Purdue University undergraduate national ranking jumps 8 spots, with 13 undergraduate programs in top 10 in the US

The 2024 U.S. News rankings released Sept. 18 were calculated using 19 key measures of undergraduate academic quality for national universities. Each school’s ranking factors were calculated and compared with the mean and standard deviation values of other schools to create a normalized score. In particular, Purdue earned high marks in percentage of full-time faculty, in reputation among peers, and in a new metric that measures graduates’ earning potential. Purdue’s peer assessment score is ranked No. 35 in the U.S. Many undergraduate programs in terms of colleges and departments are also ranked nationally at the same time. U.S. News typically releases its graduate and research rankings every spring. Other international rankings have different methodologies and cover undergraduate, graduate and research all in one.

“While any single ranking is bound to be noisy and partial, the latest U.S. News undergraduate ranking is yet another reflection of the hard work by our students, faculty and staff,” said Purdue President Mung Chiang. “Excellence at scale is measurable in many ways, one of which is how a broad range of metrics and peer assessments continues to move up for Purdue’s undergraduate programs.” 

Purdue was also named the No. 7 Most Innovative university, as the new U.S. News & World Report undergraduate ranking extends Purdue’s streak to six consecutive years as a top 10 Most Innovative school in the nation.   

Purdue’s renowned College of Engineering moved up one spot to No. 8 in collegewide undergraduate rankings (its 2023 graduate ranking was No. 4 in the U.S.), with departmental rankings up across the board to their best showing in decades. Seven departments are ranked among the top 10, with five of them improving year over year and industrial and mechanical engineering remaining strong: 

• Agricultural and biological engineering: No. 1 in the U.S.
• Industrial engineering: No. 2 in the U.S.
• Aeronautics and astronautics: No. 3 in the U.S. (historic high)
• Civil engineering: No. 4 in the U.S.
• Mechanical engineering: No. 6 in the U.S.
• Computer engineering: No. 7 in the U.S. (historic high)
• Electrical engineering: No. 8 in the U.S.

In the Department of Computer Science (joint across the College of Science and College of Engineering) — which along with computer engineering is a part of the Purdue Computes initiative — two programs are ranked among the top 10, and both moved up year over year:  

• Cybersecurity: No. 6 in the U.S. 
• Software engineering: No. 8 in the U.S. 

The newly reimagined Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business jumped nine spots, placing at No. 21 among undergraduate business programs in the country. The Daniels School of Business also has three programs that either improved to join the top 10 or remained there:

• Operations management: No. 8 in the U.S.
• Supply chain: No. 10 in the U.S.
• Quantitative analysis: No. 10 in the U.S.

“Our consistent climb across a variety of national rankings reflects an enhanced focus on scholarly excellence, which further strengthens our land-grant mission,” said Patrick J. Wolfe, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity. “Agility combined with excellence at scale is a critical driver of our continued success, and so we’re especially proud to be named one of America’s Most Innovative universities for the sixth year running.”

This latest acclaim from U.S. News & World Report follows a list of accolades for the university over the past few months.

• Purdue scored a top 10 placement among U.S. public universities and ranked No. 27 among all U.S. universities in the QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University rankings in June, which include both undergraduate and graduate/research components.
• In July, Purdue was ranked the No. 3 most recognized public university in the U.S. and No. 10 worldwide in the Global University Visibility rankings.
• Purdue was also named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies — coming in at No. 16 overall and No. 1 in education — and the only university among Fast Company magazine’s Top 50 Most Innovative Companies.

About Purdue University 

Purdue University is a public research institution with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top 4 in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, with 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 12 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap, including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the new Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business, and Purdue Computes, at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.