Is Purdue University Global Worth It?

Purdue University Global gives you a weak overall financial return, and the median outcome is the problem. Ten years after enrolling, the typical graduate earns just under $37,000 a year. That's low for a bachelor's-granting school, and it sits close to what many jobs pay without any degree at all. Against a median debt of about $26,000, that earnings number makes the math tight.

The program you pick decides everything here. Nursing and fire protection both clear $73,000 a year, roughly double the school-wide median, and nursing carries debt in line with the average. Those two paths pay off. Computer and information sciences pays around $50,000 but saddles you with over $45,000 in debt, the highest on the list, which eats into the return. Business administration and general studies both land in the mid-$40,000s, better than the median but not by enough to feel comfortable given the debt attached.

The biggest risk at Purdue Global is that you never finish. The 25% retention rate means most students leave before their second year, and a 48% graduation rate means many who stay still don't complete. Debt without a degree is the worst outcome, and the odds of it here are high. The low earnings median partly reflects how many people fall into that gap.

Net price runs about $12,000 a year, and for a family earning $48,000 to $75,000, that's what you'll pay. That number only works if you graduate in a program that pays, which means nursing or fire protection.

This school fits you if you're targeting nursing or fire protection and are confident you'll finish. If you're drawn to computer science, business, or general studies, or you're unsure about completing, look elsewhere. The completion risk here is too steep to bet on a middling outcome.