Public · University

Purdue University Northwest

Hammond, Indiana · Large suburb

#3 best value in Indiana
72.4%
Admit rate
$6,079
Avg net price
43%
Graduation rate
$48,318
Median earnings

Purdue University Northwest is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Hammond, Indiana (large suburb setting), enrolling 5,671 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicMidsize · 5,671 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 72% admitNCAA Division II without footballCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Purdue University Northwest's admitted students.

Admit rate
72.4%
SAT (mid 50%)
890–1140
Avg GPA (est.)
2.99

Enter a test score to see where you land against Purdue University Northwest's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Purdue University Northwest's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Hammond, Indiana

Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The first European-descended residents arrived around 1847 to settle on land between the Grand and Little Calumet Rivers, on the south end of Lake Michigan. Those first residents were German immigrant farmers looking for land and opportunity. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
22 miles to Chicago, IL
To Great Lakes shore
5 miles
Nearest airport
4 miles to Gary/Chicago (GYY)

How Purdue University Northwest compares

Selectivity72.4%

More selective than 59% · #11 most selective of 42 in Indiana

SAT average1024

Higher than 11%

Graduation rate43%

Higher than 28% · #33 of 45 in Indiana

First-year retention66%

Higher than 21%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$48,318

Higher than 34% · #32 of 44 in Indiana

Average net price$6,079

Cheaper than 97% · #3 cheapest of 45 in Indiana

Median debt at graduation$21,229

Lower than 66%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment5,671

Larger than 80%

Percentiles compare Purdue University Northwest with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Indiana.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

6,521students
  • Undergraduate5,67187%
  • Graduate85013%

Undergraduates by gender

5,671undergrads
  • Women3,49662%
  • Men2,17538%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White48%
  • Black12%
  • Hispanic27%
  • Asian3.3%
  • Other or multiracial9.9%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
5,671
Graduate enrollment
850
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
28%
First-generation students
43%
Students over 25
14%
Median family income
$39,335
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$88,776
Endowment
$55,671,355

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 1,192 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Indiana80%
  • Other U.S. states14%
  • International6.2%

Most first-years stay in state — Purdue University Northwest draws overwhelmingly from Indiana.

6% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
72.4%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
890–1140
SAT average
1024
SAT reading
450–570
SAT math
440–570
ACT composite
16–24
Average GPA (estimated)
2.99

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,675
Out-of-state tuition
$16,094
Room & board
$8,907
Books & supplies
$598
Total cost of attendance
$15,571
Average net price
$6,079

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
43%
Graduated on time (4 years)
26%
First-year retention
66%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$48,439
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$48,318
Median debt at graduation
$21,229
Students with federal loans
25%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
36%

About 17% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
26%
Low-income (Pell)
31%
First-generation
32%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
776
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
14%
Housing charge (year)
$6,176
Application fee
$25
Athletics
NCAA Division II without football
Varsity athletes
425 (251 men · 174 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (10)

Track and Field (Outdoor)87
Track and Field (Indoor)86
Soccer65
Baseball45
Cross Country34
Basketball30
Golf22
Volleyball20
Softball19
Tennis17

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
3
Property offenses (2022–2024)
3

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (9,051 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

2.0reported offenses a year
1.0 violent a year1.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
1.0
Fondling
0.7
Rape
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$1,432
$30–48k
$2,428
$48–75k
$7,026
$75–110k
$12,452
$110k+
$13,645

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$32,333

$7,026/year × about 4.6 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

68%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,344
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 68% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,344. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,235 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$48,318
Typical debt at graduation
$21,229
Debt vs. one year's pay
44%
Out-earn a HS grad
55%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.4 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$42,141
Men
$58,319

Men out-earn women by $16,178 (38%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
84°F
Winter low
15°F
Annual rain
42.1″
Annual snow
28.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.54.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Park Forest, IL US station (12.3 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Purdue University Northwest

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Purdue University Northwest side by side →

Colleges near Purdue University Northwest

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.