First-year Scholarships
Purdue awards first-year scholarships based on academic merit as well as financial need. For maximum consideration, you must meet admission and financial aid deadlines.
All university merit-based scholarships have a firm deadline of Nov. 1.
University-wide Scholarships
The following criteria apply to the university-wide scholarships that appear below.
Value
The value, or dollar amount, of a merit scholarship may vary based on your residency. Please note that the total amount may be adjusted if your overall financial aid package exceeds Purdue’s cost of attendance.
Deadlines
To meet a scholarship deadline, your admission application must be complete.
Holistic review
Holistic review includes consideration of all information provided with your admission application, including academic information, essay, recommendations, additional personal experience information, etc.
Renewability
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 listed below.
Trustees Scholarship
Value:
- $16,000 per year (nonresidents)
- $10,000 per year (Indiana residents)
Deadline:
- Nov. 1 (firm)
Criteria:
- Holistic review
- Renewable with Purdue GPA of 3.00 or higher
Notification is included with admission decision.
Presidential Scholarship
Value:
- $10,000 per year (nonresidents)
- $4,000 per year (Indiana residents)
Deadline:
- Nov. 1 (firm)
Criteria:
- Holistic review
- Renewable with Purdue GPA of 3.00 or higher
Notification is included with admission decision.
Indy Scholars
Value:
- $5,000 per year minimum
Deadline:
- Nov. 1 (firm)
Criteria:
- Holistic review
- Renewable with Purdue GPA of 3.00 or higher
Notification is included with admission decision.
Lilly Scholars at Purdue Program
Value:
- Full tuition
Deadline:
- Nov. 1 (firm)
Criteria:
- Holistic review: The Lilly Scholars at Purdue Program 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. Scholars admitted in fall 2024 and beyond must agree to the program’s opt-in process.
- Renewable with Purdue GPA of 3.00 or higher
Notification is included with admission decision.
National Recognition Programs Scholarship
Value:
- $1,000 per year
Deadline:
- Nov. 1 (priority)
Criteria:
- National Recognition Programs distinction
- Renewable with good academic standing
- Only domestic students are eligible.
Important Information
The Purdue Division of Financial Aid administers need-based aid from federal, state and Purdue funding sources. To be considered for these scholarships and grants, you must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the university’s priority filing date, April 15. The FAFSA opens Oct. 1.
First-year merit scholarships are awarded based on a holistic review of all information provided via the admission application. Factors for consideration include:
- Information provided by your high school
- Grades in core academic coursework and strength of your high school curriculum (in the context of courses available at your school)
- Grades in coursework that is critical to success in your intended major
- Application essay and Purdue-specific questions
- SAT or ACT score (if provided)
- Recommendation (if provided)
- Evidence of commitment to the academic program to which you applied
- Evidence of leadership, service and other accomplishments; activities; and awards
- Personal background and experiences
Many Purdue colleges award merit and need-based scholarships to students admitted to their programs.
- To maximize consideration for scholarships with a financial need component, submit a FAFSA by Dec. 15 using Purdue school code 001825. This school code should be used for the West Lafayette, Indianapolis and Purdue Polytechnic Institute Statewide locations.
- In addition, some Purdue colleges use the Departmental Scholarship Application to identify recipients for awards with specific criteria. This application is available via the Purdue application portal and must be completed by Dec. 15.
For details of our university-wide funds for Indiana residents, explore Purdue Promise and Boiler Gold Grant.
Apply by Nov. 1
Students who complete the admission application (all required items received) by the Nov. 1 Early Action deadline are automatically considered for university-wide merit scholarships. Review our First-Year Criteria page for the next steps in completing your application.
Please note, in general, international undergraduate students are not eligible for financial aid, including scholarships.
Submit the Departmental Scholarship Application by Dec. 15
Students can submit the Departmental Scholarship Application by using the Purdue application portal. Some Purdue colleges use this application to identify recipients for awards with specific criteria.
Submit a FAFSA by Dec. 15*
To be considered for scholarships with a need-based component awarded by specific academic departments, your FAFSA must be submitted by Dec. 15. The FAFSA opens on or before Oct. 1.
Search for Additional Scholarships on Scholarship Universe
Explore Scholarship Universe to maximize your scholarship opportunities through a matching system that connects you with both Purdue and external scholarships.
*Scholarships awarded through the Purdue Departmental Scholarship Application are based on need and merit or a combination of the two. If you wish to be considered for scholarships with a need component, your FAFSA must be completed by Dec. 15. Please note that this date is different than Purdue’s Priority FAFSA date of April 15. If you miss the Dec. 15 FAFSA date for scholarships awarded by academic departments, 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 that are awarded based on financial need. Dates subject to change.
Purdue scholarships are highly competitive. Each year about 15% of applicants receive a merit award. Awards are based on credentials and information presented at the time of application for admission and are nonnegotiable. Purdue does not match offers from other institutions and does not consider appeals for merit aid.
Only domestic students are eligible for the scholarships described above. Domestic students include United States citizens, U.S. nationals, permanent resident aliens and aliens lawfully present in and able to establish domicile in the U.S. per federal immigration laws. International students who hold F, J and some other visa types are not eligible.
Scholarship criteria are nonnegotiable and subject to change without notice.
To receive and maintain a Purdue scholarship, you must:
- Enroll in the academic year for which the scholarship was awarded
- Remain continuously enrolled at Purdue
- Meet or exceed individual scholarship renewability requirements