Purdue University Scholarships 2026/27: Complete Guide
You found Purdue. You know it is one of the top public universities in the United States. Now you are trying to figure out whether you can actually afford it. The good news is that Purdue operates one of the most structured scholarship systems in American higher education. The bad news is that missing one deadline by a single day can cost you years of funding. This guide tells you exactly what is available, who qualifies, and what you need to do — and when.
How Purdue’s Scholarship System Works
Most articles treat Purdue scholarships as a single pile of awards. They are not. Purdue awards first-year scholarships based on academic merit as well as financial need, and all university merit-based scholarships carry a firm deadline of November 1.
The system has four distinct layers:
University-wide scholarships are awarded automatically to students who apply by November 1. No separate application is needed. These are the flagship merit awards.
College-level scholarships are awarded by individual colleges such as Engineering, Science, and Agriculture. Many Purdue colleges award merit and need-based scholarships to students admitted to their programs.
Departmental scholarships require a separate Departmental Scholarship Application, submitted through Scholarship Universe by December 15.
External and national scholarships are competitive national awards for which Purdue nominates outstanding students, including the Fulbright, Goldwater, Truman, and Marshall scholarships.
Understanding which layer you are targeting, and the specific deadline for each, is the single most important thing you can do before applying.
University-wide Merit Scholarships: What Is on Offer
The value of a merit scholarship may vary based on residency. The total amount may be adjusted if your overall financial aid package exceeds Purdue’s cost of attendance.
| Scholarship | Annual Value (Non-Resident) | Annual Value (Indiana Resident) | Renewable GPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trustees Scholarship | $16,000 | $10,000 | 3.0 cumulative |
| Presidential Scholarship | $10,000 | $4,000 | 3.0 cumulative |
| Lilly Scholars Program | Full tuition | Full tuition | 3.0 cumulative |
| Indy Scholars | $10,000 minimum | $10,000 minimum | 3.0 cumulative |
| National Recognition Programs Scholarship | $1,000 | $1,000 | Good academic standing |
You will have up to four years (eight semesters) of eligibility while pursuing your first undergraduate degree, based on continuous full-time enrollment and by meeting Purdue’s GPA requirements.
All merit scholarships at the university level are awarded through holistic review. Factors for consideration include grades in core academic coursework, strength of curriculum, grades critical to success in your intended major, the application essay, SAT or ACT score if provided, recommendations if provided, evidence of leadership and service, and personal background and experiences.
One number to keep in mind: each year, about 15% of applicants receive a merit award at Purdue. These are competitive scholarships, not participation awards.
Also apply for:
The Trustees Scholarship
The Trustees Scholarship is Purdue’s highest merit award for incoming undergraduates. At $16,000 per year for non-residents, it provides up to $64,000 over four years for students who maintain eligibility.
Notification is included with your admission decision. No separate application is required — your completed admissions application submitted by November 1 is all that is needed for consideration.
The award targets students who combine exceptional academic records with demonstrated leadership and community involvement. It is open to domestic students only.
The Lilly Scholars at Purdue Program
The Lilly Scholars programme is the most substantial and the most misunderstood award in Purdue’s scholarship portfolio. It covers full tuition — but it comes with specific obligations that most scholarship guides fail to mention.
Starting with the admitted class of Fall 2026, the programme will also cover programme differential fees. Housing and food, books and course materials, supplies, transportation, and other expected costs are not included.
The programme encourages students from under-resourced urban and rural populations who have overcome socioeconomic or educational disadvantages, or who are among the first generation in their family to attend college, to apply.
What most articles omit: this is a pre-professional scholarship programme with active obligations. Scholars must enrol in specific courses and curriculum focused on the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, complete a fall or spring internship with Eli Lilly during their sophomore year, and engage in specific programme events.
Most Lilly Scholars take longer than four years to graduate, as the programme includes a required semester-long internship. Students will be eligible to attain an industry co-op certificate and a Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Certificate.
If you are not interested in the pharmaceutical industry track, this scholarship is not the right fit regardless of the tuition benefit.
