Purdue’s Guaranteed Work Experience program in Indianapolis sparks early student success, workforce development

INDIANAPOLIS — Purdue’s Guaranteed Work Experience (GWE) program is creating successful early connections between students and companies, especially those in Indianapolis. The results support the university’s primary mission for expanding to Indianapolis: industry opportunities for students who will populate the city’s future workforce.

Since joining the first class at the university’s expansion in Indianapolis two years ago, Purdue students are already seeing their college decision make a difference. Of Purdue students in Indianapolis in the GWE program who just completed their sophomore year, over 40% have already secured professional working experiences. That milestone — double the reported number of their peers in West Lafayette — signals a burgeoning career-support ecosystem in the capital city that has largely fed companies with headquarters or major divisions in central Indiana, like Rolls-Royce, Corteva and Eli Lilly and Company, as well as rising startups.

“The overall success rate is a testament to the commitment to build a campus culture here in Indianapolis that leads with a career-readiness focus,” said Patrick Francis, director of career relations in Indianapolis. “Our students came here to get a head start on their future careers, so the ability to provide resources and the vision to get every student immediate access to professional development right down the street is paying off.”

Those early connections are key to improving job prospects for Boilermakers. The average rate nationally at which interns are extended a job offer and accept it after their internship (called the intern conversion rate) has risen to a five-year high of 63.1%, according to the 2026 Internship and Co-op Survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.  Since the introduction of additional structured preparation, Purdue students have also reported more than doubling their confidence in navigating job searches and succeeding in professional settings early in their college careers.

“In Indianapolis, Purdue is at the forefront of placement in internships and work experiences combining the university’s proven career preparation model with the unique advantages of an urban campus, where students have direct access to global headquarters, long-standing industry partners and growing entrepreneurship ecosystems,” said Joe Tort, managing director of the Office of Professional Practice in both West Lafayette and Indianapolis. “Purdue seamlessly combines academic excellence and career acceleration and industry connectivity for students in both locations, creating graduates who are exceptionally prepared to lead in an increasingly dynamic workforce.”

For its stellar efforts and years of success, Purdue once again ranked in the top 10 for internships and co-op programs, coming in at No. 3 among public universities and No. 6 overall in 2025, according to U.S. News & World Report. Pairing Purdue’s institutional strengths in creating work experience opportunities with its close proximity to an urban center, the university’s model in Indianapolis, which is designed to meet the career-focused needs of today’s students, has fueled higher placement numbers.

Through the Indianapolis Career Council, Boilermakers are pursuing work experiences, taking site visits and pursuing professional development coursework right when they get to campus, bucking the traditional internship timeline of starting as a junior, with some students getting multiple experiences well before their third year.

That list includes Masha Novoselova, a rising junior studying electrical engineering who was part of the GWE cohort of sophomores last year.

“Taking advantage of the opportunities to network and go to career fairs is what allowed me to get this internship at Glassboard — and I’ve learned so much there,” Novoselova said.

She was able to network with Grant Chapman, the CEO of Glassboard and a Purdue alumnus, in a first-year professional development course; complete an electrical engineering sophomore seminar, which provided further connection opportunities and resources; and start her internship while being a member of Indy Amplified, a summer professional enhancement program.

Chapman and other business leaders in Indianapolis also value the connections.

“Having Purdue right here in Indianapolis allows our business to connect with amazing local talent in our backyard as well as help us expand the number of interns we are able to host each year,” Chapman said. “These standout Boilermaker students are not just available for the summer. They are in our local community and enable us to continue the intern experience through the school year part time. This continued engagement not only provides the interns with more experience but significantly helps our business with continuity of programs.” 

Even for those not participating in GWE, coming to Indianapolis — home to leaders in advanced manufacturing, life sciences, healthcare, construction, technology and motorsports, among other areas — allows students from either location to access a wide range of sectors.

The early work experience in Indianapolis underscores the value of investing to build structures that promote not only the GWE program, but stronger support systems through the Indianapolis Career Council, industry partnerships and a strong career ecosystem.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a research institution ranked among the top 10 public universities in the United States. More than 106,000 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.