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Purdue University - Main Campus, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus

The main campus of Purdue University is located in West Lafayette, Indiana. It is a public, land-grant university founded on May 6, 1869. The main campus is built on 150 acres of land and offers more than 200 minor and major areas of study. It is especially noted for its programs in agriculture, engineering, and business administration. These programs are considered to be among the best not only in the country, but around the world.

The main campus in West Lafayette sponsors a number of sports teams that are known as the Purdue Boilermakers. The team colors are old gold and black. The teams play baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, wrestling, volleyball, soccer and softball.

Purdue University also offers degrees in aviation and flight training. In fact, the first and the last man to walk on the moon, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Eugene Cernan, are graduates of Purdue University.

Overview of Purdue University - Main Campus

Purdue is in West Lafayette, Indiana. West Lafayette is a medium-sized suburb. The school is a public institution. Purdue issues awards (degrees) up to the level of Doctoral degree.

Areas of Study

Fields of study in vogue at the school include mathematics, engineering, engineering technician, and construction trades.

Purdue Selectivity

Not all applicants to Purdue are accepted. The top quarter of students at the school scored at least 610 on the verbal SAT test. Students' math SAT scores were most often in the range 530 to 650 in 2005. People seek out Purdue, and many students are from other states.

Faculty

The most successful professors at the school are given tenure, encouraging them to stay with the school for a long time. The Purdue teaching staff is well compensated compared to other schools.

Student Body

Approximately 40,151 students study at the school (in 2005).

Student Life

Purdue makes housing available to a large share of its students. Students at the school can take advantage of the school's meal plans. Students participate in Big Ten Conference athletics.

More complete details are provided below.

Contacting Purdue

Purdue University - Main Campus
Hovde Hall of Administration
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2040
General Phone: (765) 494-4600
Admissions Phone: (765) 494-1776
Financial Aid Phone: (765) 494-5050
http://www.purdue.edu

Purdue Programs and Degrees (2005)

Purdue awarded degrees in these major categories in 2005:

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Engineering1,820mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, civil engineering, industrial engineering, aerospace engineering, various engineering courses, chemical engineering, bioengineering, ...
Business And Management1,402business management, operations management, accounting, management information systems
Engineering Technician1,002mechanical engineering related tech, electronics tech, mechanical drafting, aerospace engineering tech, architectural engineering tech, robotics tech, surveying tech, industrial tech
Liberal Arts756English, sociology, political science, history, economics, foreign language and literature, social services, humanities, ...
Education And Teaching695elementary school teaching, industrial arts teaching, education, physical education teaching, agricultural teaching, early childhood education, trade and industrial teaching, kindergarten/preschool teaching
Computer Science And Engineering485computer and info science, computer support, computer engineering
Medicine455pharmacy, health professions, veterinary medicine, veterinary sciences
Science377biology, chemistry, physics, geology, biological and physical sciences, entomology, biochemistry, botany
Agricultural Science And Management270agriculture, agricultural economics, food science, agricultural mechanization, agricultural operations
Therapy And Counseling265psychology
Media230communication studies
Construction Trades222apparel and textiles
Family And Social Work188family studies, family and consumer science, food and nutrition
Hospitality156hotel management, hospitality administration
Transportation156aviation tech, aviation operations
Mathematics154mathematics, statistics
Medical Support And Technology151audiology and speech pathology, veterinary assistant, clinical lab tech
Art Studies113art studies
Nursing And Emergency Medicine97registered nursing
Animal Science And Care97animal science
Landscaping And Horticulture88agronomy, horticultural science
Conservation And Resource Management77wildlife management, conservation, forestry
Design47design and visual communication
Architecture And Planning22landscape architecture
Religion And Philosophy20philosophy
Drama And Performing Arts19drama, stagecraft

Number of programs and degrees for Purdue in 2005:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Bachelor's degree6,27079
Master's degree1,54852
Associate's degree69013
Doctor's degree52447
First-professional degree2392
Award of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years517
First-professional certificate391
Post-master's certificate31

Purdue Student Body

In 2005, Purdue had a total enrollment of 40,151 students (37,284 full-time equivalent).

