Benchmark Measures

With the implementation of the strategic plan, Purdue will assess its progress utilizing a set of benchmark measures for comparison with the peer institutions. Benchmark measures include:

Input Measures

• Entering students' standardized test scores and high school rank percentiles
• Number of National Merit Scholars
• Students-to-faculty ratio
• Undergraduate class size
• Shares of undergraduate class sections and student credit hours taught by faculty
• Graduate enrollment
• Faculty salaries by discipline and rank
• Graduate assistant stipend level by discipline
• Appropriations, tuition, fee revenues per FTE student
• Student financial aid (per student and as a fraction of educational and general [E&G] expenditures); aid to underrepresented students (per student and as fraction of total aid)
• Sponsored funding (total and NSF data for sciences and engineering) per FTE faculty
• Private giving and endowment value

Output Measures

• Student retention and graduation rates (years to degree for graduate students)
• Graduates' career placement and advanced study enrollment
• Number of doctoral degrees granted per year
• Student indebtedness upon graduation
• E&G expenditures per FTE student
• Student credit hours (SCH) per FTE faculty
• Demography of underrepresented populations (faculty, staff, students)
• Research and development (R&D) expenditures as a share of E&G expenditures
• National Academy/other prestigious memberships
• National ranking of academic programs
• Number of license agreements and patents for technology transfer
• Participation rate of alumni as donors to the University