I got into Purdue Engineering and that is probably the only University I might get given my not-so-fancy SAT score (Though school marks are very good). If I choose to go I am likely to opt for Aerospace/Computer Engineering. Family income is around 18lakhs. So I will be able to pay for 2 years, and will have to take a loan for the rest.
My question is-Is it worth it? I won’t likely get into any IIIT/BITS/VIT in India since I haven’t been preparing for competitive exams. CBSE performance is good though. I really want to do engineering and I am fully aware about the huge number of Indian students at Purdue, but I just wanted to know if I’d be making a mistake by taking a loan for a University like Purdue. (I know it is highly ranked but it also has a high acceptance rate. So do graduates get well paid?)
Lastly, if I do choose to attend Purdue, I wish to work for a while to pay back the loan after which I plan to do post-grad in Physics. Do Purdue grads get into Ivies/MIT/UCs for post grad?
Hey, even I have gotten into Purdue. From what I have gathered, Purdue is an extremely reputed engineering school. About the fees part, one of the students from my school got a full scholarship from an Indian agency from her her third year and she got into Columbia for her post grad. I have been told that there are a lot of internship opportunities at the undergrad level, which can help you financially. Hope this helps.
If it’s not too personal, could you please PM or post your SAT score? Just want to get an idea of what people accepted into Purdue score.
And to answer your question, yes, they do. A lot of them.
Purdue itself is a great and very reputable institute. If I were you, I’d go.
Purdue for engineering is among the top ten on most lists…Acceptance rate is no measure of a college’s standard or reputation, rather one of the number of seats the colleges…Purdue is a public college with huge enrolment, however that by no way diminishes its standards.
Great, thanks a lot!
And good luck for your future endeavors!
Hey sorry for bringing up this thread again and again, but is it common for Indian students to take such a big loan (i.e. for two or more years) to pursue engineering abroad (Purdue, in my case) ? If yes, were they able to pay it back in about five years? My parents too will contribute in paying back the loan so it shouldn’t be a problem right?
Where will you get this loan?
There are numerous international loan programs.
@Madison85 There are banks which offered the loan for 3 full years based on the resources and security. Getting the loan isn’t a problem. They have offered it upto 7 years. But my question is…given the 18lac per annum from my parents + whatever I might earn after engineering at Purdue, is it safe to say that I should be able to pay it back?
So 18 lakh is 1,800,000 rupees which is $28000 USD.
Your parents have savings to pay for the first two years (60 lakh)?!
Purdue cost of attendance is $46000 USD per year plus international flight.
So you will have to use your parents’ life savings of 60 lakh and borrow another 60 lakh for the 3rd and 4th year. Also, it is not uncommon for it to take 5 years to graduate in engineering.
How much do engineers get paid in your country the first year after college?
What is the interest rate on the loan?
You and your parents could be a slave to this debt for a very long time.
Use math to do some calculations to determine if it is worth it.
The answer is probably no.
Can you go to college for engineering in your own country and after you work for a while and save money, then try for a Master’s degree program in the US later?
. Score was low mainly because of CR-550 
. But I guess 10th’s grades and 11th and 12th’s marks compensated for it. Even so, a lot of people with slightly lower stats do get into Purdue. But after reading the comments, I guess Purdue is worth the investment. Thanks guys! 