Obtain an engineering degree within four years from one of the world’s best engineering schools for undergraduates – Purdue University!
More than 100,000 engineers started their careers after graduating from Purdue, including illustrious figures like Neil Armstrong (the first astronaut to walk on the Moon), Charles Ellis (designer of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge), and John Atalla (inventor of the PIN).
As a Purdue Boilermaker, you’ll join a campus built on the principles of collaboration, innovation, and involvement.
Not only are there myriad majors to choose from, but undergraduates also have the autonomy to engage in interdisciplinary engineering studies or multidisciplinary engineering studies major.
The facilities for undergraduate engineering students at Purdue are state-of-the-art. The Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering houses the first 360-degree learning environment, while the Bechtel Innovation Design Center serves as a hub for student-led project innovation.
The city of West Lafayette, Indiana, provides an exceptional setting to spend four years of college. With a balanced mix of suburban and urban vibes, the town boasts an energetic downtown area and more tranquil spaces.
Students can regularly be found frequenting art galleries, cheering on Purdue sports teams, or cozying up in a hidden coffee shop. The Chauncey Village District is a hotbed for Purdue sports enthusiasts and college nightlife, whereas the Wabash Riverfront District is the place for recreation and festival attendance.
Curious to learn about how to get into one of the best engineering colleges in the U.S.? Ahead, we’ll elaborate on the engineering school’s acceptance rate and global rankings, as well as requirements for admission and additional factors that make Purdue such an appealing school.
Purdue Engineering Acceptance Rate
The acceptance rate into Purdue for engineering is 37%.
Acceptance into Purdue engineering has become significantly more competitive, with the overall rate dropping from 47% to 37% over the past five years.
As a highly qualified applicant, the best way to increase your chances of gaining admission involves applying during the early action round, of which the deadline is November 1.
Not only does it take “good grades” to favorable attention from the admissions team, but one’s academic transcript should highlight a record of rigorous coursework.
Admissions officers in the Purdue engineering department are seeking applicants who are heavily involved in student organizations and activities. These can help students develop time management and interpersonal skills crucial to working as part of engineering teams.
Do you know why you want to be an engineer and how Purdue engineering can help you achieve your dreams?
Be clear and enthusiastic when communicating your answers to these questions during the application cycle so that the admissions team can best understand how you will contribute positively to the school’s overall dynamic.
Are you still curious about what a typical accepted cohort of students looks like at Purdue engineering?
While we can’t share specific details regarding essay responses and student transcripts, we can report recent GPA and standardized test statistics for the fall 2022 admitted class. The middle 50% of accepted students scored between 31-35 on the ACT or a 1380-1502 on the SAT, and unweighted GPAs ranged from 3.6 to 4.
Taking steps to apply to Purdue engineering may be well worth the effort. When it comes to the recent graduating cohort of 2021, 97% of students successfully transitioned into a career or graduate school within half a year of commencement.
Part of this impressive placement rate is likely due to a majority of graduates having completed at least one internship or co-operative experience during their time at Purdue.
Purdue Engineering Ranking
Purdue’s engineering programs for undergraduate students have a reputation for being among the best in the United States and the world.
The U.S. News & World 2022 Report positioned them at #10 for best undergraduate engineering programs, while the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education named them the #7 Best Value institution in the U.S. These rankings are based on a combination of factors, including student outcomes, resources, and tuition.
Purdue engineering has made a concentrated effort to maintain lower tuition rates when compared to its peer institutions.
In fact, tuition rates have been frozen since 2012-2013. The institution’s rates for room and board have been the lowest in the Big Ten conference in that same time frame.
When juxtaposed with the graduate outcomes described above, applying to Purdue engineering may feel significantly more appealing and accessible.
Perhaps you know the specific engineering concentration you’d like to specialize in while enrolled at Purdue. The school’s agriculture and biological engineering program is ranked #1 in the nation.
Students learn how to create and oversee complex production and processing system for agricultural entities as well as apply engineering principles to operating large-scale food-manufacturing plants.
Purdue’s industrial engineering sits at #2 in the nation as of 2022. The focus of this department is largely on addressing societal challenges through the school’s one-of-a-kind ReThink IE initiative.
This initiative aims to apply sustainable design principles to building new facilities and innovating useful technology.
While there are many other engineering concentrations within the engineering school, we’ll close out this section with a description of the #5 ranked aeronautical and astronautical engineering pathway.
Purdue’s particular program leads the world in research related to rocket propulsion and is home to the most expansive academic propulsion lab on the planet. Students can also expect to gain hands-on experience with the school’s three hypersonic tunnels.
What are the Majors Available at Purdue College of Engineering?
Purdue University’s College of Engineering offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in various engineering disciplines.
