ranks #43 overall in Forbes America's Top Colleges 2023
11
The veterinary medicine program at Purdue ranks #8 in U.S. News graduate rankings 2024
12
Purdue offers 100+ graduate certificate programs alongside degrees
13
Purdue University's online bachelor's programs rank #12 nationally by U.S. News 2024
14
The pharmacy program (PharmD) at Purdue ranks #22 in U.S. News 2024 graduate rankings
15
Purdue is ranked #28 for innovation by U.S. News 2024 National Universities
16
Purdue University's undergraduate nursing program ranks #31 in U.S. News 2024
17
The university has 18 Division of Online Learning programs ranked top 25 by U.S. News
18
Purdue ranks #86 in global universities by U.S. News 2024
19
Purdue's undergraduate psychology program ranks #55 nationally per U.S. News 2024
20
The agricultural and biological engineering undergrad program ranks #1 by U.S. News 2024
21
Purdue University offers a Bachelor of Science in Astronautics, unique among peers
22
Purdue ranks #9 for best value schools by U.S. News 2024 National Universities
23
The graduate program in audiology ranks #8 at Purdue per U.S. News 2024
24
Purdue's undergraduate civil engineering ranks #7 in U.S. News 2024
25
Purdue University has QS World University Ranking of #129 in 2024
26
The mechanical engineering undergrad program at Purdue ranks #5 by U.S. News 2024
27
Purdue offers 30+ interdisciplinary degree programs
28
Purdue University ranks #16 in Wall Street Journal/WSJ 2024 Best Colleges
Interpretation
Academic Programs and Rankings Interpretation
Purdue confidently operates as a powerhouse in engineering and applied sciences, achieving remarkable top-five national rankings in several critical fields, while its overall university profile presents a more modest but solid position in the forties, revealing an institution whose specialized excellence far outshines its general reputation.
02 · Category
Athletics and Student Life29 stats
01
Purdue University competes in NCAA Division I as part of the Big Ten Conference
02
Purdue athletics has won 30 Big Ten championships since 2010
03
The men's basketball team reached the Final Four in 2024 NCAA tournament
04
Purdue has 450+ student-athletes across 20 varsity sports
05
Purdue's football program has 31 bowl appearances all-time
06
Student organizations at Purdue number over 1,000 registered groups
07
Purdue's Boilermaker Special is the oldest running university mascot tradition since 1930
08
35% of Purdue students participate in intramural sports annually
09
Purdue volleyball won the 2023 NCAA National Championship
10
The Purdue Grand Prix raises $300,000+ yearly for cancer research
11
Purdue has 40+ national championships in various sports historically
12
85% of Purdue students live on campus during first year
13
Purdue's Greek life includes 90+ chapters with 20% student participation
14
The student newspaper, Purdue Exponent, publishes weekly with 10,000 circulation
15
Purdue ranks #28 in Niche.com 2024 Best College Campuses
16
98% of Purdue students find internships or jobs within 6 months of graduation
17
Purdue's average starting salary for grads is $72,500per Payscale 2023
18
The university has 500+ study abroad programs in 90 countries
19
Purdue's student government (PUSA) budget is $2 million annually
20
25,000+ students attend Purdue's home football games yearly average
21
Purdue's club sports include 70 teams with 3,000 participants
22
The Purdue Pride Marching Band has 380 members
23
Purdue ranks #21 in Niche.com 2024 Best Colleges for Athletics
24
15% of students engage in service-learning annually at Purdue
25
Purdue's mental health services saw 20,000 visits in 2022-2023
26
The campus hosts 300+ concerts and events yearly via Purdue Presents
27
Purdue's undergraduate research conference features 1,200 presentations annually
28
42% of Purdue students study abroad before graduation
29
Purdue's career fairs attract 500+ employers with 25,000 interviews yearly
Interpretation
Athletics and Student Life Interpretation
From the relentless hustle of the Boilermaker to the triumphant net of a national champion, Purdue proves its might lies not in any single statistic, but in the sheer, overwhelming momentum of its students' ambition, community, and success.
