Cost, debt & salary

Is Purdue University worth it? What it costs, and what graduates earn

You would borrow a median $19,500 — about $222 a month for ten years. Graduates earn a median $72,424 ten years after starting, so the debt clears in roughly 0.6 years of the salary premium.

B

Is it worth the money?

Yes — you clear the borrowing faster than at most US universities.

You borrow $19,500 median federal debt at graduation
You repay $222/mo standard 10-year federal plan
You earn $72,424 median, 10 years after entry · beats 84%
Debt clears in 0.6 yrs ranked 126 of 813

What that feels like each month Repayment against the salary that has to cover it.

Gross monthly pay
$6,035
Loan repayment
$222
Share of your pay
3.7%
0%15% — the comfort line25%

Under roughly 15% of gross pay, repayment is generally considered manageable alongside rent and living costs.

Cut the debt before you borrow it

We do not list an award tied specifically to Purdue University yet — but national, country and subject scholarships still apply to students heading there, and each one cuts the $19,500 above.

Browse scholarships for the USA →

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How Purdue University compares Against the 813 US universities we grade on payback.

The typical graded university clears its debt in 1.3 years on median earnings of $57,165 against $22,500 of debt. Purdue University clears its debt faster than that, and its graduates earn $32,904 a year more than a US worker with only a high-school diploma.

Nearby universityGradeDebtEarningsPayback
Purdue University Indiana B $19,500 $72,424 0.6 yrs
Butler University Indiana B $26,000 $77,235 0.7 yrs
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Indiana A $25,000 $101,253 0.4 yrs
Indiana University Bloomington Indiana B $19,509 $63,742 0.8 yrs
University of Notre Dame Indiana A $19,000 $99,980 0.3 yrs

Purdue University — the money questions

How much do graduates of Purdue University earn?
Median earnings are $72,424 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled — from tax records, not a survey. That is higher than 84% of the US universities we hold figures for.
How much debt will I have at Purdue University?
The median graduate leaves with $19,500 of federal loans. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $222 a month — roughly 3.7% of the median graduate's monthly pay before tax.
How long does a degree from Purdue University take to pay for itself?
About 0.6 years of the salary premium — the amount graduates earn above the $39,520 a US worker with only a high-school diploma makes. That ranks it 126 of 813 US universities we grade on payback.
Can scholarships reduce this debt?
We do not currently list a scholarship tied specifically to Purdue University, but national and subject-based awards still apply — start from our scholarships listing.
Do these numbers apply to my subject?
No. The Department of Education publishes one figure per institution, so nursing, engineering and fine art students at Purdue University all sit inside the same median. Treat it as the size of the financial risk, not a salary forecast for your course.

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard — earnings and debt cover students who received federal financial aid and blend every subject taught at the institution. Figures imported 28 Aug 2026. This page is information, not financial advice.