Quad

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Mechanical Engineering (7% of graduates). 14 students for every faculty member, more than at 58% of colleges. 96% of faculty are full-time. Spends $20,511 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

10,793 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 26% of graduates; 141 programs in 25 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Mechanical Engineering 14.19017.3% 792
    Graduates in this field earn $102,572 4 years out
  2. Computer Science 11.07016.8% 730
    Graduates in this field earn $146,685 4 years out
  3. Computer Engineering, General 14.09014.2% 455
    Graduates in this field earn $121,462 4 years out
  4. Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General 14.02014.0% 427
    Graduates in this field earn $97,332 4 years out
  5. Experimental Psychology 42.27043.4% 363
    Graduates in this field earn $52,170 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Computer science, 4.6% → 12% of graduates since 2014–15 (1,288 graduates in 2024–25).

Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)

Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.

Top-earning majors here

By earnings 4 years after completion

  1. Computer Science$146,685 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $94,786

    4 years after completion$146,685
    National median: $107,009Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $119,773 · Non-Pell: $111,661(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $19,136 · 999 graduates, two most recent years combined

  2. Computer Engineering$121,462 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $89,965

    4 years after completion$121,462
    National median: $109,015Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $94,263 · Non-Pell: $111,337(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $22,875 · 616 graduates, two most recent years combined

  3. Materials Engineering$107,557 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $78,265

    4 years after completion$107,557
    National median: $91,449Above typical

    Median federal debt: $22,111 · 130 graduates, two most recent years combined

  4. Industrial Engineering$107,031 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $81,379

    4 years after completion$107,031
    National median: $98,442Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: Too few graduates to report · Non-Pell: $93,728(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $18,357 · 531 graduates, two most recent years combined

  5. Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$105,396 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $84,300

    4 years after completion$105,396
    National median: $100,647Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $88,540 · Non-Pell: $88,426(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $17,750 · 377 graduates, two most recent years combined

Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.

Students per faculty member vs. every college14 to 1
14 to 1
← Fewer students per facultymore students per faculty member than 58% of 1,892More students per faculty →

Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.

Class sizes

40%

of classes have fewer than 20 students; 21% have 50 or more

Under 20 students 20 or moreStudents per class section
Undergraduate class sections by number of students
StudentssectionsShare
2–91,11319%
10–191,16420%
20–291,15920%
30–3971412%
40–494077%
50–9973913%
100+4388%

This counts class sections, not students: a lecture of 300 is one section, so a student is more likely to sit in a large class than the share of sections suggests. Labs and discussion sections are counted separately and left out here.

Programs & curriculum

  • Accelerated program
  • Cross-registration
  • Distance learning
  • Double major
  • Dual enrollment
  • English as a Second Language
  • Honors program
  • Independent study
  • Internships
  • Liberal arts/career combination
  • Teacher certification
  • Study abroad

Requires coursework in arts, computer literacy, English composition, a foreign language, humanities, math, a natural science, and social science.

Full-time faculty96%
National median: 67%Above typical
Average faculty salary

$130,529

9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.

Spending and endowment

Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other public colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable. Many public universities' endowments sit mostly in a separate foundation this survey doesn't count, so this likely understates what's actually available.

Instruction spending per student$20,511
$20,511
← Lessmore than 89% of 557More →
Endowment per student$77,178
$77,178
← Lessmore than 94% of 537More →

Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;Purdue University-Main Campus Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;Purdue University-Main Campus Common Data Set 2025–26, 2025–26;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)