WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue University is again the highest-ranked public university in Indiana and, for the second straight year, the state’s only public institution among the nation’s top 50, according to the latest 2025 Best Colleges ranking compiled by U.S. News & World Report.
In rankings focusing primarily on undergraduate programs, released Tuesday (Sept. 24), Purdue placed No. 18 among public universities and tied for No. 46 overall among 434 national universities. It also extended its streak as one of the top 10 Most Innovative schools in the nation (No. 9) to seven consecutive years.
The U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings were calculated using 17 key indicators of undergraduate academic quality for national universities. Each school’s ranking factors were calculated and compared with other schools’ mean and standard deviation values to create a normalized score.
Purdue earned high marks in reputation among peers and faculty resources and performed especially well in graduate earnings. In that category, which became an official metric in last year’s ranking cycle, Purdue placed in the top five public universities in the U.S. and was No. 1 in the Big Ten for producing the highest portion of graduates earning more than a high school graduate. The top ranking in this metric among the 18 Big Ten member institutions underscores the value of a Purdue degree. Purdue also earned a No. 4 ranking among public universities in faculty resources, evaluated by faculty salaries, student-faculty ratio, and full-time faculty. Additionally, Purdue ranked No. 7 for co-op and internship opportunities, tied with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In the subject rankings, Purdue’s acclaimed College of Engineering maintained its No. 8 college-wide undergraduate standing, with seven departmental rankings placing among the top 10 nationally:
- Industrial engineering: No. 2
- Aeronautics and astronautics: No. 3
- Civil engineering: No. 3
- Agricultural and biological engineering: No. 4
- Mechanical engineering: No. 7
- Materials engineering: No. 10
- Computer engineering: No. 10
In the Department of Computer Science — shared between the College of Science and the College of Engineering and along with computer engineering as part of the Purdue Computes initiative — several programs earned notable rankings:
- Cybersecurity: No. 6
- Software engineering: No. 10
- Computer systems: No. 13
- Artificial intelligence: No. 20 (not ranked in 2024)
The Mitch Daniels School of Business, offering a STEM-infused, future-focused business education for the leaders and founders of tomorrow, saw an impressive 14-spot jump for the economics program inside the top 40 nationally. The Daniels School boasted three top 10 programs overall, with operations management jumping three spots into the top five:
- Operations management: No. 5
- Supply chain: No. 10
- Quantitative analysis: No. 10
“These rankings directly reflect the strong and consistent efforts put forth by our dedicated faculty, staff, and students over recent years,” said Patrick Wolfe, Purdue’s provost and chief academic officer. “Our declared university priorities in computing and business are also driving steady upward progress, which we expect will continue to accelerate.”
These latest high marks from the U.S. News & World Report follow a bevy of accolades for the university over the past year:
- Purdue placed No. 1 among U.S. public universities and was named the No. 9 most recognized university in the world in the 2024-25 Global University Visibility (GUV) rankings.
- Purdue was recognized, in another global ranking, among the world’s best and No. 8 among public universities by Quacquarelli Symonds in the latest QS World University Rankings.
- Purdue also landed in the top 100 of the 2024 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, placing No. 9 among U.S. public land-grant universities.
- For the second year in a row, Purdue placed fifth internationally and in the top four for U.S. universities in U.S. patents received.
- Last fall, Fast Company magazine named Purdue a Brand That Matters for the third year in a row, sharing this distinction with brands like the NFL, Bombas and Rare Beauty while being one of only six three-time honorees.
