Purdue University GPA Average: A Comprehensive Guide to Admissions
For prospective students, understanding the academic benchmarks for admission is crucial. This article provides a detailed overview of the average GPA at Purdue University, along with other factors that influence admissions decisions. It aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to become a Boilermaker.
Understanding Purdue's Academic Expectations
Purdue University is a strong school with a competitive admissions process, and checking whether their GPA meets the mark is one of the things any wanna-be Boilermaker should be doing before they sit down and start filling out an application.
Purdue University GPA
Purdue University-Main Campus’s average GPA is 3.66. The average GPA at Purdue is 3.76. This average GPA means Purdue University-Main Campus is very selective and requires you to be above average in your high school class. You'll need a mix of A's and B's, with a leaning toward A's.
The average high school GPA of the admitted freshman class at Purdue University was around 3.7 on the 4.0 scale. This implies that you'd typically need to be in the upper half of your graduating class and maintaining mostly As to be considered for admission.
Based on the GPAs of enrolled students for the past three years, students should be aiming above a 3.25 GPA, if not higher.
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What If Your GPA Is Below Average?
If you're a junior or senior, your GPA is hard to change from this point on. If your GPA is at or below the school average of 3.76, you'll need a higher SAT score to compensate and show that you're prepared to take on college academics.
GPA for Specific Programs and Transfer Students
Just like the standards for Purdue SAT scores and Purdue ACT scores, Purdue may have more stringent GPA expectations for certain undergraduate programs.
Moreover, you should always double-check the GPA requirements of your program if you are applying to Purdue as a transfer student. If you are transferring from another college or University, Purdue will expect you to transfer into a specific major. Every major program has its own requirements for transfer GPA. Whether you’re an incoming freshman or a transfer student, it’s good to keep an eye on your GPA to make sure your grades are Purdue ready.
GPA Ranges of Admitted Students
Of the enrolled students in the Class of 2028, 94.8% of them submitted their GPA in their application, so this is a great comparison to make if you’re a prospective applicant wondering how you stack up. Here's a breakdown of GPA ranges for admitted students:
- 3.75+: 64%
- 3.50-3.74: 18%
- 3.25-3.49: 10%
- 3.00-3.24: 5%
- 2.50-2.99: 3%
- 2.00-2.49: Less than 1%
- Below 2.00: Less than 1%
Standardized Test Scores: SAT and ACT
Purdue University-Main Campus requires that you either take the SAT or ACT. See the table below for how Purdue University-Main Campus’s accepted students have performed on both tests.
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SAT Scores
Purdue University-Main Campus’s average SAT score is 1195. The average SAT score is 1195 - this is the sum of the math and reading portions of the SAT (the 1600 scale).
To be a competitive applicant for Purdue University-Main Campus your SAT score should come close to the average. If you’re closer to the 1070, you’re likely going to have a tougher time getting accepted.
When you look at Purdue University SAT scores, it’s important to remember that these are the scores expected of applicants in general. If you are applying for a “first-year experience” program in a specific major, you may be held to higher standards. For example, Purdue’s first year experience program for Engineering accepts students with a middle 50% SAT score range of 1350-1470. This is well above the general mid-50% range for Purdue SAT scores. It’s also worth noting that expectations for Purdue SAT scores might be easier to meet than the standards for Purdue ACT scores.
The middle 50% of accepted students have an SAT range of 1120-1400.
ACT Scores
Purdue University-Main Campus’s average ACT score is 85. To be a competitive applicant for Purdue University-Main Campus your ACT score should come close to the average. If you’re closer to the 75, you’re likely going to have a tougher time getting accepted.
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Choosing Between ACT and SAT
Most noticeably, the ACT has a science section and the SAT doesn’t. So the ACT still might be your best option for getting into Purdue, if it’s the test you’re most comfortable with.
Acceptance Rate and Selectivity
Last year Purdue University-Main Campus’s acceptance rate was 58.97. The acceptance rate at Purdue is 49.8%. Purdue accepts 67% of the students who apply.
Acceptance rate alone does not indicate your likelihood for getting into Purdue-West Lafayette - it’s a very high level understanding of the true competition. Use the acceptance rate as a general guide for curating a list of 10-15 schools that fall into different ranges of competitiveness.
What does the acceptance rate mean for your Purdue admissions prospects? As I mentioned, the most recent (fall of 2020) Purdue acceptance rate is 67%! This does sound hopeful, doesn’t it?
Because this school is moderately selective, strong academic performance will almost guarantee you admission. Scoring at a 1350 SAT or above will already give you a great shot at getting in.
Beyond GPA and Test Scores: A Holistic Review
Universities like Purdue evaluate applicants holistically. This means they aim for a complete picture of your academic and extracurricular endeavors, which would include your course rigor (honors, AP, IB classes), your extracurricular activities, and your essays, in addition to your GPA.
Purdue takes a very “big picture” look at applications when it considers students. So ideally, you want more than just the right numbers. Make sure every aspect of your application package looks good.
Extracurricular Activities and Volunteer Work
Join your school band, a sports team or another group activity. Volunteer in your hometown. West Lafayette has tons of ways to be involved beyond just the college. Spend your summer doing something that speaks to your values, personal growth, leadership qualities and other less quantifiable characteristics. Purdue-West Lafayette needs to see past your test scores and grades - they need to know that you will be a valuable and contributing member of their community.
Essays and Recommendations
Write a stellar essay that shows Purdue University-Main Campus something they can’t figure out from the other parts of your application. You’ll need to write an admissions essay which can be submitted through Purdue Common App, so be sure to consult Magoosh’s guide to writing the Common App essay.
Get teacher recs that speak to your character. It’s also best if you have a letter of recommendation. Purdue doesn’t absolutely require this, but they do strongly encourage including a reference letter if possible.
Application Deadline
Apply Before the Deadline. Too many students wait until the last minute to submit their application, and too much can go wrong during this precious time window. Since many students are applying on the last day, it’s possible that Purdue-West Lafayette’s own system crashes.
Regardless of when you plan to start, there are two final application deadlines: January 1 of the year you intend to enroll (general application) and November 1 of the year before you intend to enroll (early action application).
Life as a Boilermaker: Demographics and Academics
Setting aside Purdue SAT scores, Purdue ACT scores, GPA, and acceptance rate, what does a typical Purdue undergrad look like? For one thing, you should expect your peers to be a large group. In this large cohort, you’ll find a lot of international students. Nearly 1 in 10 students at Purdue is an international student. You’ll also find plenty of classmates from outside of Indiana, although local students are the majority by a slight margin. 51% of Purdue’s students are originally from Indiana. Regardless of your chosen living arrangement, you should have no trouble finding a community of classmates.
Nearly half of all Purdue students are studying either engineering or business. So if you’re in one of those fields, you’ll have an especially large group of classmates to work with.
Purdue's Reputation and Academic Strengths
Ranked at 49 in national universities by US News and World Report, Purdue easily sits in the top 3% of American schools nationwide. So this school in West Lafayette is a great place to get a bachelor’s degree.
Purdue is an excellent school, especially if you’re planning to study business, science, or education. In many ways, Purdue is the best of both worlds: a public university with a private-school-like reputation for excellence, and an elite school with reasonable admissions standards and a more-than-50% acceptance rate.
As you might expect, Purdue University’s best-known majors are its most popular ones. This is closely related to the previous question… but a little different. It’s worth noting that in a addition to its very popular business majors, Purdue’s education degrees have very high national rankings. And perhaps the one thing Purdue is most famous for is the Purdue OWL.
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