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BEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering
The engineering of electricity, electronics and signals — from power grids to microchips to the communications systems between them.
Overview
Purdue University was founded in 1869 as Indiana's land-grant institution and its main campus is in West Lafayette, Indiana. It is best known internationally for engineering, aviation and aerospace, agriculture, pharmacy and computer science.
The engineering college is one of the largest in the United States, and the university operates its own airport and flight programmes, which is unusual and directly relevant to students interested in aviation technology and professional flight.
As a large public university it offers a broad curriculum alongside those specialisms, with a substantial international student population and long-standing structures for supporting it.
Courses and subjects
BEng Mechanical Engineering
The broadest of the engineering degrees, covering mechanics, thermodynamics, materials and design — a foundation for almost any engineering career.
BSc Hospitality and Tourism Management
A business degree applied to hotels, events, food service and travel, with industry placement built into the programme.
MSc Aerospace Engineering
Advanced study of flight vehicles — aerodynamics, structures, propulsion and control — at universities with genuine aerospace research programmes.
MSc Civil Engineering
A specialised master's in the engineering of infrastructure — structures, water, geotechnics and transport — usually chosen with a named specialisation.
MSc Cybersecurity
The technical study of securing systems and the people who use them — cryptography, network defence, forensics and security management.
Admission requirements
Admission is by college and major, and engineering and computer science are considerably more competitive than the university average.
- A strong secondary record with mathematics and science for engineering, computing and the sciences.
- Application through the common application platform the university uses, with essays and a chosen major.
- Standardised testing requirements as published for the current cycle.
- English proficiency through TOEFL, IELTS, PTE or Duolingo at the published minimum.
- For graduate admission: a relevant bachelor's degree, statement of purpose, recommendations and any departmental test requirements.
Tuition fees
A large public university, which means a domestic/international distinction that private US universities do not have.
- In-state, out-of-state and international rates differ — as a public institution, Purdue charges non-residents more.
- Fees vary by college, with engineering and technology programmes above liberal arts.
- Cost of attendance published annually, covering housing, food, books, insurance and fees.
- Indiana living costs are well below the coastal states, which makes the total cost noticeably lower than a comparable coastal university.
- Graduate assistantships commonly cover tuition and provide a stipend in research fields.
- Mandatory health insurance unless equivalent cover is demonstrated.
US costs are quoted as a "cost of attendance" — tuition plus housing, food, insurance, books and fees — and that total, not the tuition line, is what a visa application and your budget need. Work from Purdue's cost of attendance for your college and residency status for your specific programme and year of entry — it is the only figure that will be correct for you, and it is republished every year. We will confirm the current cost and what it includes before you commit to an application.
Scholarships
Purdue offers merit awards to international undergraduates decided from the admission application, and funds graduate students in research fields largely through assistantships arranged with departments. Engineering and science departments hold the greatest share of that funding.
- Merit awards — considered from the undergraduate admission application.
- Graduate assistantships — teaching and research roles carrying a stipend and often a tuition waiver.
- Departmental fellowships — awarded within a discipline.
Check the published policy on international eligibility before applying — it differs sharply between institutions, and it is the single fact that should shape your shortlist.
Campus life
A large self-contained campus in West Lafayette, Indiana — a classic American college town where the university is the centre of everything.
- A big walkable campus with extensive engineering and science facilities, and the town built around it.
- A strong engineering identity and a large international student community, particularly at graduate level.
- Major athletics with the accompanying college sport culture, plus a very wide range of student organisations.
- Substantial on-campus housing, and affordable off-campus options within walking or cycling distance, which keeps the total cost down.
- Low cost of living compared with coastal university towns.
- Midwestern winters, and a quieter setting than a large city.
This is a college town rather than a city. That means an affordable, convenient and community-oriented student life, and less to do off campus than at an urban university — a trade-off worth being clear about.