Purdue Continues Tuition Freeze
Tuition at Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus will continue at the current rate through the 2021-2022 school year, marking the ninth consecutive year of flat tuition. Purdue President Mitch Daniels made the tuition announcement over the weekend, along with introducing a 3% salary merit pool for West Lafayette employees for the fiscal year.
Total student loan debt in the U.S. is now at $1.56 trillion, with the average borrower owing $33,000 by graduation. The number of Purdue students graduating debt-free was 59 percent in 2018-2019, compared with a national rate of 43 percent. West Lafayette room and board rates have also not been increased for eight straight years, with board rates being reduced twice for the 2013 through 2015 school years.
A record number of Purdue students received funding from the Purdue Research Foundation’s Back a Boiler program, which offers students an alternative to private student loans and Federal Parent PLUS. The plan was the first offered by a major U.S. university, and since its inception, $13.8 million has been invested.