03 · Category
Campus Facilities and Finances30 stats
01
Purdue University's main campus covers 2,468 acres in West Lafayette, Indiana
02
Purdue's FY2023 operating budget was $1.9 billion
03
The university has 100+ major buildings on campus including 40 residence halls
04
Purdue's endowment stood at $3.45 billion as of June 2023: June 2026
05
Purdue University libraries hold 3.5 million volumes and 50,000 journals
06
The Ross-Ade Stadium seats 57,236 for football games
07
Purdue invested $500 million in campus infrastructure from 2018-2023
08
The Purdue Memorial Union is the largest student union in the U.S. at 430,000 sq ft
09
Purdue's FY2023 tuition for in-state undergrads was $9,992
10
The university has 18 residence halls housing 12,000 students
11
Purdue's research farms total 1,500 acres across Indiana
12
Annual fundraising totaled $842 million in FY2023 for Purdue
13
Purdue University has 90+ miles of bike paths on campus
14
The $100 million Schwarzman Data Analytics Building opened in 2023
15
Purdue's net tuition revenue per student was $12,500in FY2023
16
The campus features 50+ sculptures and public art installations
17
Purdue has 4 regional campuses totaling 500 acres
18
FY2023 auxiliary enterprises generated $300 million including dining and housing
19
Purdue's Mackey Arena seats 14,240 for basketball
20
The university maintains 200+ research centers and institutes
21
Purdue's FY2023 capital spending was $250 million on facilities
22
Birck Nanotechnology Center is 400,000 sq ft
23
Purdue University has 11,000 parking spaces on campus
24
The $97 million Recreation and Wellness Center expansion opened in 2022
25
Purdue's debt service for facilities was $120 million in FY2023
26
Campus energy use is offset by 10 MW solar array capacity
27
Purdue has 50+ dining locations serving 30,000 meals daily
28
The $110 million Lilly Hall of Life Sciences renovated in 2021
29
Purdue University alumni network exceeds 600,000 worldwide
30
FY2023 state appropriations to Purdue were $350 million
Interpretation
Campus Facilities and Finances Interpretation
Purdue University operates as a self-sustaining, research-intensive city-state where every dollar, acre, and square foot is meticulously engineered to educate a small army of students, power a vast research empire, and host a weekend football ritual for a crowd larger than the population of Terre Haute.
More related reading
04 · Category
Enrollment and Demographics30 stats
01
Purdue University's total enrollment for fall 2023 was 49,639 students including 37,498 undergraduates and 12,141 graduates
02
Undergraduate enrollment at Purdue University stood at 37,498 students in fall 2023, representing 75.5% of total enrollment
03
Purdue University had 12,141 graduate students enrolled in fall 2023, comprising 24.5% of the total student body
04
In fall 2023, Purdue University's West Lafayette campus hosted 46,341 students
05
Purdue University reported 3,298 international students from 136 countries in fall 2023
06
Female students made up 44.2% of Purdue University's undergraduate enrollment in fall 2023, totaling 16,582 women
07
Purdue University's freshman class in fall 2023 had an average high school GPA of 3.81
08
The fall 2023 incoming freshman class at Purdue University numbered 9,059 students
09
Purdue University had 5,897 out-of-state undergraduate students in fall 2023, representing 15.7% of undergraduates
10
In fall 2023, Purdue University's undergraduate retention rate for first-year students was 92.1%
11
Purdue University enrolled 1,456 undergraduate students in the College of Agriculture in fall 2023
12
The College of Engineering at Purdue University had 13,246 undergraduate students in fall 2023
13
Purdue University's Krannert School of Management enrolled 1,392 undergraduates in fall 2023
14
In fall 2023, Purdue University had 9,456 undergraduate students in the College of Liberal Arts
15
Purdue University's Polytechnic Institute enrolled 4,512 undergraduates in fall 2023
16
Fall 2023 saw Purdue University with 2,390 undergraduate students in the College of Science
17
Purdue University reported an average age of 20.3 years for full-time undergraduates in fall 2023
18
In fall 2023, 24.1% of Purdue University undergraduates were first-generation college students
19
Purdue University's six-year graduation rate for the fall 2017 cohort was 83.5%
20
The four-year graduation rate for Purdue University's fall 2019 undergraduate cohort was 55.2%
