Purdue ranks as nation’s fourth most innovative public university and strengthens its position as a top 10 engineering school

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University saw record gains and rankings for several of its key undergraduate programs in U.S. News & World Report’s 2027 Best Colleges rankings. Ranked No. 8 for undergraduate engineering with five programs in the top five, Purdue also saw gains this year in agricultural and biological engineering (No. 2), mechanical engineering (No. 4), materials engineering (No. 7), business analytics (No. 8), quantitative analysis (No. 10), computer science (No. 14), and artificial intelligence (No. 16).

Purdue’s student experience focus on internships and co-ops is reflected in a record No. 6 national ranking, along with a record No. 9 ranking for its learning communities. Overall, Purdue remains in select company, ranking No. 4 among public universities and No. 8 overall in the Most Innovative Schools category, according to the U.S. News & World Report rankings released Tuesday (Sept. 22).

“At Purdue we strive first and foremost to prepare our students as leaders in a dynamic 21st century economy, recognizing especially the changes that artificial intelligence will bring and the critical thinking skills that employers will seek,” Purdue Provost Patrick Wolfe said. “Our emphasis on leading programs across the STEM spectrum, coupled with experiential learning, helps make our nation’s workforce more competitive globally and demonstrates Purdue’s prominence among our peers.”

Purdue’s STEM strengths spanning agriculture, business, engineering and science continue to be reflected in top 10 national rankings. In addition to those listed above, this year sees industrial engineering (No. 2); aeronautics and astronautics (No. 3); civil engineering (No. 4); production/operations management (No. 5); cybersecurity (No. 6); supply chain management/logistics, computer engineering, and software engineering (all three No. 9); and electrical engineering (No. 10).

The 2027 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings used up to 17 factors to measure academic quality and graduate success in evaluating 1,700 colleges and universities. The rankings, which provide prospective students and their families comparative merits of undergraduate programs at U.S. universities, also examine factors such as retention and graduation rates, earnings per major, and postgraduate earnings.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a research institution ranked among the top 10 public universities in the United States. More than 111,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, including more than 57,000 at our main campus locations in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. As a land-grant university committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free.