St. Mary's College vs. Purdue

Should I go to Saint Mary's College or Purdue University Main Campus? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if St. Mary's College or Purdue is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.

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Saint Mary's College vs. Purdue University Main Campus comparison
Saint Mary's College Purdue University Main Campus College 3 College 4
Saint Mary's College Purdue University Main Campus
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Overview

St. Mary's College Purdue
Location Notre Dame, IN West Lafayette, IN
Setting Rural Fringe Midsize Suburban
Enrollment 1,519 51,528
Type Private 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #162 #101
Religious Affiliation Roman Catholic - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website saintmarys.edu purdue.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

St. Mary's College Purdue
Tuition (In State) $48,880 $9,718
Tuition (Out of State) $48,880 $28,520
Room & Board $13,580 $10,030
Avg Net Price $27,960 $12,576
Avg Grant Aid $36,112 $8,950
% Receiving Grant Aid 100% 48%

Admission

St. Mary's College Purdue
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 2,260 68,582
Admitted 1,896 36,146
Acceptance Rate 83.9% 52.7%
Enrolled % 20.9% 26.1%
Avg High School GPA 3.83 3.67
Typical High School Grades A- B+
Admissions Standards Difficult Exceptional
Applicant Competition Low
ACT Range 26/32 27/34
SAT Range 1100/1328 1200/1470
Submit Test Scores Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional) Required to be considered for admission
Application Deadline

Academics

St. Mary's College Purdue
Student to Faculty Ratio 9:1 14:1
Popular Majors
  • Health Professions (13%)
  • Communication (12%)
  • Business (10%)
  • English and Literature (9%)
  • Social Sciences (9%)
  • Engineering (18%)
  • Business (18%)
  • Engineering Technology (8%)
  • Education (6%)
  • Work and Family Studies (6%)

Outcomes

St. Mary's College Purdue
Graduation Rate 79% 68%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $51,100 $61,200
Making Student Loan Payments 85% 78%
Median Student Loan Debt $27,000 $21,500
Median Loan Payment $279 $222

Diversity

St. Mary's College Purdue
% Men 1% 58%
% Women 99% 42%
Racial Diversity Low Medium
HBCU No No
% White 78% 65%
% Black 2% 3%
% Hispanic 11% 4%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 3% 2%
% International 1% 17%
% Unknown Race 3% 2%

Students

St. Mary's College Purdue
% In-State 35% 46%
% Out-of-State 64% 44%

Campus

St. Mary's College Purdue
Campus Housing Yes Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan Yes Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes No No
Daycare Facility Yes Yes
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • Purdue University Main Campus is larger than than St. Mary's College based on total student enrollment (51,528 students vs. 1,519 students)

St. Mary's College vs. Purdue Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, St. Mary's College or Purdue?

  • Saint Mary's College is 403% more expensive to attend than Purdue for in-state tuition ($48,880.00 vs. $9,718.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 71.4% higher at St. Mary's College than Purdue University Main Campus ($48,880.00 vs. $28,520.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Purdue University Main Campus than St. Mary's College ($12,576 vs. $27,960)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Purdue University Main Campus are 35.4% lower than costs at Saint Mary's College ($10,030 vs. $13,580)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Saint Mary's College than Purdue University Main Campus (100% vs. 48%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Saint Mary's College students is 303.5% larger than aid received Purdue University Main Campus ($36,112 vs. $8,950)

St. Mary's College vs. Purdue Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, St. Mary's College or Purdue? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Purdue or St. Mary's College .

  • The average SAT score at Purdue University Main Campus (1231) is 106 points higher than at St. Mary's College (1125)
  • Incoming Purdue students have a 3 point higher average ACT score (28) than students at St. Mary's College (25)
  • Accepted freshman St. Mary's College students have a 0.16 point higher average high school GPA (3.83) than students at Purdue (3.67)
  • St. Mary's College has a higher acceptance rate (83.9%) than Purdue (52.7%)

St. Mary's College vs. Purdue Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, St. Mary's College or Purdue? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Purdue and St. Mary's College.

  • The graduation rate at St. Mary's College is higher than Purdue University Main Campus (79% vs. 68%)
  • Graduates from Purdue University Main Campus earn on average $10,100 more per year than St. Mary's College graduates after ten years. ($61,200 vs. $51,100)
  • Purdue University Main Campus students graduate with a $5,500 lower median federal student loan debt than St. Mary's College graduates. ($21,500 vs. $27,000)
  • Purdue graduates are paying $57 less per month on federal student loans than St. Mary's College graduates. ($222 vs. $279)
  • More St. Mary's College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Purdue students, three years after graduation. (85% vs. 78%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/