The blog post addresses questions surrounding Purdue Acceptance Rate and provides the current acceptance rate and other helpful information to guide prospective applicants.
In the fall of 2022, Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus welcomed over 9,300 freshman students, marking a significant increase from the previous year. The university received a record-breaking 68,309 applications during the admissions cycle. While the overall acceptance rate has been above 50% in recent years, it’s crucial not to underestimate Purdue’s true selectivity.
In reality, gaining admission to Purdue’s top-ranked engineering and computer science programs is a notably more challenging task, with Indiana residents generally having better acceptance rates than out-of-state or international students.
With a large pool of highly qualified applicants vying to become Boilermakers, it’s imperative for prospective students to fully comprehend the competitive nature of the admissions process. To assist in this understanding, the College Transitions team will provide valuable insights.
- Purdue’s Class of 2026 acceptance rate
- SAT, ACT, class rank, and GPAs of Purdue applicants
- Admissions trends from the Class of 2026
- The demographics of current Purdue undergraduates
- Purdue’s yield rate
- How Purdue’s admissions officers evaluate candidates
- Tips for applying to Purdue University
- How to assess whether applying to Purdue is even worth the $60 application fee (for you)
Contents
Purdue Acceptance Rate – 2023
The acceptance rate for the Class of 2026 at Purdue University was 53%. In-state applicants typically receive a five-point advantage during the admissions process.
Nevertheless, it’s essential to understand that the academic requirements for admission to different colleges within Purdue University differ significantly. Although the university doesn’t disclose precise acceptance rate figures for individual colleges, we have information about their more competitive programs.
- The average accepted engineering applicant has an unweighted 3.82 GPA.
- The average SAT score for an accepted engineering student is above 1430; on the ACT, it is a 32.
- A couple of years ago, the reported acceptance rate for engineering applicants was around 40%; this is likely lower in 2023.
- While the school doesn’t offer any official figures, the Purdue CS acceptance rate is believed to be as low as a touch under 10% or as high as 15%, depending on the year.
- The number of accepted internal CS transfer applicants has dwindled each year as Computer Science has become Purdue’s most popular major.
Purdue University Admissions – SAT, ACT, GPA, and Class Rank
Among those enrolled in the Class of 2026, the mid-50% GPA was 3.5-3.9, the SAT range was 1190-1410 and the ACT range 26-33. Further, 53% were in the top decile of their high school class, 82% were in the top quartile, and 97% were in the top half.
Admissions Trends & Notes – Class of 2026
- Purdue announced that they will require SAT/ACT scores for the 2024 admissions cycle.
- The overall number of applications increased from 59,173 for the Class of 2025 to over 68,000 for the Class of 2026.
- There are 135 countries represented on campus as the number of international students remained on an upward trend.
- 13% of freshmen are underrepresented minorities.
- 26% of 2022-23 freshmen enrolled in the College of Engineering, the most of any school.
Who Gets Into Purdue University – West Lafayette?
Let’s look at the demographics of Purdue undergraduates:
Purdue undergrads hailed in fairly equal numbers from the state of Indiana and other states in the U.S.:
- From Indiana: 47%
- Out-of-State: 42%
- International: 11%
Looking at ethnic identity among the current Boilermaker undergraduate student body, the breakdown is as follows:
- Asian American: 12%
- Hispanic: 6%
- African American: 2%
- International: 11%
- White: 63%
- Two or more races: 4%
Purdue University Acceptance Rate 2023
International undergraduate students hail from 113 countries with the greatest representation from the following nations:
- China
- India
- South Korea
- Taiwan
- Vietnam
The breakdown by gender of the Class of 2025 shows a heavier concentration of male students:
- Male: 57%
- Female: 43%
With so many more male students at Purdue, female applicants do enjoy an advantage in the admissions process. For the Class of 2026 applicants, women were admitted at a 64% clip compared to a 45% figure for men.
Purdue’s Yield Rate
For the Class of 2026, Purdue University’s yield rate, which represents the percentage of accepted students who choose to enroll out of the total admitted students, was 26%. This figure is comparatively lower than some other well-known public institutions like UT-Austin, Georgia Tech, and Ohio State.
How Purdue Rates Applicants
Purdue University considers three factors as “very important” in their admissions process: an applicant’s GPA, standardized test scores, and the rigor of their secondary school record. Additionally, five factors are categorized as “important”: recommendations, essays, extracurricular activities, first-generation status, and character/personal qualities.
In the admissions office’s own words:
- “Admission to Purdue is based on a holistic evaluation of each student’s application in the context of the overall applicant pool for a particular Purdue college or specific major. For example, admission to nursing is highly competitive because it is a small program with a large applicant pool.”
- “You can use our Freshman Class Profile Page to see “middle 50%” ranges for GPAs and SAT or ACT tests. However, these ranges represent the entire freshman class – the middle 50% for individual majors may be higher or lower based on space availability or the rigor of the program’s curriculum.”
Tips for Applying to Purdue University – West Lafayette
If you plan on joining the 68,000+ Boilermaker hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:
- Purdue does not offer interviews. Therefore, the best way to personalize the admissions process is through your essays and recommendations.
- Purdue considers “demonstrated interest” in the admissions process. This means you may gain an advantage by visiting campus, connecting through social media, emailing an admissions officer, etc.
- You can apply by November 1 to meet the Early Action Deadline. The Regular Decision deadline is January 15. However, the earlier you submit your application, the better.
- Make sure to dedicate sufficient time and effort to the (up to) three short answer prompts that you may need to address. They are as follows:
- How will opportunities at Purdue support your interests, both in and out of the classroom? (100 words)
- Briefly discuss your reasons for pursuing the major you have selected. (100 words)
- Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (250 words)
Summary of Purdue University Acceptance Rate 2023
Purdue students typically achieve A-/B+ grades in a challenging high school curriculum and demonstrate standardized test scores that exceed the 90th percentile among all test-takers. For aspiring engineering and computer science students, it is highly advisable to aim for nearly all A’s and standardized test scores above the 95th percentile.
All high school students preparing for college should create a well-balanced college list, which includes both “target” and “safety” schools. Collaborating with an experienced admissions professional who is knowledgeable about the latest trends and strategies related to your prospective colleges can greatly aid in this process.
