WEST LAFAYETTE—A new ranking out this week places Purdue University—again—among the nation’s best in establishing value for students and creating job-ready graduates for employers. Forbes’ New Ivies 2025: 20 Great Colleges Employers Love ranking lists Purdue among 10 public and 10 private institutions that are “outpacing the Ivy League in the eyes of employers.”
The Forbes ranking is based on a survey of more than 380 C-suite executives, vice presidents, and managerial professionals who reported being 37% less likely to hire an Ivy League graduate than they were five years ago. To compile the list, Forbes looked at highly selective schools that admit students with competitive standardized test scores and put the finalists in front of business leaders via survey. Among the 20 New Ivies public and private universities, Purdue is the only public university in Indiana on the list and one of just four from the 18-member Big Ten.
“Attaining excellence at scale with affordability, Purdue University continues to be the first vista of intellectual competitions and a long-lasting bastion of individual freedoms,” said Purdue President Mung Chiang. “As a public land-grant institution, Purdue is creating jobs, talent, and innovation faster than ever. Perhaps Boilermakers are creating a new kind of Ivies in America.”
The honor highlights Purdue’s foundational value of excellence at scale with affordability. Ranked as a top 10 public university by QS and Times Higher Ed, Purdue’s main campus educates over 58,000 students today. Thanks to Purdue’s 13 years of frozen tuition, at least 75,000 graduates and 10 graduating classes have never experienced a tuition increase, saving students and their families more than $1.7 billion on tuition alone since 2012-13.
To fulfill critical workforce needs, 83% of Purdue’s 44,000-plus undergraduates are in a STEM discipline, up from 42% a decade ago. Purdue also graduates more engineers than any other top university in the country.
In addition to the ranking, President Mung Chiang will join semiconductor industry leaders for the 2025 SEMIEXPO Heartland in Indianapolis next week, highlighting Purdue's commitment to engaging with industry and fostering innovation.
Purdue University is also recognizing faculty members who have been elected as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, one of the most distinct honors within the scientific community. The Class of 2025 includes the highest number of Boilermakers in six decades.
Purdue University scientists have made a significant discovery regarding how plants develop chloroplasts, essential structures responsible for photosynthesis that sustains life on Earth by producing oxygen and food. A new paper in Science Advances by Gyeong Mee Yoon, associate professor of botany and plant pathology, and Yuan-Chi Chien, PhD student, describes how plants control this import process by regulating the stability of a transporter called the TOC (translocon at outer envelope of chloroplasts) complex.
Yoon and Chien identified a crucial amino acid of the transporter that, when modified, acts as a molecular switch governing these transporters. This discovery could have far-reaching implications for agricultural practices and understanding plant biology.
On another front, Daniel DeLaurentis, the Bruce Reese Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics in the College of Engineering at Purdue University, has been discussing the future of autonomous aircraft. He explains that automation and artificial intelligence in airplanes already exist in the form of autopilot and other functions found on commercial and business aircraft.
DeLaurentis notes that new forms of aerial automation could include self-flying air taxis and automated air-traffic control at airports. These innovations could significantly increase safety in areas of busy air traffic and make air taxis in urban settings economically viable.
In a move to harness its reputation in athletics and the sports strength of its urban location in Indianapolis, Purdue University is launching a master’s degree program in sport management. The Master of Science in Sport Management, which will begin in fall 2025, leverages Purdue’s athletic prowess, partnerships with industry leaders, and Indianapolis’ renowned reputation as a sports-centric city.
Students in the sport management program, which was approved by the Purdue Board of Trustees on February 7, 2025, will mix classwork with practicum hours in the capital city—thanks to entities like Indiana Sports Corp, which will provide research, internship, and job-shadowing opportunities.
Purdue University continues to demonstrate its commitment to providing a high-quality education that is both accessible and affordable. With a focus on innovation and a strong link to industry needs, Purdue is poised to remain a leader in higher education.
As Purdue University moves forward, its initiatives in education, research, and community engagement reflect a broader commitment to shaping the future of higher education and preparing students for success in an ever-evolving job market.
