Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars

Why Choose Purdue Graduate Studies?

“Purdue’s rankings reflect and affirm why the 160-plus graduate programs in West Lafayette and Indianapolis continue to attract top-tier graduate and professional students as well as postdoctoral scholars to our institution in pursuit of scholarly excellence and impactful research opportunities,” - Haley Oliver, Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars

Dedicated Faculty

Our world-renowned faculty tackles complex global issues every day. As a Purdue graduate student, you will receive personal mentoring from faculty throughout your plan of study. Here are some resources to help you select which faculty member in your department is a good fit for your research interests and career goals.

Impactful Research

Purdue is a worldwide leader in discovery and innovation. New investments in research are routine, like the recently announced one billion-dollar development of Purdue’s campus. Every new research award brings new opportunities to our programs of study and students.

  • $647 million in research awards in 2023-2024 (record)
  • Top 10 most innovative school in the U.S. 7 Years Running (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
  • #4 in the U.S. for Patents (U.S. Patents and Trademarks Office, 2024)
  • #5 in the World for Patents Received (National Academy of Inventors, 2023)

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Cutting Edge Facilities

Between Discovery Park, the Purdue Research Foundation, 133 research centers, and 13 on-campus libraries, Purdue is positioned to be a worldwide innovative leader now and well into the future.

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Financial Support

It pays to be a Purdue graduate student with various assistantships and fellowships available through the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars and individual departments.

  • #1 Best Value University in Indiana (SmartAsset, 2023)
  • #2 Best Value School in the Big Ten (SmartAsset, 2023)
  • #6 Best Value School Among All Public Universities (SmartAsset, 2023)
  • #15 Best Value Among All Nationwide Institutions (SmartAsset, 2023)

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Active Campus Community

You’ll find many opportunities to meet new people. You'll never have a boring weekend with our graduate student organizations, convocations, cultural centers, recreation center, and Big Ten athletics.

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Safe and Vibrant Community with a Low Cost of Living

West Lafayette and Lafayette boast a wide array of entertainment, food, shopping, and businesses. With a cost of living 17% lower than the national average, you'll find plenty of affordable housing options. Students also enjoy using the affordable city bus. The greater Lafayette area is centrally located - only 1 hour to Indianapolis and 2 hours to Chicago.

  • #1 Best Emerging Housing Market (Greater Lafayette) (Wall Street Journal/Realtor.com, 2023)
  • #1 Safest College (Academic Influence, 2024)

Outstanding Career Preparation

Purdue offers career and professional development before and after graduation. We have graduate student job fairs and travel grants to take you to conferences nationwide. With a network of over 600,000 alumni, your relationship with Purdue will extend long after graduation.

  • #1 in Big Ten for producing the highest portion of graduates earning more than a high school graduate (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
  • #3 U.S. Public Institution for Co-Op and Internship Opportunities (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
  • Top 3 Best Large Employers Among U.S. Universities (Forbes, 2024)
  • Top 5 in graduate earnings (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
  • #7 Co-Op and Internship Opportunities (tied with MIT) (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
  • Top 10 Public University That Employers Love (Forbes, 2025)
  • #18 Best Career Placement Among Public Schools (The Princeton Review, 2024)
  • #16 World's Most Innovative Companies (Fast Company, 2023)
  • #39 Most Employable University Graduates in the U.S. (Times Higher Education, 2024)

