Which Purdue bachelor's program has the lowest debt?

Genetics graduates leave with a median of $15,000 in federal loans, the lowest among 69 Purdue bachelor's programs that report debt.

How much does Purdue cost?

In-state tuition and fees are $9,992 a year, and $28,794 for out-of-state students. After grants and scholarships, the average net price is $14,600 a year.

How many Purdue programs report graduate pay?

70 bachelor's programs and 4 certificate programs at Purdue report first-year pay, and 73 of them also report federal debt.

Purdue Programs, Ranked by Graduate Pay and Debt

Purdue University-Main Campus
Public university
West Lafayette, IN
44,503 undergraduates

College Scorecard June 2026 release

The short answer

70 Purdue bachelor's programs report what graduates earn. Computer Science pays the most in the first year ($94,786), and Communication Sciences and Disorders the least ($24,949). The median program pays $51,345. Purdue also has 4 certificate programs that report pay.

In-state tuition and fees$9,992Per year. Out-of-state $28,794

Average net price after aid$14,600Per year

Graduation rate83%Within 6 years

Admission rate50%Of applicants

All 70 bachelor's programs, ranked

Each figure is the median for the program's graduates. "Rank in Indiana" compares first-year pay with the same field's bachelor's programs across Indiana. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	Program	Year 1 pay	Year 5 pay	Debt	Rank in Indiana
1	Computer ScienceAbout 560 graduates a year	$94,786	$149,545	$19,375	2nd of 13
2	Computer EngineeringAbout 319 graduates a year	$89,965	$118,081	$23,000	2nd of 5
3	Electrical EngineeringAbout 174 graduates a year	$84,300	$95,734	$19,000	2nd of 9
4	Industrial EngineeringAbout 269 graduates a year	$81,379	$100,438	$19,427	1st of 2
5	Chemical EngineeringAbout 147 graduates a year	$81,105	$94,979	$21,500	3rd of 4
6	Mechanical EngineeringAbout 478 graduates a year	$80,374	$97,551	$19,937	2nd of 9
7	Materials EngineeringAbout 56 graduates a year	$78,265	Not reported	$21,335	1st of 1
8	Construction EngineeringAbout 20 graduates a year	$76,966	Not reported	$24,250	1st of 1
9	Architectural Engineering TechnologyAbout 133 graduates a year	$75,913	$93,412	$19,270	1st of 2
10	Electrical Engineering TechnologyAbout 59 graduates a year	$74,981	$83,800	$23,250	2nd of 3
11	Other EngineeringAbout 34 graduates a year	$74,668	Not reported	$20,000	1st of 2
12	Civil EngineeringAbout 180 graduates a year	$74,369	$85,536	$19,500	2nd of 6
13	Biomedical EngineeringAbout 116 graduates a year	$72,749	$92,892	$19,500	1st of 4
14	StatisticsAbout 205 graduates a year	$72,579	$97,489	$19,500	1st of 1
15	Engineering-Related FieldsAbout 61 graduates a year	$72,252	Not reported	$16,625	1st of 2
16	Agricultural EngineeringAbout 57 graduates a year	$72,168	$85,404	$20,000	1st of 1
17	Computer and Information ScienceAbout 148 graduates a year	$72,132	$94,597	$19,985	2nd of 9
18	Aerospace EngineeringAbout 314 graduates a year	$71,989	$97,947	$21,500	2nd of 2
19	Environmental EngineeringAbout 62 graduates a year	$71,861	Not reported	$16,316	1st of 2
20	NursingAbout 162 graduates a year	$71,759	$87,224	$20,455	14th of 27
21	Management ScienceAbout 170 graduates a year	$70,903	$100,920	$18,284	2nd of 5
22	Industrial TechnologyAbout 124 graduates a year	$68,582	$88,846	$21,345	2nd of 3
23	Mechanical Engineering TechnologyAbout 265 graduates a year	$67,093	$81,374	$20,500	1st of 5
24	Nuclear EngineeringAbout 25 graduates a year	$63,226	Not reported	$20,500	1st of 1
25	AccountingAbout 106 graduates a year	$63,021	$88,315	$19,500	3rd of 18
26	Sales and MerchandisingAbout 94 graduates a year	$62,580	$92,129	$19,402	2nd of 2
27	FinanceAbout 224 graduates a year	$59,938	$78,926	$22,335	5th of 16
28	EconomicsAbout 122 graduates a year	$59,187	$81,285	$24,700	3rd of 8
29	Agricultural MechanizationAbout 17 graduates a year	$58,806	$68,039	$20,270	1st of 1
30	Business AdministrationAbout 146 graduates a year	$57,106	$85,223	$19,500	5th of 28
31	Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical SciencesAbout 60 graduates a year	$57,096	Not reported	$19,046	1st of 1
32	Agricultural ProductionAbout 29 graduates a year	$56,835	Not reported	$15,211	1st of 1
33	MarketingAbout 139 graduates a year	$56,668	Not reported	$19,264	3rd of 16
34	Agricultural BusinessAbout 122 graduates a year	$52,804	$71,087	$17,500	1st of 1
35	DieteticsAbout 46 graduates a year	$52,631	$55,003	$20,254	1st of 2
36	Other Engineering TechnologyGraduates a year not reported	$50,059	Not reported	$21,500	1st of 1
37	MathematicsAbout 79 graduates a year	$49,387	Not reported	$18,820	5th of 7
38	Special EducationAbout 17 graduates a year	$48,773	Not reported	$26,276	2nd of 6
39	Other Health ProfessionsAbout 11 graduates a year	$47,570	$78,766	$23,538	1st of 1
40	ChemistryAbout 65 graduates a year	$47,213	$59,928	$19,500	1st of 6
41	Teacher EducationAbout 84 graduates a year	$45,459	$49,413	$18,646	6th of 26
42	Public HealthAbout 49 graduates a year	$45,274	$56,455	$21,500	1st of 4
43	AviationAbout 140 graduates a year	$45,190	$81,095	$21,250	1st of 2
44	Subject-Area Teacher EducationAbout 56 graduates a year	$44,923	$56,250	$19,500	9th of 14
45	Design and Applied ArtsAbout 60 graduates a year	$44,602	$53,610	$20,250	2nd of 7
46	Veterinary TechnologyAbout 22 graduates a year	$43,747	Not reported	$17,098	1st of 1
47	ForestryAbout 18 graduates a year	$43,029	Not reported	Not reported	1st of 1
48	Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyAbout 58 graduates a year	$41,625	$76,574	$18,540	2nd of 2
49	CommunicationsAbout 122 graduates a year	$41,409	$58,742	$18,500	2nd of 17
50	Hospitality ManagementAbout 103 graduates a year	$41,099	$55,565	$19,432	1st of 6
51	Family and Consumer Sciences BusinessAbout 25 graduates a year	$40,999	$60,193	$19,500	1st of 1
52	BiologyAbout 290 graduates a year	$40,145	$77,863	$20,380	2nd of 17
53	Political ScienceAbout 113 graduates a year	$39,708	$72,774	$20,000	4th of 10
54	Geology and Earth ScienceAbout 37 graduates a year	$39,692	Not reported	$16,000	1st of 1
55	GeneticsAbout 32 graduates a year	$39,052	Not reported	$15,000	1st of 1
56	Environmental Science and ConservationAbout 36 graduates a year	$38,989	Not reported	$19,500	2nd of 5
57	Software and Media ApplicationsAbout 181 graduates a year	$38,234	$54,013	$21,250	1st of 2
58	NeuroscienceAbout 57 graduates a year	$37,612	Not reported	$21,177	1st of 4
59	SociologyAbout 136 graduates a year	$36,826	$53,174	$20,500	3rd of 10
60	Human Development and Family StudiesAbout 57 graduates a year	$35,436	$48,608	$15,304	2nd of 4
61	EnglishAbout 46 graduates a year	$35,378	Not reported	$19,500	2nd of 12
62	Animal ScienceAbout 132 graduates a year	$35,318	$66,813	$20,500	1st of 1
63	Fisheries ScienceAbout 53 graduates a year	$31,317	$40,186	$20,500	1st of 1
64	Experimental PsychologyAbout 318 graduates a year	$31,172	$49,575	$19,500	2nd of 3
65	PhysicsAbout 47 graduates a year	$30,203	Not reported	$21,948	1st of 1
66	AnthropologyAbout 25 graduates a year	$28,587	Not reported	$18,972	1st of 3
67	Fine and Studio ArtsAbout 22 graduates a year	$27,114	Not reported	$21,128	7th of 8
68	Kinesiology and Exercise ScienceAbout 2 graduates a year	$26,687	$64,115	$20,500	16th of 18
69	Writing and RhetoricAbout 61 graduates a year	$25,084	$43,184	$20,038	4th of 4
70	Communication Sciences and DisordersAbout 102 graduates a year	$24,949	$62,096	$19,500	2nd of 2

