Purdue University Northwest is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Hammond, Indiana. It enrolls 5,671 students (a large student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Good
69/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes20
Value98
Affordability67
Selectivity42
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
Purdue University Northwest admits 72.4% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.
Acceptance Rate
72.4%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
890 – 1140
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
16 – 24
Cumulative composite
Test PolicyNot ConsideredStandardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Purdue University Northwest is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
42.1 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $6,079 a year on average, it sits well below what public colleges charge nationally. At that level cost is rarely the reason to rule a college out. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$8,675
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$16,094
Room & Board (on-campus)
$8,907
Room & Board (off-campus)
$9,333
Books & Supplies
$598
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$4,212
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$5,023
Total Cost of Attendance
$15,571
Application fee: $25 (one-time, due at submission)
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$1,432
$30,001 – $48,000
$2,428
$48,001 – $75,000
$7,026
$75,001 – $110,000
$12,452
Over $110,000
$13,645
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$3,25010%percentile
$5,86425%percentile
$21,229Medianpercentile
$25,00075%percentile
$37,71690%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $14,363
↓ $6,866
No Pell $11,250
↓ $9,979
Dependent students $12,000
↓ $9,229
Independent students $16,525
↓ $4,704
Female students $13,822
↓ $7,407
Male students $12,066
↓ $9,163
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $9,002, less than completers ($21,229), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
40% of students who start here finish within six years, and 67% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
40%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
67%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $48,318 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$48,318
Earning > $25K
72%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$35,300
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$53,900
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$38,100
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$46,200
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$47,300
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $18,600, about 35% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
15.0 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Moderate. Only 69% of graduates are paying down principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 5,671 students, a large student community. Worth knowing: 43% are the first in their family to go to college.
Total Enrolled
5,671
Part-Time
19%
First-Generation
43%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 48.3%2,736
Hispanic 27.0%1,531
Black 11.5%654
International 4.2%239
Other 3.8%217
Asian 3.3%186
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Purdue University Northwest. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Purdue University Northwest offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
65 distinct programs across
20 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
There are 17 students for every instructor here: on the higher side, so larger classes are common.
Student : Faculty
17:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$10,838
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$52M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$86,963
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
204 instructional faculty across 4 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
66
32%
$107,763
Associate Professors
84
41%
$88,103
Assistant Professors
40
20%
$82,125
Instructors
14
7%
$59,643
Pros & Cons of Purdue University Northwest
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Purdue University Northwest is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Best for:
Based on the data, Purdue University Northwest is a fit for
families focused on keeping net cost low.
Frequently Asked Questions about Purdue University Northwest
The questions families ask most about Purdue University Northwest, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Purdue University Northwest hard to get into?
Admissions at Purdue University Northwest are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 72.4%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at Purdue University Northwest?
72.4% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for Purdue University Northwest?
Aim for 1140 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 890 and 1140 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for Purdue University Northwest?
Aim for 24 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 16 and 24 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Purdue University Northwest cost?
Budget around $6,079 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Purdue University Northwest worth it?
On the numbers, yes: strong return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $48,318 a year against a net price of $6,079, about 7.9 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Purdue University Northwest known for?
Mostly Nursing, Nursing, Teacher Education (K-12). Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Purdue University Northwest graduates earn?
About $48,318 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Purdue University Northwest accredited?
Yes. Purdue University Northwest is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend Purdue University Northwest?
5,671 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Purdue University Northwest?
40% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Purdue University Northwest a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Purdue University Northwest located?
Purdue University Northwest is located in Hammond, Indiana.
What programs does Purdue University Northwest offer?
65 different programs, most commonly Nursing, Nursing, Teacher Education (K-12). If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Purdue University Northwest?
17 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
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