Purdue is higher ranked in engineering. It is usually very competitive (perhaps a little less so for in-state students, as one would expect from a public university). In addition to being a popular school, they’ve had some housing issues the past few years that they haven’t quite been able to get a handle on, despite buying an entire apartment building and being in the process of building a new dorm for 2025. No one goes homeless, though. It would appear Purdue has had some wonky yield numbers during and since the pandemic with more students enrolling than expected. So, the deferral should not in any way be seen as a personal rejection. Last year they rejected three valedictorians that I heard of (they were bitter!), so they’re definitely looking for more than grades and test scores. If you’re open to the new Indianapolis campus (formerly IUPUI, split between the two universities that used to run it jointly), and Purdue in charge of the engineering department, give that some careful consideration. Ask if that is a possibility. They’re offering direct admits to the engineering specialty (all West Lafayette students must go to First Year Engineering) AND they’re offering a guaranteed paid internship during the student’s time at Purdue. The degree says “Purdue University”, no different from the West Lafayette campus. If you are really desperate, tell Purdue WL you don’t need housing. I honestly don’t know if it would help or not, but it would certainly address one of their known issues with accepting too many new students. Be warned: once off campus, students typically can’t ever get back on. Cooking and cleaning add additional responsibilities for a new, incoming freshman, but most students living off campus are reportedly pretty happy with the arrangements. It sounds like your student has enough other good options, but hopefully this helps.
Is it possible if you are deferred to change campus preference from only West Lafayette to both West Lafayette and Indianapolis? Could this help with admission chances?
The Indy campus structure is brand new this cycle so there is no historical evidence to draw from. If that is an option for you, I would contact admissions. My hunch is that it would help, but then you need to be content to be in Indy all four years.
Thank you for sharing this and expanding on these different insights. Historically our family is from Lafayette area dating back to the late 1800’s even though we are OOS. He looks at it as a kind of homecoming. As you say, he isn’t out yet and we feel he has a great shot. Good luck to everyone whose dream is too attend Purdue!
no, I wanted to do the exact opposite, I had chosen indy and main but I wanted only the main campus to be considered but they didn’t let me change. they said " We do not allow any changes to the application once a decision is issued you can then request consideration for another location or major." I too am deferred
Do you have to accept before applying for housing to make a deposit?
I believe you do have to accept to access the housing portal, but you have until mid April to be guaranteed housing.
Yes, you have to accept admission before you can request housing, but housing is not “first come, first served”. Unless Purdue is your first choice, there’s no need to deposit before April 12-13(the 15th is the deadline, but allow a couple of days to process).
Memory fail—the Four Points is now a Quality Inn, not LaQuinta. wrong Q.
S24, OOS got admitted to Economics BS major in Daniels Business School. He is seriously considering Purdue amongst the admits he has received but wants to wait for the UC results before finalizing. He is interested in Learning Community - Larsen Leaders Academy (LLA). Does anyone know which residence hall is usually allotted to students who join the LLA? Any other information about LLA (beyond what is published on the Purdue website) would also be very helpful.
Wait, if I accept on 5/1 I might not be guaranteed housing? What sorta system is that???
Unfortunately it’s the same system that many other popular large state universities face. FWIW, I don’t like it either 
Our son was accepted by Purdue, among others, for engineering two years ago. During an admitted students info session the Purdue rep let slip that students who earned a 3.2GPA their freshman year (the published requirement for a student to be placed in their desired major) may still not get their preferred major. One parent, who was an engineering professor at UT-Austin, stood up to ask why anyone would send their kid to Purdue if they weren’t guaranteed their desired major if they made the grades. The man had a point, and that was the nail in the coffin for our son.
How hard is a 3.2 at Purdue?
According to the CoE 96.7% of students get their first choice major.
“For students transitioning to their major in Fall 2022, 96.7% of FYE students received their first choice major.” - Frequently Asked Questions - Office of Future Engineers - Purdue University!
My son is a sophomore Mech E major at Purdue. Yes classes are hard but if you are able to get accepted into engineering at Purdue you most likely can handle the classes. I believe most if not all of my son’s friends also got into their first choice.
It also motivated him to study hard which is not a bad thing!
I was in an admitted student session last week for engineering. It was 2 hours long, and it was informative. We all posted our questions n the chat box and they answered them. I specifically asked the question - if you meet the minimum GPA for a specific major (e.g., mechanical), are you guaranteed a spot? This was one of only about three questions they did not answer verbally or within the text chat. They did, however when explaining FYE, say that overall (all engineering majors), approximately 97% get their desired major, which sounds promising. However, this is all engineering majors, and some are more popular than others, so 97% may not be accurate for all. We will visit in a few weeks and I will again ask this question.
How did that handle the UT professor’s comment?
I posted this before, but adding it here within the discussion chain. This website uses the word “guaranteed” and makes it bold, and says “regardless of space”. This was the reference we were given last year at Purdue’s for Me when we asked. Note that there are more details than just 3.2 GPA.
" Guaranteed First Choice Acceptance*"
and
" * Students who meet the following requirements will be guaranteed admission into the Engineering professional degree program of their choice regardless of space availability."