---
title: Purdue University-Main Campus — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: West Lafayette, IN
control: Public
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Purdue University-Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN · Public · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $72,424 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $47,140 – $103,038 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $15,000 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $8,250 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 83% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $24,591 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 84% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.21× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $44,424 | derived |

**83% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $15,000 (≈ 21% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $20,032 to $103,789 across 94 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. | Master's Degree | $103,789 | not reported |
| Engineering, Other. | Master's Degree | $98,166 | not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | Master's Degree | $93,936 | not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Master's Degree | $92,168 | $23,416 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering. | Master's Degree | $91,895 | $32,946 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Master's Degree | $91,310 | $41,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering. | Master's Degree | $91,040 | not reported |
| Education, General. | Doctoral Degree | $89,057 | not reported |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General. | Master's Degree | $86,603 | $35,080 |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration. | First Professional Degree | $86,594 | $99,174 |
| Computer Science. | Bachelor's Degree | $81,749 | $19,136 |
| Computer Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $76,843 | $22,875 |
| Chemical Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $75,967 | $21,500 |
| Air Transportation. | Master's Degree | $75,287 | not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $73,563 | $19,500 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $73,421 | $17,750 |
| Industrial Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $70,780 | $18,357 |
| Chemistry. | Doctoral Degree | $70,034 | not reported |
| Materials Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $69,257 | $22,111 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $69,207 | $18,578 |
| Statistics. | Bachelor's Degree | $68,741 | $19,250 |
| Civil Engineering. | Master's Degree | $68,108 | not reported |
| Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $67,788 | $16,750 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $67,558 | $19,500 |
| Civil Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $66,084 | $19,500 |
| Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $65,987 | $23,239 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $64,679 | $19,500 |
| Nuclear Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $63,891 | $20,250 |
| Agricultural Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $63,560 | $20,000 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Master's Degree | $62,884 | $34,280 |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $62,853 | $16,316 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $62,537 | $21,500 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $62,226 | $19,500 |
| Engineering, Other. | Bachelor's Degree | $61,803 | $19,787 |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $61,758 | $19,813 |
| Food Science and Technology. | Bachelor's Degree | $61,329 | not reported |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $58,840 | $22,260 |
| Marketing. | Bachelor's Degree | $58,334 | $18,274 |
| Engineering-Related Fields. | Bachelor's Degree | $57,870 | $16,153 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $57,612 | $19,500 |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Doctoral Degree | $57,099 | not reported |
| General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $56,811 | $19,451 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $56,777 | $19,500 |
| Biology, General. | Doctoral Degree | $54,485 | not reported |
| Finance and Financial Management Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $53,751 | $21,500 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $52,702 | $19,500 |
| Education, General. | Master's Degree | $52,442 | $28,581 |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $51,860 | not reported |
| Agricultural Mechanization. | Bachelor's Degree | $51,820 | $19,727 |
| Economics. | Bachelor's Degree | $51,724 | $23,099 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services. | Master's Degree | $50,714 | $29,642 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Bachelor's Degree | $49,996 | not reported |
| Agricultural Business and Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $49,121 | $15,753 |
| Agricultural Production Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $48,121 | $13,250 |
| Air Transportation. | Bachelor's Degree | $48,103 | $19,500 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology. | Bachelor's Degree | $44,361 | $17,713 |
| Mathematics. | Bachelor's Degree | $43,681 | $18,820 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $42,920 | $19,500 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $42,612 | not reported |
| Design and Applied Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $42,205 | $19,500 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Bachelor's Degree | $41,716 | $19,500 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $41,273 | $18,916 |
| Chemistry. | Bachelor's Degree | $40,760 | $19,500 |
| Genetics. | Bachelor's Degree | $39,698 | $15,000 |
| Special Education and Teaching. | Bachelor's Degree | $39,276 | $26,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $39,172 | $17,500 |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,807 | $20,254 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,513 | $19,500 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,574 | $17,375 |
| Forestry. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,961 | not reported |
| Sociology. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,811 | $19,500 |
| Computer Software and Media Applications. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,435 | $20,101 |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,132 | $17,500 |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,214 | $19,500 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,505 | $15,000 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,369 | $17,369 |
| Animal Sciences. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,152 | $19,500 |
| Plant Sciences. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,102 | not reported |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,764 | $21,970 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,579 | $19,500 |
| Public Health. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,968 | $21,000 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,852 | $18,875 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,025 | $14,000 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,965 | $18,500 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,910 | not reported |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,686 | $18,839 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,959 | $20,500 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,002 | not reported |
| History. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,015 | $20,490 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology. | Bachelor's Degree | $22,695 | not reported |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $22,567 | $19,500 |
| Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $21,754 | $19,370 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $20,657 | not reported |
| Anthropology. | Bachelor's Degree | $20,032 | $17,472 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Purdue University-Main Campus by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?243780

---

Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/purdue-university-main-campus-in.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`