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Reputation

  • #1 Most Recognized U.S. Public University (American Caldwell GUV Rankings, 2025) 
  • #1 Public University in Indiana (U.S. News &World Report, 2025), (American Caldwell GUV Rankings, 2025), (Niche, 2024) and (Forbes, 2023)
  • #1 University in the Big Ten (American Caldwell GUV Rankings, 2025)
  • #1 University in Indiana (American Caldwell GUV Rankings, 2025)
  • #1 U.S. Public University (American Caldwell GUV Rankings, 2025)
  • #2 University in Indiana (Forbes, 2023), (Niche, 2024) and (U.S. News & World Report, 2024)
  • #2 Public University in the World (American Caldwell GUV Rankings, 2025)
  • #5 Sustainability in Big Ten (Quacquarelli Symonds World University Ranking, 2025)
  • #6 Big Ten University (Quacquarelli Symonds World University Ranking, 2025)
  • #8 U.S. Public University (Quacquarelli Symonds World University Ranking, 2025)
  • #8 Public Land Grant University (U.S. News and World Report, 2024)
  • #9 Public Land Grant University (Times Higher Education, 2025) 
  • #9 Most Innovative School (U.S. News and World Report, 2025)
  • #9 Land Grant University (American Caldwell GUV Rankings, 2024)
  • #9 Globally Recognized Public University (American Caldwell GUV Rankings, 2025)
  • #11 National Public University in Academic Reputation (Times Higher Education, 2025)
  • #12 Sustainability in Higher Education Nationally (Quacquarelli Symonds World University Ranking, 2025) 
  • #13 Public University (Times Higher Education World University Rankings, 2025)
  • #18 Public University (U.S. News and World Report, 2025)
  • #20 World's Best Interdisciplinary Sciences (Times Higher Education, 2025)
  • #24 Best National Public University (Niche, 2024)
  • #24 National University (Quacquarelli Symonds World University Ranking, 2025)
  • #26 National University in Academic Reputation (Times Higher Education, 2025)
  • #32 Best College for Future Leaders (TIME and Statista, 2024)
  • #32 Best U.S. University (Times Higher Education World University Rankings, 2025) 
  • #46 National University (U.S. News and World Report, 2025)
  • #51 University in the U.S. (Forbes, 2023)
  • #74 Sustainability in Higher Education Globally (Quacquarelli Symonds World University Ranking, 2025)
  • #79 Worldwide University (only global top 100 in Indiana) (Times Higher Education World University Rankings, 2025) 
  • #89 Global Public University (Quacquarelli Symonds World University Ranking, 2025)

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Affordability

  • #1 Best Value University in Indiana (Smart Asset, 2023)
  • #2 Best Value University in the Big Ten (Smart Asset, 2023)
  • #3 Best Value University in Indiana (Niche, 2024)
  • #6 Best Value Public University in the U.S. (SmartAsset, 2023)
  • Top 10 Best Value Public University in the U.S. (U.S. News & World Report, 2024)
  • #20 Best Value Public University (Princeton Review, 2024)
  • 14 Years Straight of Frozen Tuition

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Innovation

  • #1 Most Innovative Educational Institution Worldwide for Training Semiconductor Engineers (Fast Company, 2023)
  • #3 Most Innovative U.S. Public University (U.S. News & World Report, 2023)
  • #4 In the U.S. for Patents (U.S. Patents and Trademark Office, 2024)
  • #5 Internationally for Patents (National Academy of Inventors, 2023)
  • #9 Most Innovative U.S. University (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
  • #16 Most Innovative Company Worldwide (Fast Company, 2023)
  • Only University Among Brands That Matter (For Four Years Running) (Fast Company, 2024)

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Campus Culture

  • #1 Best Campus for LGBTQ+ students in Indiana (Best Colleges, 2023)
  • #2 Institution in the Big Ten for International Student Enrollment (Open Doors Report, 2023)
  • #4 U.S. Public University for International Enrollment (Open Doors Report, 2024)
  • #9 U.S. Institution for International Student Enrollment (Open Doors, 2024)
  • #14 Best University for Veterans (College Consensus, 2023)
  • 12,917 graduate students from 108 countries (Fall 2024)

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Top-Ranked Programs

Biological Sciences

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Chemistry

  • #1 Best Analytical Chemistry graduate program (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
  • #27 Best Chemistry graduate program (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)

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Communication

  • #1 Best Communication online master's program (MastersinCommunication.org, 2023)