Also apply for:
The Two FAFSA Deadlines Most Students Confuse
This is the most consequential practical detail on this page, and competitor articles almost universally get it wrong by treating FAFSA as a single deadline.
There are two separate FAFSA deadlines at Purdue, and they unlock different pools of money:
To be considered for scholarships with a need-based component awarded by specific academic departments, your FAFSA must be submitted by December 15. If you miss this date, submit the FAFSA by Purdue’s priority filing date of April 15 to be considered for federal aid, state aid for Indiana residents, and university-wide scholarships and grants awarded based on financial need.
In plain terms: December 15 unlocks departmental need-based scholarships. April 15 unlocks federal and state aid and university-wide need-based awards. You want to hit both dates, starting with December 15. The FAFSA school code for West Lafayette, Indianapolis, and Purdue Polytechnic Institute Statewide is 001825.
Scholarship Universe: How to Use It
Scholarship Universe is a database of over 1.7 million scholarships valued at over $3 billion, designed to make it easier for students to find, apply for, and win scholarships.
Purdue uses it for two specific purposes: the Departmental Scholarship Application for incoming students, and ongoing external scholarship matching for current students.
New incoming students log in to Scholarship Universe by selecting the Admissions Application Portal Login option and using the username and password created during the admissions process. There is an estimated delay of 2 to 3 business days after submitting the admissions application before the Scholarship Universe account becomes active.
The Departmental Scholarship Application priority deadline is December 15. Colleges including the Polytechnic Institute use this application to identify recipients for awards with specific criteria.
Do not wait until December to log in for the first time. Access Scholarship Universe as soon as your account activates, and review which college-specific awards you are eligible for before the deadline.
College-Level Scholarships: What to Know
Every Purdue college runs its own scholarship programme separately from university-wide awards. The amounts, criteria, and deadlines vary significantly by college.
The priority deadline to apply for scholarship consideration in the College of Science is January 13, 2026, for continuing students. Computer Science majors are encouraged to complete the CS Scholarship Application in addition to the College of Science Continuing Student Scholarship Application for full consideration.
For Engineering students, most PhD students receive funding in the form of an assistantship or fellowship. A lower percentage of thesis-based master’s students receive funding, and very few non-thesis master’s students receive funding. Professional and online students typically pay their own way.
The practical advice: once admitted, contact your college’s scholarship office directly. The admissions application by November 1 gets you in the door for university-wide awards. College-level money often requires proactive engagement after admission.
Graduate Scholarships and Funding at Purdue
Graduate funding at Purdue operates as a completely different system from undergraduate scholarships. Aggregator articles routinely blend the two, creating confusion for prospective graduate students.
Financial support for graduate students at Purdue is primarily awarded in the form of assistantships and fellowships. Over 60% of graduate students at the university are on assistantships. Most funding decisions for assistantships are made by each individual graduate programme.
Research and Teaching Assistantships
Graduate students on assistantships are employed by a professor to assist with a research project, usually related to their thesis topic, or carry teaching duties. Assistantships may be combined with fellowships to increase salary and benefits.
OGSPS Internal Fellowships
Purdue’s Office of Graduate Student Professional Studies administers several named fellowships:
The Presidential Excellence Award provides a $10,000 annual stipend or salary supplement in addition to a primary funding package. It is a faculty-nominated award for outstanding PhD applicants who demonstrate strong potential to contribute to their discipline and to college and university priorities, and recipients receive the award for up to four years.
The Charles C. Chappelle Fellowship provides a one-year fellowship to students with undergraduate degrees from Purdue for the furtherance of PhD research at Purdue University. Fellows are selected based on character, intellectual ability, and promise of degree attainment. Students do not apply directly. Selection is conducted by the graduate faculty who administer the graduate programme to which the student is admitted.
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
Purdue students captured 16 competitive NSF Graduate Research Fellowships in 2025. The Graduate Funding and Fellowships Office provides workshops, individual advising, and feedback on application materials to help students pursue external fellowships competitively.
National and International Scholarships: Purdue’s NISO Office
This is an angle almost no scholarship guide covers. Purdue has a dedicated office to support students applying for the most prestigious awards in the world.