Students in the Freshman Class (2005):

GroupPercent
Men60%
Women40%
Full-Time99%
Part-Time1%

More details are available, using 2004 data:

Students By Class (2004):

GroupPercent
Undergraduate78%
Graduate20%
First Professional2%

Racial Diversity (2004):
RacePercent
White77%
Black3%
Hispanic2%
Asian4%
American Indian0%
(Foreign Students)13%

Students by Age (2004):

AgePercent
Under 181%
18-1929%
20-2131%
22-2420%
25-2910%
30-345%
35-392%
40-492%
50-641%
65+0%

Incoming (Freshman) Students by Place of Residence (2004):
(From available data sampling)

ResidencePercent
Indiana67%
Illinois11%
Foreign countries4%
Ohio3%
Michigan2%
State unknown1%
California1%
Texas1%
Wisconsin1%
Missouri1%
Pennsylvania1%
Kentucky1%
New Jersey1%
New York1%

Purdue Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2004):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time86 %
Part-Time57 %

Purdue Room and Board (2005)

Purdue offers campus housing for 11,531 of its 37,284 (full-time) students.

(Please refer to our profile of West Lafayette, Indiana for details about the area surrounding the campus. Also see our list of other Indiana Colleges).

The school offers students a meal plan with 20 meals per week.

Purdue Admissions and Selectivity (2005)

Acceptances:

GroupApplicantsAcceptedPercent
Accepted
EnrolledPercent of
Accepted Enrolled
Total24,05220,43285%7,25235%
Men13,69111,59585%4,35538%
Women10,3618,83785%2,89733%

Standardized Test Scores:

Test25th Percentile75th Percetile
SAT Verbal500610
SAT Math530650
ACT Verbal2128
ACT Math2329
ACT Composite2328

Application Requirements:

ItemRequirement
GPArequired
Class Rankrequired
High School Recordrequired
College Prep Programrequired
Recommendationsrecommended
Formal Demonstration of Competencenot required
Standardized Tests (SAT and/or ACT)required
Percent of Applicants Submitting SAT83%
Percent of Applicants Submitting ACT40%
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)required
Other Standardized Testsnot required

Admissions Phone Number: (765) 494-1776

Purdue Expenses and Financial Aid (2005)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 6,458
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 19,824
Room and board$ 6,830
Room charge$ 2,904
Board (meal plan) charge$ 3,738
Books and supplies$ 980
Other expenses$ 1,800

Financial Aid:
Purdue participates in Federal Title IV financial aid programs. (The school's OPE ID is 182500)

Financial Aid Phone Number: (765) 494-5050

Purdue Faculty

Purdue has a tenure system for faculty.

Tenure Status of Faculty (2004):

Full-Time Faculty LevelMenWomen
Tenured1,014227
Non-tenured, but on tenure track253153
Non-tenured and not on tenure track308176

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2004):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professorcalendar year210$111,90727$103,846
Associate professorcalendar year80$78,47329$75,868
Assistant professorcalendar year27$72,15517$66,263
Instructorcalendar year1*5$56,040
Lecturercalendar year1*0*
No academic rankcalendar year183$32,80273$30,951
All faculty totalcalendar year502$75,357151$57,418

*: salaries are not displayed where there are fewer than 3 professors in the category.

Full-Time Faculty (2004):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professoracademic year410$105,69760$85,572
Associate professoracademic year332$72,828123$64,469
Assistant professoracademic year269$64,136174$60,536
Instructoracademic year13$53,0939$38,930
Lectureracademic year31$46,52137$37,679
No academic rankacademic year18$34,3342*
All faculty totalacademic year1,073$81,563405$62,722

*: salaries are not displayed where there are fewer than 3 professors in the category.

Purdue Athletics

Athletic Conferences (2005):

SportConference
FootballBig Ten Conference
BasketballBig Ten Conference
BaseballBig Ten Conference
TrackBig Ten Conference

Students on Athletic Scholarships (2004):

SportMenWomenTotal
Total211137348
Football83083
Track212950
Basketball141428
Baseball26026
All Other Sports6794161

Purdue Degree Programs (2005)

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT
Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations
Agricultural Economics
Agricultural Mechanization, General
Agriculture, General
Food Science

ANIMAL SCIENCE AND CARE
Animal Sciences, General

ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING
Landscape Architecture (BS, BSLA, BLA, MSLA, MLA, PhD)