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Computer Science

  • #19 Best Computer Science graduate program (U.S. News & World Report, 2025), with specific graduate programs ranked as follows:
    • #13 Computer Systems (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
    • #13 Programming Language (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
    • #23 Artificial Intelligence (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)

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Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences

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Economics

  • #50 Best Economics graduate program (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)

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Education

  • #49 Best College of Education (U.S. News & World Report, 2025), with its online master's degree program ranked #15 (U.S. News & World Report, 2023) and #1 in Indiana (U.S. News and World Report, 2025), with specific online master's degree programs ranked as follows:
    • #6 Curriculum and Instruction (U.S. News and World Report, 2025)
    • #10 Instructional Media Design (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
    • #10 Learning Design and Technology (U.S. News and World Report, 2024)
    • #11 Educational Administration (U.S. News and World Report, 2025)
    • #13 Special Education (U.S. News and World Report, 2025)

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Engineering

  • #5 Best U.S. College of Engineering (U.S. News & World Report, 2025), #1 engineering program in the 18-member Big Ten, and #13 Best U.S. Public College of Engineering (Times Higher Education World University Rankings, 2025) with specific graduate programs ranked as follows:
    • #1 Agricultural and Biological Engineering (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
    • #3 Industrial Engineering (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
    • #5 Aeronautics and Astronautics (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
    • #5 Civil Engineering (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
    • #5 Biomedical Engineering (among institutions without medical programs or a jointly administered BME program with a medical school) (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
    • #7 Mechanical Engineering (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
    • #9 Computer Engineering (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
    • #9 Electrical Engineering (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
    • #10 Environmental and Ecological Engineering (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
    • #10 Nuclear Engineering (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
    • #12 Materials Engineering (U.S. News & World Report, 2025) 
    • #14 Chemical Engineering (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
  • #3 Best College of Engineering online master's degree program (U.S. News & World Report, 2025), with specific online master's degree programs ranked as follows:
    • #1 Most Affordable in Computer Engineering (Best Universities, 2024)
    • #1 Engineering Management (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
    • #1 Industrial Engineering (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
    • #1 Mechanical Engineering (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
    • #1 Electrical Engineering (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
    • #2 Civil Engineering (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
    • #5 Online Master's programs for Veterans (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)

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Management (Mitch Daniels School of Business)

  • Mitch Daniels School of Business is ranked #3 in the Big Ten, #17 in the U.S., and  #25 Globally (CEOWORLD Magazine, 2025), with specific graduate programs ranked as follows:
    • #4 Project Management MBA program (College Consensus, 2024) 
    • #6 Production and Operations Management MBA program (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
    • #7 Online MBA in North America (CEOWORLD Magazine, 2025)
    • #11 Supply Chain Management/Logistics (College Consensus, 2024) and (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
    • #16 Business Analytics and Information Management (U.S. News & World Report, 2023)
    • #26 Best Accelerated One-Year MBA (College Consensus, 2024)
    • #28 Online MBA in the World (CEOWORLD Magazine, 2025)
    • #35 Part-Time MBA (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)

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Mathematics

  • #37 Best Mathematics graduate program (U.S. News & World Report, 2025), with specific graduate programs ranked as follows:
    • #20 Analysis (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
    • #24 Applied Math (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)

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Nursing

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Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

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Physics and Astronomy

  • #38 Best Physics graduate program (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)

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Psychological Sciences

  • #47 Best Psychology graduate program (U.S. News & World Report, 2025) and #3 in Indiana (U.S. News & World Report, 2025), with specific graduate programs ranked as follows:
    • #7 Industrial-Organizational Psychology (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
    • #38 Clinical Psychology  (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)

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Sociology

  • #47 Best Sociology graduate program (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)

Speech, Language, and Hearing Science

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Statistics

  • #22 Best Statistics graduate program (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)

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Veterinary Medicine

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Statistics last updated April 16, 2025.