Purdue University
Director of Admissions
🇺🇸
West Lafayette, IN
🕑
Full-Time
💰
TBD
💻
Enrollment
🗓️
March 3rd, 2026
Edtech.com's Summary
Purdue University is hiring a Director of Admissions to lead and strategically manage undergraduate admissions at both the West Lafayette and Indianapolis campuses. The Director will oversee admissions operations, recruitment, and application review processes, driving policy development and stakeholder collaboration to handle high application volumes while maintaining equity and quality.
Highlights
- Provide strategic and operational leadership for Admissions Operations, Domestic and International Recruitment.
- Lead and develop a large admissions team including Assistant and Associate Directors.
- Oversee application review ensuring consistency, quality, equity, and timeliness for over 80,000 applications annually.
- Collaborate with senior leadership including the Provost and President to shape admissions policies and priorities.
- Coordinate recruitment and yield strategies across Purdue campuses, including the Purdue Recruitment Council.
- Serve as liaison to Intercollegiate Athletics for prospective student-athletes admissions support.
- Advance strategic initiatives such as transfer pathways and growth of Purdue’s Indianapolis campus.
- Required qualifications: Bachelor’s degree (advanced degree preferred), 10+ years in admissions or related field, leadership experience, data-informed decision-making skills.
- Strong skills in strategic planning, change management, communication, and policy development.
- Compensation classified under Management 6, Pay Band S095; position is exempt from overtime, requires background check, and does not include employment authorization sponsorship.
Director of Admissions Full Description
Job Summary
Purdue University is launching a nationwide search for a Director of Admissions, a high‑profile, high‑impact leadership role at one of the country’s most well‑known R1, land‑grant public universities. This person will establish the vision and provide strategic and operational oversight of undergraduate admissions at Purdue West Lafayette and Purdue Indianapolis, along with related undergraduate admissions functions.
Purdue is well positioned nationally, having experienced a 75% increase in undergraduate applications over the past decade. The Director will join an admissions organization that has benefited from strong, long‑standing leadership and is widely regarded as a high‑performing, collaborative team.
This is a rare opportunity to step into an admissions enterprise with an exceptional institutional brand and a modern, complex challenge: managing demand at scale. Purdue receives more than 80,000 undergraduate applications annually, requiring thoughtful strategy, strong decision frameworks, disciplined operations, and a deeply student-centered service approach, particularly in the context of evolving budget and policy landscapes.
Reporting & Visibility
The Director of Admissions reports to the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and collaborates closely with Purdue’s senior leadership. The position involves regular communication with the Provost and President and holds significant visibility and influence across the campus.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide strategic and operational leadership for the Office of Admissions, including Admissions Operations, Domestic Recruitment, and International Recruitment.
- Lead, mentor, and develop a large, experienced admissions team, including Assistant and Associate Directors, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Guide recruitment and outreach strategy across West Lafayette and Indianapolis, including local, regional, national, and international engagement, with particular attention to Indiana and Indianapolis pipelines.
- Oversee the undergraduate application review process, ensuring consistency, quality, equity, and timeliness, while effectively managing high application volume.
- Develop and refine admissions policies and priorities in collaboration with the President, Provost, and enrollment leadership, informed by data and institutional goals.
- Coordinate admissions, recruitment, and yield strategy across campus through leadership of the Purdue Recruitment Council.
- Serve as liaison to Intercollegiate Athletics to support prospective student‑athletes through the admissions process.
- Advance strategic initiatives, including expansion of transfer pathways (notably with Ivy Tech) and support of Purdue’s growing Indianapolis presence, with an emphasis on building sustainable, high‑quality applicant pipelines.
Why This Role Is Distinctive
Unlike many admissions leadership roles, this position is not focused on growing applicant volume. Instead, the Director of Admissions will lead an organization centered on managing sustained demand, ensuring decision quality, and maintaining an exceptional customer experience for students and families navigating a highly competitive admissions process.
The role also plays a pivotal part in shaping Purdue’s future, including its expanding strategic footprint in Indianapolis and its continued national prominence.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
- Minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in admissions or a closely related field.
- Demonstrated success in strategic planning, operational leadership, and change management, preferably within a large, complex institution.
- Strong data‑informed decision‑making skills.
- Proven experience leading, developing, and motivating professional staff, including experience supervising at scale and navigating organizational complexity.
Key Skills and Competencies
- Demonstrated leadership ability with strong executive presence and professional integrity.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to interact effectively with senior leadership.
- Ability to collaborate across diverse stakeholder groups, including faculty, staff, students, and families.
- Strength in policy development, assessment, and continuous improvement.
- Excellent organizational, analytical, and problem‑solving abilities.
- Willingness to travel and work evenings or weekends as needed.
Additional Information:
- Purdue will not sponsor employment authorization for this position
- A background check will be required for employment in this position
- FLSA: Exempt (Not Eligible For Overtime)
- Retirement Eligibility: Defined Contributions immediately
Application Process
Review of applications will begin on March 23rd and continue until the position is filled.
Career Stream
Compensation Information:
Management 6
Pay Band S095
Job Code # 20002630
EOE
Purdue University is an EO/EA University
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