Real costs by school · West Lafayette, IN · Public
At Purdue University-Main Campus, families earning $75,000–$110,000 paid an average of $18,177 per year — the published cost of attendance is $24,591. (Federal College Scorecard data, July 2026 refresh.)
| Household income | Avg net price / yr | ≈ four years* |
|---|---|---|
| Under $30k | $5,098 / yr | $21,488 |
| $30–48k | $6,241 / yr | $26,306 |
| $48–75k | $9,438 / yr | $39,781 |
| $75–110k | $18,177 / yr | $76,616 |
| Over $110k | $22,742 / yr | $95,858 |
*Four-year figures grow each year's price by 3.5% — the same method College Compass uses in a family's plan. "Net price" is what families actually paid after grants and scholarships, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education — not a calculator's estimate. Federal reporting groups every income above $110k into one band; families well above it often pay closer to the full cost.
Think you make too much for aid? The real income cutoffs, measured →
Why the sticker price is a fiction — and what families actually pay →
| Admit rate | 71% in-state · 44% out-of-state — the school's own Common Data Set |
|---|---|
| Merit | 29% of no-need freshmen · avg $5,789 — the school's own Common Data Set |
| Paperwork | merit cutoff Nov 1 · 2 extra essays — school-verified Aug 2026 |
Nine questions, then Purdue University's odds for your student with the math shown — plus your income band's price and its deadlines. First three schools free.
Run Purdue University for your student →At $75,000–$110,000 of household income, the distance between Purdue University-Main Campus's published sticker price and what families in that band actually paid is $6,414 a year — a 26% discount off the number on the brochure. That ranks it 2nd lowest of the 4 Indiana schools on this site at that income. Graduates report a median $72,424 10 years out — roughly 95% of the four-year cost at this income band.
Earnings and completion from federal reporting — not the school's own placement survey.
These are averages. Your family isn't average.
Run Purdue University-Main Campus against your student's real GPA, your income band, and your actual high school — odds with the math shown, the paperwork it requires, and its deadlines on one plan. First three schools free.
Ohio State University-Main Campus · Michigan State University · Indiana University-Bloomington