Purdue University: acceptance rate by major

Purdue University admits about 43.4% of applicants overall. That number is the one everybody quotes, and for most applicants it is the wrong one — you are not admitted by the university, you are admitted by a college or programme inside it, and those rates differ sharply.

The short version: Engineering is the hardest route in at 34.7%. Political Science and Policy admits 70.5%.

Published admit rates by major

Major	Admit rate	GPA (mid 50%)	SAT (mid 50%)
Engineering	34.7%	3.89–4.00	1380–1520
Computer Science	35.9%	3.80–4.00	1370–1510
Environmental Science	55.8%	3.50–3.95	1180–1400
Political Science and Policy	70.5%	3.40–3.95	1150–1380
Whole university	43.4%	3.50–4.00	1270–1480

What this means if you are applying from outside the US

Two things follow from the table above.

Your odds depend on what you write in the major box. At Purdue University the gap between the hardest and most accessible programme is 34.7% against 70.5% — a bigger difference than almost anything you can change about your profile this year.
International admit rates run below the published figure at most US universities. Purdue University charges international students about $28,794 in tuition, and its aid policy for them is: Merit scholarships available.

Switching major purely for the admit rate is usually a mistake — a "why this major" essay written about a subject chosen for its odds reads exactly like one, and internal transfer after enrolment is capped and competitive at most schools. But if you were genuinely choosing between two subjects, the difference above is real and worth knowing.

Calculate your own odds at Purdue University →

Other schools that publish by-major data

By-major rates University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign University of Washington Cornell University Carnegie Mellon University Georgia Tech

Source: Purdue Fall 2025 admissions release.

These are published institutional figures, not predictions. Admission decisions also rest on essays, recommendations and institutional priorities, which no calculator can see. Not affiliated with any university.