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Purdue University-Main Campus
West Lafayette, IN 39,637 Undergrads 78.1% Grad Rate
Total Cost
$22,567
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$13,945
After Aid
Median Earnings
$72,424
10yr Post-Entry
Vs. Peer Institutions
Net Price$13,945
Peer Midpoint: $19,729.5
Earnings (10yr)$72,424
Peer Midpoint: $53,747
Graduation Rate78.1%
Peer Midpoint: 58.5%
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients13.6%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time95.0%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS85.5%
Admissions Profile
Acceptance
50.3%
SAT Avg
1,342
SAT Reading
25th: 59064075th: 710
SAT Math
25th: 60067075th: 750
ACT Composite
25th: 273075th: 34
ROI Sensitivity Analysis
This analysis tests three cost scenarios (Scholarship, Average Net Price, Full Sticker Price) to show how college costs impact your long-term return compared to the average student and a high school graduate.
Lifetime Value Added (NPV)
Institution Lifetime NPV
Vs Median Peer
Vs HS Grad
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
+$611k
+$214k
+$126k
Median Cost$14k/yr
+$561k
+$164k
+$76k
Full Cost$23k/yr
+$530k
+$133k
+$45k
ROI Efficiency Metrics
Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
31
∞
Median Cost$14k/yr
38
152%
Full Cost$23k/yr
44
56%
Analysis Assumptions:
- Starting Salary: Estimated from the 10-year median earnings (assuming 2% annual growth from graduation).
- Comparisons: "Vs Median Peer" compares to the median student nationwide in a similar level program. "Vs HS Grad" compares to a median high school graduate.
- Break-Even: The age at which the college investment net income exceeds the median high school graduate's lifetime earnings.
- NPV: Net Present Value of all future earnings minus costs and taxes, discounted at 7.8%.
Social Impact ROINew
Measures the societal return on a donor's investment. Calculated as the incremental pre-tax lifetime earnings vs. HS grad, divided by the tax-adjusted donation cost.
Donor Return203%
Gov. Pell Grant ROINew
Measures the government's return on Pell Grants via increased tax revenue. Calculated as the portion of incremental lifetime taxes (discounted at 5.4%) attributed to the Pell Grant investment.
Taxpayer Return9%
Important Note: Your ROI with any major will depend on the cost you pay to attend the program, and your starting salary. Both vary significantly across institutions. We encourage you to explore the ROI of a specific program variant by selecting the Program title of the credential level you are interested in. You will then have a more detailed return analysis for programs at specific institutions. We also encourage you to use the ROI calculator with your specific estimates of cost and salary.
Program ROI Analysis
Certificates
Business Administration, Management and Operations
CertCIP: 5202
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$76,560
Lifetime Value Added
+$332k
Bachelor's Degrees
Accounting and Related Services
BachCIP: 5203
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$88,315
Lifetime Value Added
+$206k
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
BachCIP: 1402
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (5yr)
$97,947
Lifetime Value Added
+$278k
Agricultural Business and Management
BachCIP: 0101
Median Debt
$15,753
Earnings (5yr)
$71,087
Lifetime Value Added
+$77k
Agricultural Engineering
BachCIP: 1403
Median Debt
$20,000
Earnings (5yr)
$85,404
Lifetime Value Added
+$184k
Agricultural Mechanization
BachCIP: 0102
Median Debt
$19,727
Earnings (5yr)
$68,039
Lifetime Value Added
+$54k
Agricultural Production Operations
BachCIP: 0103
Median Debt
$13,250
Earnings (2yr)
$43,426
Lifetime Value Added
-$122k
Air Transportation
BachCIP: 4901
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$81,095
Lifetime Value Added
+$152k
Animal Sciences
BachCIP: 0109
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$66,813
Lifetime Value Added
+$45k
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians
BachCIP: 1501
Median Debt
$16,750
Earnings (5yr)
$93,412
Lifetime Value Added
+$244k
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology
BachCIP: 2602
Median Debt
$17,713
Earnings (5yr)
$76,574
Lifetime Value Added
+$118k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$77,863
Lifetime Value Added
+$128k
Biomedical/Medical Engineering
BachCIP: 1405
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$92,892
Lifetime Value Added
+$240k
Business Administration, Management and Operations
BachCIP: 5202
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$85,223
Lifetime Value Added