The National and International Scholarships Office (NISO), part of the John Martinson Honors College, serves as Purdue’s hub for 14 highly selective national and international awards, most of which require university nomination or endorsement.
Purdue has been named a Fulbright Top Producer for the 2024 to 2025 US Student Programme. Recent award recipients include a 2026 Marshall Scholar, three 2025 Astronaut Scholars, two 2025 Goldwater Scholars, and a 2025 Truman Scholar.
These awards are not passive — you need to initiate contact with NISO well in advance of national deadlines. If you are a strong candidate for awards like the Fulbright, Goldwater, or Marshall, NISO is your starting point.
How Scholarship Renewal Works
Winning a scholarship is one step. Keeping it is another. Most articles either skip this entirely or repeat the GPA requirement without explaining the mechanics.
Trustees and Presidential Scholarship recipients need to complete at least one full academic year in the programme to which they were originally admitted. Changing majors requires waiting until after the spring semester of the first year, or the scholarship is forfeited.
Recipients must maintain continuous full-time enrolment each semester (excluding summer) with 12 or more credits. A cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required, checked at the end of each spring semester.
There is also a credit completion benchmark to meet, commonly referred to as the 30/60/90 rule: students must accumulate 30 credits by the end of their first year, 60 by the end of their second, and 90 by the end of their third. This ensures recipients stay on track for a four-year graduation.
If the scholarship is lost in one year due to a GPA drop, it can be regained at the end of the next spring semester if the cumulative GPA rises above 3.0 again, assuming all other renewal criteria are met.
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Eligibility: Domestic vs. International Students
Only domestic students are eligible for university-wide merit scholarships. Domestic students include United States citizens, US nationals, permanent resident aliens, and aliens lawfully present in and able to establish domicile in the US per federal immigration laws. International students who hold F, J, and some other visa types are not eligible.
For graduate-level funding, the picture is different. International students pursuing PhD programmes can and do receive assistantships and fellowships. These are awarded by individual departments and are separate from the undergraduate merit scholarship system. The best approach for international graduate applicants is to contact the graduate programme directly and ask about funding availability before applying.
Key Deadlines at a Glance
| Deadline | What It Unlocks |
|---|---|
| November 1 (firm) | Automatic consideration for all university-wide merit scholarships |
| December 15 (priority) | Departmental Scholarship Application via Scholarship Universe; FAFSA for departmental need-based awards |
| April 15 (priority) | FAFSA for federal aid, Indiana state aid, and university-wide need-based grants |
| Varies by college | College-level scholarship applications (check individual programme pages) |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to write a separate essay to apply for the Trustees or Presidential Scholarship? No. All university merit-based scholarships are awarded through holistic review of your admissions application. Submitting a complete admissions application by November 1 is all that is required.
Can I negotiate my scholarship offer or ask for a match from another university? No. Scholarship criteria are nonnegotiable. Purdue does not match offers from other institutions and does not consider appeals for merit aid.
What happens if I change my major in my first year? You must complete at least one full academic year in your original programme. Changing majors before the end of your first spring semester will cost you your scholarship.
Can international undergraduates apply for any scholarships? The university-wide merit scholarships listed on this page are for domestic students only. Some departmental and external scholarships have their own eligibility rules. Check each award individually.
Is Scholarship Universe only for incoming students? No. Current students use it to search and apply for ongoing scholarships throughout their time at Purdue. Incoming students access it during the admissions process to apply for departmental awards.
What is the difference between a fellowship and an assistantship at the graduate level? Assistantships involve a university appointment with work requirements such as research or teaching duties. Fellowships have terms and conditions set by the provider and may or may not include work requirements. Some fellowships are administered as assistantships to increase salary and provide additional benefits.
How competitive are NISO awards like the Fulbright or Goldwater? These are among the most selective awards in the US. Purdue nominates students after an internal review process. Contact NISO early, ideally a full year before the national deadline, to discuss your candidacy and begin work on your application.
If I miss the November 1 deadline, can I still get a scholarship? You lose automatic consideration for all university-wide merit scholarships. College-level and departmental awards have their own timelines, but November 1 is the entry point for the largest and most valuable awards.
