Online, flexible,
with a real transfer track record
You're deciding whether to spend your first two years at Purdue University Global — an online institution — before finishing a bachelor's at a traditional campus. The core questions are cost, transfer momentum, and what the earnings data actually shows.
31,000+ undergrads, 32% transfer out by year 8, median $37k 10-yr earnings, $26k median debt.
A large online institution with a solid transfer-out rate but high debt
Purdue University Global enrolls 31,000-plus undergrads — almost all part-time and fully online. Its eight-year transfer-out rate is 32%, a strong result by any measure. Business Administration is the dominant program at 3,384 completions, with cybersecurity and health fields well behind. The cost picture is more complicated: in-state tuition is $10,080, net price is $7,770, and median borrower debt reaches $26,078. Median earnings ten years out are $37k. The 0% three-year loan default rate is a positive signal, but the debt-to-earnings ratio deserves careful attention before enrolling.
Purdue University Global is a fully online institution enrolling more than 31,000 undergraduates — 82% of them part-time. Its top program is Business Administration and Management, which has produced 3,384 completions, a volume that signals genuine institutional infrastructure behind the credential. Cybersecurity and information assurance comes in second at 1,429 completions, followed by health and wellness fields. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 32%, which is above what most institutions of this type produce. What a prospective student should weigh carefully is the cost: in-state tuition is $10,080 annually, net price averages $7,770, and the median borrower carries $26,078 in debt — noticeably higher than many traditional community colleges. Against that, median earnings ten years out are $36,596 and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. The flexibility of the online format is real, but so is the debt load.
What this CC teaches at scale
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Business Administration and Management, General. | 3,384 |
| Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance. | 1,429 |
| Health and Wellness, General. | 803 |
| Criminal Justice/Safety Studies. | 724 |
| Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other. | 661 |
| Health/Health Care Administration/Management. | 615 |
| Dietitian Assistant. | 516 |
| Medical Insurance Specialist/Medical Biller. | 407 |
| Computer Support Specialist. | 403 |
| Applied Behavior Analysis. | 403 |
Source · IPEDS completions (all undergraduate credentials).
Where Indiana transfers tend to go
Reflects state-aggregated IPEDS transfer-in volume — CC-specific destinations are not publicly available from IPEDS or the College Scorecard.
Frequently asked
- Is Purdue University Global a good place to start a bachelor's degree?
- The transfer signal is genuinely strong — 32% of students transfer out within eight years, which exceeds most national benchmarks for this type of institution. The fully online, largely part-time format makes it accessible for students who can't attend a traditional campus. The concern is cost: in-state tuition is $10,080 per year, and the average net price is $7,770 after aid. The median borrower graduates with $26,078 in debt, which is on the high side relative to the median ten-year earnings of $36,596. The 0% three-year loan default rate suggests most borrowers are managing payments, but the debt-to-earnings ratio warrants scrutiny. If flexibility is a hard requirement, Purdue Global can work — but come in with a tight transfer timeline and a clear sense of what the debt means for your first decade after school.
- How does Purdue University Global's transfer-out rate compare to typical institutions?
- Purdue Global's eight-year transfer-out rate is 32%. National research typically places community college transfer rates in the 15–25% range, so 32% is above that benchmark. The still-enrolled rate at eight years is 0%, meaning virtually no students are lingering — they've either transferred, completed, or left. The eight-year completion rate at the institution itself is 32.2%, nearly identical to the transfer-out figure. Together those two numbers account for roughly 64% of the cohort, which is a reasonable outcome profile for a predominantly part-time, fully online population. The transfer momentum here is real, not cosmetic.
- What programs does Purdue University Global offer at meaningful scale?
- Business Administration and Management leads by a wide margin with 3,384 completions — more than double the next-largest program. Computer and Information Systems Security ranks second at 1,429 completions, reflecting genuine depth in cybersecurity coursework. Health and Wellness follows at 803, then Criminal Justice at 724, and Computer Support at 403. Applied Behavior Analysis and Medical Billing each reached 400-plus completions. Health/Health Care Administration produced 615. The concentration in business, technology, and health fields means advising and course infrastructure in those areas are well-developed. Students targeting a transfer into a bachelor's in any of those three fields will find real volume behind the offerings.
Methodology — Transfer signals reflect IPEDS Outcome Measures 8-year cohorts; earnings and debt come from the College Scorecard. Destinations are state-aggregated; we do not claim CC-specific transfer destinations without authoritative per-student tracking data.