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Purdue vs UC Merced

Purdue University-Main Campus and University of California-Merced, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Purdue, a large public research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, boasts a long history of academic excellence and a vibrant student life. UC Merced, a relatively young public research university in Merced, California, is known for its commitment to sustainability and its focus on undergraduate education. While both universities share a commitment to providing quality education, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Purdue University-Main Campus logo

Purdue University-Main Campus

 		University of California-Merced logo

University of California-Merced

Overview

Location West Lafayette, Indiana Merced, California
Campus setting City: Small Rural: Fringe
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Public Public
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 91.0% 79.0%
Common app member Yes No
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 68.8% 86.6%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $60
Graduate: $60
Undergraduate: $70
Graduate: $120
SAT range 1190 - 1430 N/A
ACT range 26 - 33 N/A
Students submitting SAT score 62.0%
Students submitting ACT score 31.0%
Total number of applicants 59,436 27,793
Total number of admissions given out 40,898 24,068
Admitted students who chose to enroll 10,278 2,410
Yield rate 25.1% 10.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Not required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $22,812
Out of state: $41,614
In state: $28,870
Out of state: $58,624
Average net price $14,619 $11,586
Tuition
In state: $9,718
Out of state: $28,520
In state: $11,442
Out of state: $41,196
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $4,860
Meal plan: $5,398
$18,901
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

 68.0%
Average amount $7,324 		92.0%
Average amount $21,623
Students receiving federal student loan 29.0%
Average amount $5,101 		18.0%
Average amount $4,470
Students taking out private loans 7.0%
Average amount $18,535 		1.0%
Average amount $2,687

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students 37,806
Men 57.8% Women 42.2% 		8,321
Men 47.7% Women 52.3%
Graduate students 12,538
Men 57.5% Women 42.5% 		772
Men 55.8% Women 44.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Low
Out-of-state students 51.2% 0.2%
International students 17.8% 8.7%
Campus local/setting City: Small Rural: Fringe
Dormitory capacity 15,597 3,634
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Indiana Illinois California New Jersey Ohio California Alaska Idaho Missouri Texas

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Engineering
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Agriculture
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Physical Science
  • Social Sciences
  • English Language and Literature
  • Psychology
Students to faculty ratio 14:1 19:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 82.7% 71.6%
Dropout rate 16.0% 5.0%
Transferred out N/A 22.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $86,594
  • Year 2: $112,363
  • Year 3: $123,756
Engineering, Other (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $98,166
  • Year 2: $94,408
  • Year 3: $110,527
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $91,310
  • Year 2: $88,342
  • Year 3: $105,735
Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $91,040
  • Year 2: $92,632
  • Year 3: $104,408
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $91,895
  • Year 2: $84,653
  • Year 3: $101,018
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $81,749
  • Year 2: $85,981
  • Year 3: $94,727
Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $84,821
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: $89,107
Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,034
  • Year 2: $63,005
  • Year 3: $88,209
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $76,843
  • Year 2: $72,448
  • Year 3: $85,950
Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,780
  • Year 2: $70,057
  • Year 3: $79,694
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $54,675
  • Year 2: $55,286
  • Year 3: $68,164
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $55,936
  • Year 2: $51,392
  • Year 3: $67,761
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $30,771
  • Year 2: $43,000
  • Year 3: $57,642
Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $38,420
  • Year 2: $39,729
  • Year 3: $53,045
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $41,245
  • Year 2: $41,937
  • Year 3: $50,288
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $32,755
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: $49,047
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $40,917
  • Year 2: $38,721
  • Year 3: $47,958
Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $29,685
  • Year 2: $31,391
  • Year 3: $43,274
Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $37,397
  • Year 2: $29,685
  • Year 3: $42,368
Cognitive Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $27,909
  • Year 2: $28,960
  • Year 3: $40,928

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The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
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