Research Scientist H-1B salary at Purdue University — 52 certified filings (FY2016–FY2026)
- 12
- Filings · FY2025
- $71k
- Median base · FY2025
- $66k–$105k
- Middle 50% · FY2025
- −18%
- vs market median · all years
Purdue University filed 12 certified H-1B LCAs for Research Scientist in FY2025, with a median base salary of $71k and the middle 50% of offers between $66k and $105k. Across all years its $90k median is 18% below the $110k market median for Research Scientist. It has filed 52 Research Scientist LCAs since FY2016, most often in West Lafayette, IN.
How much does Purdue University pay a Research Scientist?
Certified base salary for Research Scientist at Purdue University by fiscal year: each box is the p25–p75 range, the heavy line the median, the whiskers reach p10–p90. $71k median in FY2025. Base pay only — hover a year for its figures.
Does Purdue University pay Research Scientists above the market?
Purdue University's all-years median against every employer's certified Research Scientist LCAs — 18% below the market. Same cleaned DOL title, same base-salary definition, so the two rows compare like for like.
| Base salary for this title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Purdue University | 52 | $90k |
| All employers · Research Scientist | 12,917 | $110k |
How has Purdue University's Research Scientist hiring changed by year?
1 certified Research Scientist filings in FY2016 → 5 in FY2026. The change column is each year against the one before.
| Fiscal year | Filings | vs prior FY | Median base |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | 5 | −58% | $102k |
| FY2025 | 12 | +140% | $71k |
| FY2024 | 5 | +150% | $108k |
| FY2023 | 2 | −82% | $97k |
| FY2022 | 11 | +22% | $85k |
| FY2021 | 9 | +800% | $79k |
| FY2020 | 1 | −75% | $100k |
| FY2019 | 4 | +100% | $91k |
| FY2017 | 2 | +100% | $69k |
| FY2016 | 1 | — | $85k |
Which wage levels does Purdue University file for Research Scientist?
DOL prevailing-wage levels I–IV approximate experience tiers (I = entry, IV = fully competent). 76% of Purdue University's Research Scientist filings sit at Level III–IV. Higher levels earn more entries in the wage-weighted H-1B lottery.
Share of 49 Research Scientist filings with a wage level · all years
- Level I6.1%3
- Level II18.4%9
- Level III46.9%23
- Level IV28.6%14
Where does Purdue University hire H-1B Research Scientists?
Worksite states and cities on the certified filings for this title, all years, with the median base salary at each.
| State | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Indiana | 52 | $90k |
| City | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| West Lafayette, IN | 52 | $90k |
Also filed as
Purdue University's other sponsored titles, and the employers that file the most Research Scientist LCAs. All years.
Other titles at Purdue University
| Job title | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Assistant Professor | 487 | $100k |
| Post-Doctoral Research Associate | 186 | $55k |
| Post-Doctoral Research Assistant | 82 | $55k |
| Research Associate | 47 | $58k |
| Postdoctoral Research Associate | 43 | $55k |
| Clinical Assistant Professor | 41 | $117k |
| Visiting Assistant Professor | 37 | $75k |
Top Research Scientist sponsors
| Employer | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Meta Platforms | 2,093 | $186k |
| 890 | $160k | |
| 685 | $192k | |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 497 | $78k |
| Intel | 409 | $131k |
| Nvidia | 327 | $168k |
| UT Southwestern Medical Center | 156 | $62k |
| Bytedance | 153 | $215k |
| University of Pittsburgh | 142 | $60k |
| The University of Virginia | 135 | $67k |
Common questions about Research Scientist H-1B pay at Purdue University
- How much does Purdue University pay a Research Scientist on an H-1B?
- Purdue University's median certified H-1B base salary for Research Scientist is $71k in FY2025, from 12 filings; the middle 50% of offers fall between $66k and $105k. Across all years the median is $90k.
- How many Research Scientist H-1B LCAs has Purdue University filed?
- Purdue University has 52 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Research Scientist on record (FY2016–FY2026), 5 of them in FY2026. That is 3% of its 1,789 certified filings across all titles.
- Does Purdue University pay Research Scientists above the market?
- Purdue University's all-years median of $90k is 18% below the $110k median for Research Scientist across all H-1B employers (12,917 certified filings).
- Where does Purdue University hire H-1B Research Scientists?
- Purdue University's Research Scientist LCAs name worksites mostly in Indiana; the top cities are West Lafayette, IN.
- Does a certified LCA mean an H-1B visa was approved?
- No. A Labor Condition Application (LCA) is the Department of Labor attestation an employer must have certified before filing an H-1B petition with USCIS. It records the job, worksite and offered wage, but not whether the petition was filed, selected in the lottery, or approved. Filing counts measure intent to sponsor, not headcount.
- What salary do these figures show?
- The base annual wage offered on the certified LCA, converted to a yearly amount. Bonus, equity, overtime and benefits are not included, so total compensation is typically higher. Figures are medians and percentiles over certified filings; wages above $5,000,000 a year are excluded as data-entry errors.
- What do prevailing-wage levels I–IV mean?
- The Department of Labor assigns each LCA an OES wage level from I (entry) to IV (fully competent) for the occupation and area. Under the FY2027 wage-weighted H-1B lottery rule, a higher level earns more selection entries, so an employer's level mix is a proxy for how senior its sponsored roles are.
Keep exploring
Calculate your H-1B lottery odds →orCheck out the insights →
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification — certified LCA disclosure data through June 2026 (FY2016–FY2026). An LCA is not an approved visa; pay figures are base salary and exclude bonus and equity. Methodology →