Mathematics at Purdue University Fort Wayne

Purdue Fort Wayne's mathematics program produces graduates earning about $43,900 in their first year—roughly $15,000 below the Indiana median for math majors. This places it in the bottom quarter among Indiana math programs, trailing not just flagship schools but also regional campuses like IU-East. The gap is particularly notable given that Purdue's main campus in West Lafayette produces math grads earning $49,400.

The $21,500 median debt is manageable, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio under 0.5, which means graduates typically need less than six months of gross income to cover their loans. That's reasonable leverage for a degree that should lead to stable employment. However, the small sample size (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could shift significantly year to year. A few outliers—either extremely high or low earners—can dramatically skew the data when the pool is this small.

For an anxious parent, the question is whether Fort Wayne's lower cost of attendance offsets the earnings disadvantage. If your child qualifies for admission here, they likely qualify at IU-Bloomington or Purdue's main campus, where math graduates earn $15,000-$20,000 more annually. Even accounting for potentially higher costs at those schools, the earnings premium typically justifies the difference. Fort Wayne might work for students needing to stay local, but it's worth calculating whether commuting to a stronger program is feasible.