MUSE Gold

2026

Admissions Website

Entrant

Purdue University - Purdue Brand Studio

Category

Website - School / Universities

Client's Name

Country / Region

United States

As higher education approaches the projected enrollment cliff, Purdue University saw opportunity. With national data forecasting a 13% decline in traditional-age college students by 2041, and with 84% of prospective students relying on search engines and 77% trusting university websites, we recognized our admissions website as our most critical recruitment tool. It was time to take a bold step forward.
In 2025, we completely reimagined more than 350 admissions webpages, transforming how prospective students and families experience Purdue for the first time. Guided by third-party research and internal decision journey mapping, we redesigned the site to simplify navigation, align content with funnel stages and reduce anxiety in the college decision process.
The strategy was clear: provide the information, confidence and emotional connection students and families need to move from curiosity about Purdue to commitment to becoming a Boilermaker.
We introduced lighter, brighter and more relatable design; shifted to warmer, more conversational copy; and integrated messaging directly addressing families. Our most visited content — majors pages — was fully overhauled. Key information such as cost, financial aid and return on investment was elevated for clarity and transparency. The experience was unified across digital and newly redesigned print recruitment materials, ensuring consistency at every touchpoint.
The yearlong effort involved 27 creative and strategic team members, more than 2,600 creative hours and 1,100 completed tasks — all carefully timed around recruitment cycles to avoid disruption.
Since launching in summer 2025, more than 1.36 million users have visited the redesigned pages. With 3.5 million annual site visitors and nearly 87,000 applications received in 2025, the admissions website remains one of Purdue’s most powerful recruitment engines — supporting another year of record-breaking applications and helping a new class of Boilermakers take their first small step toward a giant leap.

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