Purdue University aiming to ‘significantly’ lower admissions rate, citing historic enrollment, housing strain

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – With just over a month until the start of the fall semester, 700 Purdue students were given new housing assignments. They immediately pushed back with a petition that now has over 1,100 signatures.

One student, who asked to remain anonymous, said they signed a contract in October for a single bedroom but received an email Wednesday informing them they’d be getting a roommate.

“We recognize that these changes may require students to adjust their housing plans,” the email stated. “Approximately 11% of returning students will have their housing assignment changed or have an additional occupant assigned to a selected space.”

Some students were told they’d be relocated, and some others would have to take an extra occupant in rooms that weren’t designed for it.

“I fear that continued cramming of multiple students into places that are not properly accommodated is just going to provide very bad experiences for incoming students or returning students,” the anonymous student shared.

The next day, after immediate backlash, the university issued a statement giving affected students the option to keep their original contracts, end them or accept the proposed alternative in exchange for a $4,000 reduction on their housing fee.

“Although we targeted smaller enrollment and admitted a lower percentage of undergraduate applicants for fall 2024 than ever, during the crucial late April and May decision-making period this spring, students voted with their feet to come to Purdue, accepting their offers of admission at historically unprecedented levels,” the university’s statement said. “This resulted in more students than ever before requesting housing in University Residences.”

“From what I am aware of, this has been an ongoing issue regarding specifically an over-admittance of freshmen without having the housing actually there for them,” the anonymous student added.

Total enrollment last fall exceeded 52,000. That’s up more than 6,000 students compared to 2020 .

“The rooms in Harrison, at least on that floor, are just meant for doubles but they’re squeezing three people into it,” said freshman Erika Chiommino while describing her living arrangement.

Incoming freshman Erika Chiommino said her summer housing assignment was also different than anticipated.

“There’s only two closets, so for the third person it’s like, oh, where do they put their clothes and things like that? But we ended up being fine because we were able to share the space between the three of us,” Chiommino said.

Purdue University President Mung Chiang explained in a social media post that the fall 2024 undergraduate admissions rate was the lowest in school history, aiming for 300 fewer freshmen to enroll than the typical target number. However, 1,600 additional high school seniors unexpectedly committed to Purdue.

“Next year, new dorms approved last year will complete construction. And we will significantly further reduce the admissions rate, simply because housing and city capacities don’t grow as fast as demand for Purdue education,” Chiang said over social media. “But now, in addition to the hard work by many colleagues in securing many more beds throughout town as a first-resort answer since late May, we must further refine housing solutions to all Boilermaker students this Fall: new ones as well as returning students. All units at the university are working extra hard today, to come up with a better and the best answer.”

A university spokesperson declined our request for an interview and referred us back to their original statement .

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