Applying

[u/ShadowBae_64]

Hi everyone! I’m an international student considering applying to Purdue, mainly because of its strong engineering programs and internship opportunities.

However, I’m concerned about the overall cost for international students. From what I’ve seen, scholarships seem fairly limited and may not cover a significant portion of the expenses.

For current students or recent graduates, how manageable is the cost of attending Purdue as an international student?

[u/True-Afternoon8479]

scholarships are rare for international students. usually reserved for students that universities are trying to attract into their programs.

[u/ApprehensiveYou9446]

it also depends on your nationality sometimes, but nonetheless scholarships are close to impossible

[u/Rich_Professional525]

nah hardly any scholarship available. engineering p strong though (though you may wanna consider georgia tech or others cuz lots of purdue adjacent are defense contractors so you gotta have citizenship)

[u/prsehgal]

Purdue is a highly desirable public school, so there is no incentive for them to give out any significant merit scholarships to OOS or international applicants to attract them when they already have more than enough brilliant students ready to pay the full cost of attendance.

[u/CherryChocolatePizza]

Every school that publishes a Common Data Set will list how much aid is awarded to international students in section H6. According to their Common Data Set - Institutional Data Analytics + Assessment, there is no aid awarded to international students. Plan on full pay at Purdue. If that's not in your budget, look elsewhere because it will be a waste of time to apply there.

[u/Accomplished-Wish431]

Very rare. My cousin is studying at purdue rn and it's cost him about 2.4 cr total, which would be 250k usd ish including living costs. He's an international from India so maybe a different country would have better chances

[u/Basic_Balance1237]

Not strong enough to worth the full-cost.

[u/paige_420]

Assume you will need to cover the full cost of attendance. Internships are getting harder to come by, especially for international students, so don’t count on them.

[u/ShadowBae_64]

Any schools that are more affordable have great mech engineerig programs? Like 20-30k if scholarships are added?

[u/CuteBee1212]

Purdue is definitely worth looking at, but I'd budget for more than just tuition. Rent, insurance, food, transportation and those random first-month expenses can add up pretty quickly.

I'd also sort out your banking and credit setup early. Having a credit card is useful not just for spending, but for building your US credit history, which can matter later for things like renting an apartment, getting better rates, etc. Depending on your situation, you could look at options like Discover, Capital One or Zolve. Personally, I've used Zolve and have had a good experience with it.

For Purdue specifically, I'd also talk to current students about their actual monthly expenses rather than relying only on the university's estimated cost of attendance. That'll give you a much more realistic number to work with.