+$183k
Chemical Engineering
BachCIP: 1407
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (5yr)
$94,979
Lifetime Value Added
+$256k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$59,928
Lifetime Value Added
-$9k
Civil Engineering
BachCIP: 1408
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$85,536
Lifetime Value Added
+$185k
Communication and Media Studies
BachCIP: 0901
Median Debt
$17,375
Earnings (5yr)
$58,742
Lifetime Value Added
-$18k
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
BachCIP: 5102
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$62,096
Lifetime Value Added
+$8k
Computer and Information Sciences, General
BachCIP: 1101
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$94,597
Lifetime Value Added
+$253k
Computer Engineering
BachCIP: 1409
Median Debt
$22,875
Earnings (5yr)
$118,081
Lifetime Value Added
+$428k
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
$19,136
Earnings (5yr)
$149,545
Lifetime Value Added
+$660k
Computer Software and Media Applications
BachCIP: 1108
Median Debt
$20,101
Earnings (5yr)
$54,013
Lifetime Value Added
-$56k
Construction Engineering
BachCIP: 1433
Median Debt
$20,625
Earnings (2yr)
$78,343
Lifetime Value Added
+$167k
Design and Applied Arts
BachCIP: 5004
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$53,610
Lifetime Value Added
-$60k
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services
BachCIP: 5131
Median Debt
$20,254
Earnings (5yr)
$55,003
Lifetime Value Added
-$48k
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
$23,099
Earnings (5yr)
$81,285
Lifetime Value Added
+$153k
Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians
BachCIP: 1503
Median Debt
$23,239
Earnings (5yr)
$83,800
Lifetime Value Added
+$172k
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
BachCIP: 1410
Median Debt
$17,750
Earnings (5yr)
$95,734
Lifetime Value Added
+$261k
Engineering Technology, General
BachCIP: 1500
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$78,134
Lifetime Value Added
+$130k
Engineering-Related Fields
BachCIP: 1515
Median Debt
$16,153
Earnings (2yr)
$66,653
Lifetime Value Added
+$74k
Engineering, Other
BachCIP: 1499
Median Debt
$19,787
Earnings (2yr)
$58,673
Lifetime Value Added
+$9k
English Language and Literature, General
BachCIP: 2301
Median Debt
$18,839
Earnings (2yr)
$24,035
Lifetime Value Added
-$297k
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services
BachCIP: 1902
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$60,193
Lifetime Value Added
-$7k
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
BachCIP: 5006
Median Debt
$17,369
Earnings (2yr)
$30,771
Lifetime Value Added
-$235k
Finance and Financial Management Services
BachCIP: 5208
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (5yr)
$78,926
Lifetime Value Added
+$136k
Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management
BachCIP: 0303
Median Debt
$19,370
Earnings (5yr)
$40,186
Lifetime Value Added
-$171k
General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations
BachCIP: 5218
Median Debt
$19,451
Earnings (5yr)
$92,129
Lifetime Value Added
+$235k
Health and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (5yr)
$64,115
Lifetime Value Added
+$24k
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other
BachCIP: 5199
Median Debt
$21,970
Earnings (5yr)
$78,766
Lifetime Value Added
+$134k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$20,490
Earnings (5yr)
$46,833
Lifetime Value Added
-$115k
Hospitality Administration/Management
BachCIP: 5209
Median Debt
$18,916
Earnings (5yr)
$55,565
Lifetime Value Added
-$44k
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services
BachCIP: 1907
Median Debt
$14,000
Earnings (5yr)
$48,608
Lifetime Value Added
-$101k
Industrial Engineering
BachCIP: 1435
Median Debt
$18,357
Earnings (5yr)
$100,438
Lifetime Value Added
+$297k
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians
BachCIP: 1506
Median Debt
$19,813
Earnings (5yr)
$88,846
Lifetime Value Added
+$210k
Landscape Architecture
BachCIP: 0406
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$46,869
Lifetime Value Added
-$91k
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
BachCIP: 2401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$73,422
Lifetime Value Added
+$94k
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services
BachCIP: 1601
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$18,771
Lifetime Value Added
-$346k
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
BachCIP: 5213
Median Debt
$18,578
Earnings (5yr)
$100,920
Lifetime Value Added
+$300k
Materials Engineering
BachCIP: 1418
Median Debt
