Purdue Engineering application pool rises to its highest-ever level
The Purdue College of Engineering is celebrating another milestone — a record number of undergraduate applications and one of the largest undergraduate engineering application pools in the nation for the 2024-25 academic year.
Since 2013, applications to Purdue with Engineering as the first-choice educational goal have more than doubled, growing from 11,030 to 28,137.
“It is exciting to see that Purdue Engineering is now among the top engineering colleges in terms of market demand. Our continuing innovations in quality undergraduate education at scale are reflected in the historic high rankings of our undergraduate programs,” said Arvind Raman, the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering.
Incoming student enrollment in West Lafayette — expected to surpass 3,300 students in Fall 2024 — will shatter the previous record, set in Fall 2021. Another estimated 500 students will enroll at Purdue University in Indianapolis, where applications surged 204 percent from Fall 2023 to Fall 2024.
“We are very thankful to our faculty and staff colleagues whose innovative efforts in enhancing student experience and curriculum transformation through the pandemic stresses are reflected in increased demand for Purdue Engineering degrees” said Alina Alexeenko, senior associate dean for undergraduate education and academic programs in Indianapolis. Advances since 2019 have included expanding experiential learning for students through new cross-cutting certificates in areas ranging from semiconductors to pharmaceutical manufacturing and public service and new work-integrated learning offerings through expanded co-op and internships options, supporting students with new scholarships and wellbeing support, generating pathways for transfers through joint and dual-degree programs, and creating unique opportunities for students in Indianapolis. As a result, first-year retention rates and four-, five- and six-year graduation rates are at all-time highs, and disciplinary undergraduate reputational rankings have improved significantly.
In the last 12 years, the overall number of applications to Purdue Engineering has grown much more than overall enrollment.
Additionally, the yield of admitted students — the percentage of those admitted who choose to enroll — has risen significantly during the last four years. The college has experienced a 10-percentage-point increase in yield since 2020, indicating a strengthened draw to attend Purdue.