Purdue room and board rates to remain flat at WL, PNW, PFW campuses

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue students on all three of the university’s physical campuses will see no increase in room and board rates for the 2019-20 academic year.

This will be the seventh consecutive year students on the West Lafayette campus will not see an increase in rates. Board rates were reduced twice — for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 academic years — and not subsequently increased. Therefore, the total cost of room and board will be lower for 2019-20 than it was in 2012-13. In combination with an unprecedented seventh consecutive year of zero tuition increase, this means that the total cost of attending Purdue will be less in 2020 than in 2012.

At Purdue Northwest’s Hammond campus, this will be the fourth consecutive year rates have been held flat. At Purdue Fort Wayne, this will be the fourth consecutive year that the average rate has not increased.

Purdue’s Board of Trustees approved the rates on Friday (Dec. 7).

“In just seven years, Purdue has gone from having the second-highest rates in the Big Ten to having the lowest. Room and board is the second-largest expense for our students and their families, and as long as we can avoid raising the cost without diminishing our commitment to excellence, it’s the right thing to do,” said Purdue President Mitch Daniels.

The Division of Student Life provides 14,482 beds across various price points for undergraduate and graduate students and families on or near the West Lafayette campus, an increase of 1,066 available beds over the 2017-18 academic year. Prices per academic year range from $2,466 for a small double room in Cary Quadrangle to $9,500 for a single-bed unit in First Street Towers.

Those living in West Lafayette campus residence halls are also required to carry one of five meal plans, ranging from $2,998 to $5,398 per academic year. There also are options at Purdue University Residences apartment complexes where no meal plan is required.

In recognition of Purdue’s growing student body and the increased student demand for on-campus housing, the Board of Trustees approved during its meeting in October 2018 the final details of the addition of 1,300 beds through the construction of Third Street North and Meredith South residence halls delivered through a public private partnership with Plenary Properties. The additional beds will be available for Fall 2020.

Purdue Northwest-Hammond campus provides 744 beds in two- and four-bedroom apartment-style configurations. Rates for the two- and four-bed units will remain $5,595 and $6,514, respectively.

At Purdue Fort Wayne, 1,140 beds will be provided in one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom configurations. Rates range in price points from $4,930 to $9,826 per academic year. 

About Purdue West Lafayette Student Life

The Division of Student Life provides approximately 14,482 beds across various price points and amenities on the West Lafayette campus, and all campus housing is voluntary. The system is financially self-supporting, and no state funds or general student fees are used for construction, maintenance or operations. Purdue’s residence hall network is one of the largest of any school that doesn’t require students to live on campus.

University Residences offers a package that includes furnished rooms with utilities, cable TV and wireless high-speed internet access. Meals are available 18 hours a day. Professional staff members live in residence halls to provide support to students and their communities. In addition, access to buildings is monitored, and security policies are enforced to help ensure student safety.  

Sources: Mitch Daniels, president@purdue.edu

Beth McCuskey, vice provost for student life, 765-494-1022, bmccuske@purdue.edu