$22,111
Earnings (2yr)
$68,499
Lifetime Value Added
+$89k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
$18,820
Earnings (2yr)
$48,432
Lifetime Value Added
-$78k
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians
BachCIP: 1508
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$81,374
Lifetime Value Added
+$154k
Mechanical Engineering
BachCIP: 1419
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$97,551
Lifetime Value Added
+$275k
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
BachCIP: 0301
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (2yr)
$33,993
Lifetime Value Added
-$206k
Neurobiology and Neurosciences
BachCIP: 2615
Median Debt
$17,619
Earnings (2yr)
$25,194
Lifetime Value Added
-$286k
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration
BachCIP: 5120
Median Debt
$17,500
Earnings (2yr)
$41,565
Lifetime Value Added
-$138k
Political Science and Government
BachCIP: 4510
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$72,774
Lifetime Value Added
+$90k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$52,518
Lifetime Value Added
-$69k
Public Health
BachCIP: 5122
Median Debt
$21,000
Earnings (5yr)
$56,455
Lifetime Value Added
-$37k
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
BachCIP: 5138
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$87,224
Lifetime Value Added
+$198k
Research and Experimental Psychology
BachCIP: 4227
Median Debt
$18,500
Earnings (5yr)
$49,575
Lifetime Value Added
-$93k
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies
BachCIP: 2313
Median Debt
$18,875
Earnings (5yr)
$43,184
Lifetime Value Added
-$146k
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
BachCIP: 1609
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$32,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$221k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$53,174
Lifetime Value Added
-$63k
Statistics
BachCIP: 2705
Median Debt
$19,250
Earnings (5yr)
$97,489
Lifetime Value Added
+$275k
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
BachCIP: 1312
Median Debt
$17,500
Earnings (5yr)
$49,413
Lifetime Value Added
-$94k
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas
BachCIP: 1313
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$56,250
Lifetime Value Added
-$38k
Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians
BachCIP: 0183
Median Debt
$16,856
Earnings (2yr)
$37,856
Lifetime Value Added
-$171k
Master's Degrees
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
MastCIP: 1402
Median Debt
$32,946
Earnings (5yr)
$126,554
Lifetime Value Added
+$641k
Business Administration, Management and Operations
MastCIP: 5202
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (5yr)
$134,207
Lifetime Value Added
+$705k
Civil Engineering
MastCIP: 1408
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$64,493
Lifetime Value Added
+$142k
Communication and Media Studies
MastCIP: 0901
Median Debt
$34,280
Earnings (5yr)
$79,601
Lifetime Value Added
+$239k
Computer and Information Sciences, General
MastCIP: 1101
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$84,653
Lifetime Value Added
+$326k
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
$28,581
Earnings (5yr)
$77,702
Lifetime Value Added
+$222k
Engineering, Other
MastCIP: 1499
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$135,236
Lifetime Value Added
+$714k
Mechanical Engineering
MastCIP: 1419
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$127,247
Lifetime Value Added
+$647k
Graduate Certificates
Communication and Media Studies
Gr-CertCIP: 0901
Median Debt
$22,260
Earnings (5yr)
$75,918
Lifetime Value Added
+$282k
Doctoral Degrees
Chemistry
DocCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$105,980
Lifetime Value Added
+$289k
Professional Degrees
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration
ProfCIP: 5120
Median Debt
$99,174
Earnings (5yr)
$143,079
Lifetime Value Added
+$558k
Veterinary Medicine
ProfCIP: 0180
Median Debt
$113,597
Earnings (5yr)
$126,992
Lifetime Value Added
+$442k
Note: Lifetime Value Added is the Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median high school graduate, accounting for this institution's average cost and taxes. Computed over a career to retirement age.
For graduate programs (Master's, Doctoral, etc.), the calculation assumes a starting age of 22 (after undergraduate completion) and does not include the sunk costs of prior degrees. It represents the value added of the graduate degree decision moving forward. These Lifetime Value Added results should not be compared with those Undergraduate Certificates, Associates or Bachelors starting at age 18.