Purdue University
Cost-conscious engineering, aviation, agriculture and technology students who want strong outcomes without needing single-digit-admit credentials.
Biggest caution
84% six-year graduation rate trails the elite tier.
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Purdue vs. Cal Poly SLO
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for Purdue University, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | PurdueWest Lafayette, IN | Cal Poly SLOSan Luis Obispo, CA |
|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 49.9% | 31.3% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1200–1480 | Not reportedCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education. |
| Average net price | $14,60013.0% on Pell grants | $16,66519.2% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $9,992 in-state · $28,794 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $13,596 in-state · $34,665 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 83.1% | 86.4% |
| First-year retention | 92.7% | 95.5% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 13.0% | 19.2% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $72,424 | $90,768 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $19,500 | $18,500 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 14:1 | 18:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 44,503 | 21,996 |
| Consensus percentile | 11Lower is better | 6Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 18 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 10 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
Rankings across all sources
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | Purdue | Cal Poly SLO |
|---|---|---|
| US News | #46 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #1 of 118Regional univ. (West)Regional Universities (West) · 2026 |
| Forbes | #62 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #55 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #44 of 442National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | Not ranked by this source |
| WSJ | #102 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #48 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #70 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #115 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
| QS | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
What each school is for
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Students certain of an applied major — engineering, architecture, agribusiness, planning — who want to build from day one and value California in-state tuition.
Biggest caution
Admission is by major and changing majors internally is genuinely difficult.
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