COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · WEST LAFAYETTE, IN

Is Purdue University worth the money?

Yes — at resident pricing. A Purdue University degree clears +$3.05M in 30-year projected net value over skipping college and investing the difference.

A public four-year school in West Lafayette, Indiana, priced as a Indiana resident — earnings rolled up from 86 FREOPP-reported programs.

IPEDS 2023 cost · FREOPP 2021 earnings · BEA 2023 cost-of-living · same model as /worth-it · this school clears positive net value.

Purdue University · West Lafayette, IN

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$3.05M
30-year net value · non-resident
+$2.41M
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$71,382
Breaks even by age
30
Annual tuition · Indiana resident
$9,992
Annual tuition · out-of-state
$28,794
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$86,568
Total cost of attendance · out-of-state
$161,776
FREOPP program coverage
86 programs

The out-of-state tax in Indiana, ranked

How this is computed (and what it isn’t)

Purdue University runs through the /worth-it model at its resident tuition rate, with the standard loan assumptions, a 30-year horizon, and Indiana’s own cost-of-living on the skip-college path. The “30-year net value” is the projected accumulated value of going vs. skipping and investing the difference, in real dollars.

What it isn’t: a verdict on every major. The school-level number averages across 86 FREOPP-reported programs — the field you pick swings it by over a million dollars on its own. We only publish school pages that clear positive net value at resident pricing; earnings roll up from at least three FREOPP programs (ADR-0032), so a single high-earning major can’t fake the number.

Questions

Is Purdue University worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: Purdue University clears +$3.05M in 30-year projected net value versus skipping college and investing the difference. That is computed from a total cost of attendance of $86,568 and median earnings of $71,382 ten years after entry (IPEDS 2023 cost, FREOPP 2021 earnings, BEA 2023 cost-of-living — the same model as the LE TEEN calculator).
How much is tuition at Purdue University?
Purdue University's annual sticker tuition is $9,992 for Indiana residents and $28,794 for out-of-state students, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $86,568 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of Purdue University?
Over 4 years, Purdue University's sticker cost of attendance is $86,568 at resident pricing, or $161,776 out-of-state — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at Indiana prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $71,382.
What is out-of-state tuition at Purdue University?
Non-resident annual sticker tuition at Purdue University is $28,794, versus $9,992 for Indiana residents — a premium of $18,802 a year. Even at the non-resident rate, Purdue University clears positive 30-year net value.
How long until a Purdue University degree pays for itself?
The degree path overtakes the skip-college path around age 30 under our defaults — from there the gap only widens, ending +$3.05M ahead at the 30-year horizon.
What could change the number for Purdue University?
Two levers dominate. Residency: this page prices Purdue University as a Indiana resident; at non-resident tuition it still clears +$2.41M, but the gap is real money (see the out-of-state tax in Indiana). And the major: the field you pick swings lifetime ROI by over a million dollars on its own (see the majors pages).

Keep going

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Is Purdue University worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/purdue-university