21
Purdue University had 2,648 Pell Grant recipients among undergraduates in fall 2023
22
In fall 2023, 19.4% of Purdue University undergraduates received federal grants
23
Purdue University's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio was 14:1 in fall 2023
24
Fall 2023 enrollment included 1,234 undergraduate veterans at Purdue University
25
Purdue University had 28,456 Indiana resident undergraduates in fall 2023, comprising 75.9% of undergrads
26
In fall 2023, Purdue University's graduate enrollment in engineering was 5,672 students
27
Purdue University enrolled 1,789 graduate students in the College of Science in fall 2023
28
The average ACT score for Purdue University's fall 2023 freshman class was 31
29
Purdue University's fall 2023 freshman class had an average SAT score of 1328
30
In fall 2023, 65% of Purdue University freshmen ranked in the top 10% of their high school class
Interpretation
Enrollment and Demographics Interpretation
While Purdue impressively fields an entire small town of academically elite undergraduates—three-quarters of whom are homegrown Hoosiers—who are largely sticking around and graduating at high rates, their real secret sauce might be how they've corralled those notoriously independent engineers into making up nearly a third of both the undergraduate and graduate populations.
05 · Category
Faculty and Research29 stats
01
Purdue has 2,300 full-time instructional faculty members
02
In FY2023, Purdue faculty authored or co-authored 12,500 scholarly publications
03
Purdue University received $682 million in research expenditures in FY2022
04
Purdue ranks #8 among public universities for research expenditures per NSF FY2021 data
05
The Purdue faculty includes 50 distinguished professors and named chairs
06
Purdue University has over 100 National Academy of Engineering members among faculty/alumni
07
In 2023, Purdue faculty secured 1,200 invention disclosures
08
Purdue's research portfolio includes 15,000 active projects worth $1 billion+
09
Purdue faculty hold 25% of all U.S. patents issued to universities annually on average
10
The university has 1,800 postdoctoral researchers and research associates
11
Purdue ranks #4 in U.S. for NSF graduate research fellowships won in 2023
12
Purdue's Discovery Park research facility spans 350 acres with $500M investment
13
In FY2023, Purdue received $265 million in federal research funding
14
Purdue faculty have won 14 Nobel Prizes (affiliated)
15
The university employs 1,200 research scientists and engineers
16
Purdue ranks #1 in the world for Innovation per Reuters 2023
17
Purdue has generated 10,500 startups from research since 2000
18
In 2022, Purdue researchers filed 450 patent applications
19
Purdue's Birck Nanotechnology Center has 200+ faculty affiliates
20
The university has 50+ endowed faculty chairs in engineering alone
21
Purdue faculty received $50 million in industry-sponsored research in FY2023
22
Purdue ranks #7 for utility patents granted to universities (FY2022)
23
Over 40 Purdue faculty are members of the National Academy of Sciences
24
Purdue's research in AI led to 500+ publications in top conferences in 2023
25
The university supports 1,100 tenure-track faculty with research emphasis
26
Purdue has $1.2 billion in total sponsored awards pipeline as of 2023
27
Faculty-student research collaborations resulted in 3,000 student publications in 2023
28
Purdue ranks #3 globally for most valuable university patents (2010-2020)
29
In 2023, Purdue faculty won 25 NSF CAREER awards
Interpretation
Faculty and Research Interpretation
Purdue has masterfully weaponized its academic talent into a sprawling, multi-billion dollar innovation juggernaut, proving that in the modern world, publishing papers and filing patents are not mutually exclusive but rather the twin engines of a university that practically invents the future for a living.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Elif Demirci. (2026, February 13). Purdue University Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/purdue-university-statistics
MLA
Elif Demirci. "Purdue University Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/purdue-university-statistics.
Chicago
Elif Demirci. 2026. "Purdue University Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/purdue-university-statistics.
Sources & references
33 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level