There are currently 17 concentrations in which students can major, which include chemical engineering, nuclear engineering, and environmental and ecological engineering. A
ll degrees are offered in conjunction with the College of Engineering and the Polytechnic Institute. There are several distinctions between programs based in these two institutions.
Undergraduates taking coursework in the College of Engineering will focus on solving a variety of issues within society via products and technology that do not yet exist.
Hands-on work involves computer modeling to build prototypes and applications of math and science skills. Pursuits at the Polytechnic Institute are less theoretical and more experiential, with a heavy emphasis on laboratory fieldwork.
Both entities prize collaboration, high-level problem-solving, and clear communication. Some degrees may require what is called a Professional Engineering – or PE – license, which the College of Engineering provides for all majors (except for students who pursue an interdisciplinary engineering studies major).
You may be wondering if you can double major as an engineering student, and the answer is “Yes!” Typically, students who perform to a consistently exceptional academic standard are able to double major, but this is quite a rare occurrence.
Attempting a minor in addition to a major is generally the preferred pathway for those who care to specialize in more than one concentration. Purdue’s Degree+ program also enables engineering undergraduates to add a liberal arts major outside of the engineering department.
That said, applicants do not need to be certain of their engineering major when they submit their application to Purdue. In fact, all first-year undergraduate students will fulfill the general First-Year Engineering Program curriculum requirements.
During this time, they can investigate different engineering careers, learn basic engineering design principles, and build foundational knowledge in science, math, digital literacy, and English. We’ll go into more detail about the FYEP in the following section.
Purdue Engineering Requirements
Purdue is unique in that its engineering undergraduates participate in the First-Year Engineering Program prior to focusing on a specific engineering concentration.
This factor can be relieving for high school seniors who have cultivated a passion for engineering design through advanced coursework in secondary school but are still trying to figure out how to apply their talents best.
There are only a few steps required to transition into a preferred major after completing the FYEP. During the second semester of their first year at Purdue, undergraduates will complete an online form selecting their first and second preferences for majors.
Providing each candidate meets all FYEP requirements, they are guaranteed placement in their preferred major as long as there is available space – no need to take an extra test for entry!
It is worth noting that some of Purdue’s concentrations are more competitive than others; in such cases, undergraduates will be assessed for admission based on their GPAs, Engineering Admissions Index, and other items.
Candidates can feel encouraged to hear that, for those entering their sophomore years in the fall of 2022, nearly 97% were placed into their first-choice major.
As of now, four majors are near or exceeding capacity: aeronautical/astronautical, biomedical, mechanical, and multidisciplinary engineering. The school has stated that each of the aforementioned majors can still admit 85-100% of applicants who named them their top choice for the spring 2022 transition to major cycle.
Should an undergraduate student wish to enter the Goss Scholars Program – the honors iteration of the FYEP – they can expect a more rigorous set of requirements. Students will be challenged to thrive in more team-based projects and showcase more programming and robotics knowledge in their work.
To apply for this first-year honors experience only, candidates apply and gain admission to the John Martinson Honors College or apply directly to the Goss Scholars Learning Community.
Once a Goss Scholar transitions into sophomore year, they will resume a similar engineering pathway as their fellow concentrators. Engineering students can still graduate with honors but through the Honors College itself.
Is Purdue the Right Choice for Engineering?
Whether Purdue University is the right choice for an engineering education depends on several factors, including your interests, academic background, and career goals.
If you are the type of scholar described above who knows you want to pursue a career in engineering but desire at least a year to explore your different options, Purdue’s FYEP makes the school an excellent choice for you.
The learning environment is another factor that helps high school seniors make determinations about which colleges to which they should apply.
In general, the College of Engineering’s student-to-faculty ratio is around 23:1, with classes averaging 45 members in size.
While Purdue engineering classes will be large initially, undergraduates can expect the size to reduce to as few as ten students as they go deeper into their majors.
Several engineering-focused student-led organizations on Purdue’s campus can provide the support and social outlet many undergraduates desire.
The Women in Engineering Program and Minority Engineering Program are wonderful resources for student demographics who are historically underrepresented in collegiate engineering departments.
Many high school seniors will flock to Purdue’s engineering department due to its Professional Practice Programs, which are work-based experiential learning opportunities that help prepare undergraduates for engineering careers.
Students can develop resumes, cover letters, and interview skills in courses like ENGR 103 or strengthen abilities in programming with Arduino, 3D printing, and designing smartwatches via technical development opportunities.
Do you have the desire to study abroad? The Global Engineering Alliance for Research and Education can fulfill this yearning through various international work experiences.
Alternatively, students can participate in Global Design Projects, where they are challenged to innovate solutions to modern-day engineering issues within a specific global context.
