Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Ed again puts Purdue among country’s best

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University continues to be recognized as one of the nation’s top institutions with another top-10 ranking, this week via the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education 2021 U.S. Rankings.

Released Thursday (Sept. 17), the WSJ/THE ranking places Purdue as the ninth best public institution in the country, fifth best overall for student engagement and 47th overall among nearly 800 institutions in the U.S.

These newest accolades for Purdue follow last week’s U.S. News & World Report ranking as the No. 5 most innovative school in the country and the earlier No. 4 ranking on CNBC’s 2020 list of the top public U.S. colleges that pay off the most. Purdue is tops in the state in both the U.S. News list of innovative schools and the CNBC list of public colleges that pay off the most.

The Wall Street Journal’s rankings focus on four key pillars. Forty percent of the overall score is based on student outcomes, 30% from resources, 20% from engagement with students and 10% from the learning environment.

Specific to engagement, most of the data is gathered through the Times Higher Education student survey, analyzing student engagement, student recommendation, interaction with teachers and students, and number of accredited programs. The ranking includes clear performance indicators designed to answer the question that matters most to students and their families when making one of the most important decisions of their lives – who to trust with their education.

Purdue boasts a student-faculty ratio of 13:1 and a record total enrollment of 46,114 students at its West Lafayette campus this fall. Since its founding, engaging with students to help them take small steps toward their own giant leaps has been at the core of Purdue’s mission. The University is persistent in its effort to create a successful learning environment, including its Steps to Leaps program. The program’s pillars focus on student well-being, leadership and professional development, impact and networking.

Furthermore, the Student Success Programs empower students to embrace a sense of lifelong learning by providing nationally recognized, student-centered college success initiatives and services. The department’s various interconnected programs assist students in progressive stages of development and have as their ultimate goals an increased rate of student degree completion, future employment or study, dedicated citizenship and responsible leadership. Additionally, Purdue offers the Early Start program, which allows students to get ahead in their coursework, get to know campus early and participate in small classes, as well as Purdue Summer Start, an innovative five-week summer module designed to jump-start students’ college careers.

The full rankings list can be found at https://www.wsj.com/articles/best-colleges-2021-explore-the-full-wsj-the-college-ranking-list-11600383830 

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 5 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://purdue.edu/.

Writer, Media contact: Tom Schott, 765-427-1721, tschott@purdue.edu

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