Purdue University is a public research university in West Lafayette, Indiana. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money to establish a college of science, technology, and agriculture. Purdue is proud of its rich cultural diversity and has a prestigious reputation and ranks consistently well in national and international rankings.

Purdue University West Lafayette is the system's flagship campus and offers more than 200 undergraduate programs, 80 graduate programs and professional degrees in pharmacy and veterinary medicine. The university is recognized for academic excellence, meaningful research, and graduate achievement. Students and alumni enjoy a global network of leaders in business, healthcare, science, technology, education, the arts, agriculture, communication, politics and much more.

Purdue has 139 university-approved centers and institutes, each developed to fill a particular need. Several large-scale interdisciplinary research centers are located in Purdue’s Discovery Park. The facilities in Discovery Park are an extension of the campus research infrastructure allowing multidisciplinary groups from across campus to come together and address grand challenges and opportunities.

Purdue's campus is situated in the small city of West Lafayette, near the western bank of the Wabash River, across which it is the larger city of Lafayette.