Georgia Institute of Technology vs. Purdue University

Admitting about 13.3% of applicants against roughly 50% at Purdue, Georgia Tech is the harder admit by a wide margin, nearly four times the tougher share. The enrolled profiles diverge to match: Georgia Tech's middle-50% SAT runs 1370–1530 (ACT 31–35) and Purdue's 1210–1450 (27–34), with average GPAs near 4.17 and 3.78. Non-residents face an even steeper climb at Georgia Tech, which counts state residency as a very important factor; Purdue only considers it.

On cost, Purdue charges the lower out-of-state sticker, about $28,794 in tuition and fees against $35,092 at Georgia Tech, a gap its long-running tuition freeze keeps open. On aid, Purdue meets more demonstrated need on average (about 79% to Georgia Tech's 61%), though its typical need-based package runs smaller, roughly $13,941 versus $19,981. In-state tuition lands low and close for Indiana and Georgia residents: about $9,992 at Purdue and $12,008 at Georgia Tech.

Georgia Tech runs the more STEM-saturated campus of the two. About 42% of its degrees come in engineering and another 30% in computing, leaving little ground outside technology. Engineering also tops Purdue's list at about 34% of degrees, but it lives inside a broader university where the liberal arts (21%) and sciences come next and computing accounts for about 11%. Students wanting an almost entirely engineering-and-computing world will lean Georgia Tech; Purdue pairs a top engineering program with a far wider catalog.

Enrolling about 39,170 undergraduates to 21,028, Purdue dwarfs Georgia Tech on size and ranks among the largest universities in the country. On paper its teaching scale is also tighter, a 14:1 student-faculty ratio against 20:1 at Georgia Tech. That heft buys breadth, since Purdue spans engineering, liberal arts, sciences, business, and agriculture, while Georgia Tech concentrates its large-university model around technology.

Requiring the SAT or ACT and not test-optional, Purdue weighs scores as a very important factor; its enrolled middle 50% scored 1210–1450 on the SAT and 27–34 on the ACT. Georgia Tech went test-optional for its most recent class but will require the SAT or ACT starting with Fall 2027 applicants, and its enrolled middle 50% scored 1370–1530 and 31–35. Check the policy for your specific application year on each school's site before you decide.

Posting a 94% six-year graduation rate and 97% first-year retention against 84% and 92% at Purdue, Georgia Tech graduates students at the higher clip. Both sets of numbers run strong and signal that enrolled students tend to stay and finish. Georgia Tech's smaller, more selective class simply crosses the line at a higher rate.