Quad

Head-to-head

Purdue
UNC

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    UNC's yield is 20 pts higher than Purdue's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    UNC is 2.8× more selective than Purdue

    Acceptance rate
  3. 3

    UNC graduates 13 pts more of its students than Purdue (91% vs. 78%)

    Graduation rate
  4. 4

    UNC's SAT midpoint is 120 points higher than Purdue's

    SAT midpoint
  5. 5

    Purdue has 2.1× as many undergrads as UNC

    Undergrads
  6. 6

    UNC's grants cover 21% of its full price on average, vs. 13% at Purdue

    Aid generosity

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

UNC admits 15%, Purdue 43%; UNC's yield is higher, at 45%.

Acceptance rate
Purdue43%
UNC15%
Quad's selectivity
  • PurdueVery selective
  • UNCHighly selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
Purdue
1200–1480
UNC
1390–1530
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • PurdueRigor and GPA very important71%
  • UNCRigor and GPA very importantweighted GPAs

Who's on each campus

Purdue has 2.1× as many undergrads as UNC; UNC has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Purdue44.5K
UNC20.8K
Pell Grant share
Purdue13%
UNC20%

Majors and faculty

Mechanical Engineering leads at Purdue, and Biology/Biological Sciences at UNC; Purdue has 14 students per faculty member to UNC's 15.

Students per faculty member
Purdue14 to 1
UNC15 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • PurdueMechanical Engineering7%
  • UNCBiology/Biological Sciences, General11%

What each costs

UNC costs about $4.8K less a year than Purdue on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Purdue$30.5K
UNC$25.7K
Aid generosity
Purdue13%
UNC21%

What each pays off

Purdue's former students earn more, a median $72.4K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 70% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Purdue$72.4K
UNC$72.2K
Graduation rate
Purdue78%
UNC91%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • PurdueGrowing+97%
  • UNCGrowing+112%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:Purdue University-Main Campus (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;Purdue University-Main Campus Common Data Set, 2024-25;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;Purdue University-Main Campus Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;Purdue University-Main Campus Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2019About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why