Mission and Goals

The mission of the Purdue University College of Technology is to provide excellent technical education for students with an interest in, and aptitude for, applied technologies. The college also participates in appropriate applied research and service activities. The college’s goal is to produce graduates with marketable skills and the capacity for growth on the job. Its departments serve identified needs for technically trained labor within the state of Indiana.

These goals are achieved by serving students in many ways—counseling, classroom and laboratory teaching, cooperative programs, and broadly-based general education. Graduates acquire not only technical knowledge and skills but also the ability to communicate well. They are prepared for both immediate employment and continuing development as citizens and responsible human beings. Finally, the college makes every effort to help place its students in appropriate jobs after graduation.

Admission Criteria

Students seeking admission to Purdue University’s technology programs must be admitted to the Purdue University College of Technology. Visit www.admissions.purdue.edu to apply online. After creating a login for the admissions system, a list of application options will appear. Click on Option 7 College of Technology Statewide. Admission standards are set by the Purdue University College of Technology and are summarized below. Prospective students are encouraged to contact Purdue at (574) 520-4180 or techsouthbend@purdue.edu.

Meeting or Exceeding Minimum Subject-Matter Requirements

For admission to the freshman class of the College of Technology, your record must include: English (grammar, composition, literature, speech, and vocabulary—but not journalism, newspaper, yearbook, or theatre arts), four years (eight semesters) of academic mathematics, and six semesters of laboratory sciences. The record of students who have been out of high school a minimum of five years must include: eight semesters of English, six semesters of academic mathematics, and six semesters of laboratory science.

Meeting Quality Requirements

Quality is determined by considering a combination of rank in class, test scores, probability of success, grade average in college preparatory subjects, grades in courses related to the degree objective, trends in achievement, completion of high school subject-matter requirements, and the strength of the college preparatory program.

Indiana applicants should demonstrate that they belong to one-half of the available pool of prospective students. This may be shown by several measurements—high school rank, test scores, and academic grade average—in combination with the other factors listed above.

Out-of-state applicants should belong to the upper one-third of the available pool, according to the achievement indices described above.

Taking Required Tests

All applicants who have not completed a full year of college work are required to take the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB), Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), or the ACT® Assessment test (ACT®). Students who desire early admission are encouraged to take the college entrance tests in the spring of their junior year. This requirement is waived for students who have been out of high school for three or more years.

Note | Purdue University classes are typically offered only once a year. Most required IU South Bend classes are offered every semester.