Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering

Tuition Information

2026-27 tuition and mandatory fees at the West Lafayette campus (flat rate for 8+ credit hours, two semesters): US$12,042 for Indiana residents, US$32,844 for nonresident US students and US$36,154 for international students, who pay a separate international student tuition of US$3,310 a year on top of nonresident tuition. This major is billed at Purdue's Computer Science/Data Science/Engineering differential rate (US$2,050 a year for Indiana residents and US$4,050 for nonresident and international students). Purdue's trustees set the higher nonresident and international differential for students who first enrol in fall 2026 or later. The Bursar's 2026-27 budget adds estimated housing and food of US$16,734, books and course materials of US$1,090, transport of US$570 and miscellaneous costs of US$2,200, giving an estimated cost of attendance of about US$32,636 (resident), US$53,438 (nonresident) and US$56,748 (international). Students who fly home will have higher travel costs. Purdue has frozen main-campus tuition and mandatory fees for 14 years in a row through 2026-27, but 2027-28 rates for students entering in fall 2027 are not yet published. Purdue's Boiler Gold Grant covers tuition, fees and books for Indiana students from families earning under US$80,000, and federal aid (FAFSA) is only for US citizens and eligible non-citizens

Admission Requirements

• College: College of Engineering. Purdue admits students to a specific major, and applications are reviewed holistically. Factors include grades in academic core courses and in courses related to the major, the strength of the curriculum, grade trends, SAT/ACT/CLT scores, the essay and Purdue questions, activities, when you apply and space in the major. GPA is converted for reporting but is not itself used in the review
• Minimum high school preparation: 4 years of math, 4 years of English, 3 years of lab science, 3 years of social studies and 2 years of a world language (students from non-English-speaking countries do not need the language requirement). International curricula must show the equivalent, such as at least five academic passes including English, math, science and social science for GCSE/IGCSE or WAEC systems
• At West Lafayette you apply to First-Year Engineering, not directly to Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. Everyone completes the common first-year engineering curriculum (math, chemistry, physics, programming, communication and introductory engineering courses) and then moves into a specialty major in the second year
• Engineering preparation: chemistry is expected, and the review gives particular weight to calculus (if offered) and four years of lab science including biology, chemistry and physics (if offered)
• Testing: Purdue is 'test expected' rather than test-optional. It expects an SAT, ACT or CLT score (superscored within each test, from the last five years), but accepts applications without one in exceptional cases. In 2026, 98.3% of admitted students submitted a score
• English proficiency (applicants whose first language is not English, tests within the last two years): TOEFL iBT 4.5 overall with at least 4.0 in each section for tests from 21 January 2026 (older tests: 88 with 20 per section); IELTS Academic (including Online and Indicator) generally 6.5 with 6.0 in each band; Duolingo generally 115 with subscores of 110 or more; or SAT EBRW 600 or ACT English 26. Three years of successful study in an English-taught curriculum with B or better in English may also be considered. Meeting the minimum does not guarantee admission
• International applicants may need extra documents depending on their country (for example attested Standard X and XII certificates for Indian applicants) and some may be asked about their background, funding and affiliations