The incoming class of Engineering Honors students includes 171 men and 142 women students. Purdue as a whole also set records this year, with the incoming class at an all-time high of 8,300 students (as of this writing).

“Engineering students in the Honors College are among the most talented, highly engaged and motivated scholars anywhere — here at Purdue or for that matter, any other university,” says Rhonda Phillips, dean of the Purdue Honors College. “The experiential learning model provides students opportunities for a credential added to an already world-class engineering education, enhancing both their scholar development as well as positioning for future career and educational pursuits.”

As part of the Honors College and the Engineering Honors Learning Community, new first-year students live within Purdue’s Honors College and Residences and at Shreve Hall. Events there provide balance to academics, offering social activities, leadership development events, and academic support including peer mentorship.

"Engineering Honors is a great environment for those students who enjoy solving challenging problems, asking the next question, then tackling that challenge. We prepare engineers to succeed through problem solving, pushing boundaries, and always asking, ‘what if?’,” says Eric Nauman, director of the College of Engineering Honors Program and professor of Mechanical Engineering.

As dual-enrolled students, both in the Honors College and the College of Engineering, students take courses both within the Honors College and within their home discipline, including small, honors-only seminars, honors classes within their disciplines, and research work that leads to the production of a senior honors thesis or scholarly project.

“Engineering Honors is a truly outstanding environment for learning. With an amazing team of instructors and advisors, these students are challenged with real-world problems and rewarded with a rigorous curriculum. The collaboration with the University's Honors College, which is more than 40 percent Engineering this year, has been essential to the continued success of this signature program at Purdue Engineering,” says Mung Chiang, the John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering.

Engineering Honors Learning Community students enjoyed meeting classmates and participating in the Boiler Challenge Low Ropes Course.