Program names link to the program's own page, and Indiana ranks link to the full ranking for the field. A program gets its own page when it reports both pay and debt and at least five Indiana programs in the field do too.

Some nursing bachelor's programs are for nurses who are already licensed and working (RN-to-BSN). College Scorecard counts them with programs for new students, and their graduates' pay reflects years of nursing experience, so high pay at a program here may not mean higher starting pay for a new nurse.

2 more bachelor's programs report debt but not pay, so they aren't listed.

All 4 certificate programs, ranked

Each figure is the median for the program's graduates. "Rank in Indiana" compares first-year pay with the same field's certificate programs across Indiana. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	Program	Year 1 pay	Year 5 pay	Debt	Rank in Indiana
1	Other Interdisciplinary StudiesGraduates a year not reported	$88,014	Not reported	$14,000	1st of 1
2	Liberal Arts and General StudiesAbout 51 graduates a year	$79,921	Not reported	$17,917	1st of 4
3	Business AdministrationAbout 509 graduates a year	$71,977	$76,560	$19,500	1st of 3
4	EducationAbout 99 graduates a year	$49,761	Not reported	$20,500	1st of 1

Quick picks: bachelor's programs

Highest first-year pay

Computer Science$94,786
Computer Engineering$89,965
Electrical Engineering$84,300
Industrial Engineering$81,379
Chemical Engineering$81,105

Lowest median debt

Genetics$15,000
Agricultural Production$15,211
Human Development and Family Studies$15,304
Geology and Earth Science$16,000
Environmental Engineering$16,316

Largest programs

Computer ScienceAbout 560 graduates a year
Mechanical EngineeringAbout 478 graduates a year
Computer EngineeringAbout 319 graduates a year
Experimental PsychologyAbout 318 graduates a year
Aerospace EngineeringAbout 314 graduates a year

Common questions

Computer Science graduates earn a median of $94,786 in their first year, the most of 70 Purdue bachelor's programs that report pay.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Tuition, net price, graduation rate, and admission rate are for the whole school, not one program.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Indiana rankings when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
NCES, IPEDS tuition and fees, 2023-24, for in-district tuition labels