ART STUDIES
Art/Art Studies, General

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Accounting
Business Administration and Management, General
Management Information Systems and Services, Other
Operations Management and Supervision

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Computer Engineering, General
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other
Computer and Information Sciences, General

CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Forestry, General
Natural Resources/Conservation, General
Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management

CONSTRUCTION TRADES
Apparel and Textiles, General

DESIGN
Design and Visual Communications, General

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS
Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General
Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Other

EDUCATION AND TEACHING
Agricultural Teacher Education
Early Childhood Education and Teaching
Education, General
Elementary Education and Teaching
Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching
Technology Teacher Education/Industrial Arts Teacher Education
Trade and Industrial Teacher Education

ENGINEERING
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
Agricultural/Biological Engineering and Bioengineering
Biomedical/Medical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Civil Engineering, General
Construction Engineering
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
Engineering, Other
Industrial Engineering
Materials Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Nuclear Engineering

ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN
Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering Technology/Technician
Architectural Engineering Technology/Technician
Electrical/Electronic/Communications Engr Technology/Technician
Industrial Technology/Technician
Mechanical Drafting and Mechanical Drafting CAD/CADD
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians, Other
Robotics Technology/Technician
Surveying Technology/Surveying

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General
Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General
Human Development and Family Studies, General

HOSPITALITY
Hospitality Administration/Management, Other
Hotel/Motel Administration/Management

LANDSCAPING AND HORTICULTURE
Agronomy and Crop Science
Horticultural Science

LIBERAL ARTS
African-American/Black Studies
Economics, General
English Language and Literature, General
Foreign Languages and Literatures, General
History, General
Humanities/Humanistic Studies
Linguistics
Political Science and Government, General
Social Sciences, General
Sociology

MATHEMATICS
Mathematics, General
Statistics, General

MEDIA
Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric

MEDICAL SUPPORT AND TECHNOLOGY
Audiology/Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist
Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist
Veterinary/Animal Health Technology/Technician/Veterinary Assistant

MEDICINE
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other
Pharmacy (PharmD [USA], PharmD or BS/BPharm [Canada])
Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
Veterinary Sciences/Veterinary Clinical Sci, Gen (Cert,MS,PhD)

NURSING AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE
Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN)

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy

SCIENCE
Biochemistry
Biological and Physical Sciences
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Botany/Plant Biology
Chemistry, General
Entomology
Geology/Earth Science, General
Physics, General

THERAPY AND COUNSELING
Psychology, General

TRANSPORTATION
Aeronautics/Aviation/Aerospace Science and Technology, General
Aviation/Airway Management and Operations

Purdue Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets Purdue Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
Number of students
(vs. all colleges)
Top 1%Purdue Number of students
Number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 1%Purdue Number of degree programs
% of degrees in engineering
(vs. all colleges)
Top 7%Purdue % of degrees in engineering
Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 7%Purdue Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
Salaries of full-time faculty
(vs. all colleges)
Top 8%Purdue Salaries of full-time faculty
Degrees concentrated in limited number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 9%Purdue Degrees concentrated in limited number of degree programs
% of degrees in engineering technician
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 10%Purdue % of degrees in engineering technician
% of degrees in construction trades
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 12%Purdue % of degrees in construction trades
Male % of student body
(vs. all colleges)
Top 13%Purdue Male % of student body
% of students from other states
(vs. all colleges)
Top 17%Purdue % of students from other states
% of degrees in agricultural science and management
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 19%Purdue % of degrees in agricultural science and management
% of degrees in computer science and engineering
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 19%Purdue % of degrees in computer science and engineering
% of degrees in mathematics
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 19%Purdue % of degrees in mathematics
% of degrees in medicine
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 19%Purdue % of degrees in medicine
Dorm rooms per full-time student
(vs. all colleges)
Top 20%Purdue Dorm rooms per full-time student
Explanation of the Highlights categories

Notable:
Accepts some high school credits
Grants credits for AP courses
Offers distance learning
Career counseling
Career placement services
Student employment services
Option to study abroad
Offers campus housing
Offers part-time study
On-campus library
Offers campus housing
Offers a board (meal) plan
Tenure system for quality teaching
Has ROTC (army, navy, air force)
Offers athletic scholarships
NCAA athletic conference member

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