New unified portal launching this summer for access to Purdue online and hybrid programs

Purdue and partner Kaplan Higher Education (KHE) will launch a new web portal this summer designed to direct students of all types to online and hybrid programs and classes -- anywhere in the Purdue system ­-- that best fit their needs.

By answering a series of questions based on degree level, goals and preferred area of study, prospective students will get a results table with details and links to school- and college-level websites for more information.

The unified portal is the next stage in Purdue Online, created in June 2018 by President Mitch Daniels and the Board of Trustees as part of the Online Education initiative of Purdue Moves. The goal is to systematically develop and grow a coordinated, unified system-wide portfolio of offerings from the physical campuses and from Purdue Global that serves all types of students.

Gerry McCartney, executive vice president of Purdue Online, is leading the initiative.

“The unified portal is a key step in the goal of making a Purdue education as accessible as possible to students from all walks of life,” McCartney says. “The very first thing a prospective student needs to be able to do -- and do easily -- is find us, find out what we have to offer and find out how we can meet their needs. The portal will help achieve this.”

The new portal’s “degree selector tool,” being developed by KHE for Purdue Online, will allow prospective students to view all available online and hybrid programs that meet their search criteria, whether offered by Purdue West Lafayette, Purdue Fort Wayne, Purdue Northwest or Purdue Global.

As part of the portal project, KHE has been working with Purdue Online on consistent implementation of web tracking to ensure accurate and complete analytics across the Purdue system. This should provide a better understanding of a prospective student’s journey in reviewing and inquiring about Purdue’s programs and improve optimization of marketing efforts.

Ultimately, the result should be a seamless prospective student experience, stronger and more consistent Purdue branding and increased marketing effectiveness, McCartney says.

The portal should be available by August. It will be accessible at online.purdue.edu.