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Purdue University Graduate School
Graduate Students with Families

Grad School Main > Graduate Students with Families

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pouses of graduate students enjoy many benefits from Purdue and the surrounding community. Benefits include reduced tuition, health insurance, and reduced membership fees at the Purdue Recreational
Sports Center.


Insurance and Benefits

Purdue University offers health insurance options for students in graduate staff appointments (i.e., assistantships) as well as for students receiving fellowships and others not employed by the University. Graduate students have the option of adding children and spouses, including same-sex domestic partners to insurance plans.

Complete details about graduate student staff benefits including eligibility guidelines, insurance, and paid leave is available in the Graduate Student Employment Manual.


Community employment resources

Here are some resources for finding employment in the community.


A mother and son wear balloon hats at Spring Fest - an annual festival held on Purdue’s campus.
A mother and son wear balloon hats at Spring Fest - an annual festival held on Purdue's campus.
Educational opportunities

The Lafayette-West Lafayette area is home to award-winning, nationally recognized schools. Check out this list of area K-12 schools in the Greater Lafayette area. There are also a few area institutions of higher learning including Purdue, Harrison College, and Ivy Tech.


A future Boilermaker beats the World's Largest Drum at a Purdue football game.
A future Boilermaker beats the World's Largest Drum at a Purdue football game.
Family Housing

Purdue Village offers housing for graduate students with families. Get information about Purdue Village from Married and Family Housing and Residential Life Services.


The Feast of the Hunter's Moon
The Feast of the Hunter's Moon is one of many annual festivals in the Greater Lafayette area. The Feast takes place at Fort Ouiatenon and recreates 18th century French and Indian trading posts. Other festivals include the Taste of Tippecanoe and Dancing in the Streets.
Other Support Services

The following links provide information about other support services:


Child Care

Purdue offers four on-campus child care options for children of different ages with each center providing slightly different learning experiences for your child. For more information, visit Worklife Programs' Child care Web site or call (765) 494-5461.

Worklife Programs also offers resources on finding and evaluating off-campus child care options. Additional resources include:


Summer Camps

Purdue offers different summer camps including various youth camps and sports camps. Purdue's Worklife Programs provides information and resources on choosing a summer camp for your child, including a list of camps in the Greater Lafayette area. For more information, visit the Summer Camps Web page.


Family Fun for Kids of All Ages

West Lafayette, Lafayette, and other nearby communities offer numerous family friendly activities. Here is a small sample of some activities you can enjoy:

  • Columbian Park includes a water park and zoo.
  • Lafayette offers summer fun with its three water parks.
  • Happy Hollow Park has picnic areas, along with walking, jogging and hiking trails.
  • Indianapolis Zoo and the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, the largest children's museum in the country, are just a short drive away! Forbes.com contributor Larry Olmsted ranked The Children's Museum of Indianapolis at the top of the 12 best children's museums in the U.S.
  • Purdue Spring Fest and Bug Bowl give children of all ages the chance to explore and learn through hands-on activities and demonstrations.
  • Wolf Park, an educational and research facility, makes learning fun and exciting, especially during Howl Nights!
  • Indiana Dunes National Lake Shore is a national park on the shores of Lake Michigan.
  • Taste of Tippecanoe will satisfy even picky eaters with samples of local restaurants' best dishes and live music.
  • Explore local history at the Feast of the Hunters' Moon, a re-creation of an annual fall gathering between the French and Native Americans at Fort Ouiatenon.
  • Riverside Skating Plaza offers summer roller skating and winter ice skating.
  • Purdue's campus and West Lafayette's nearly 20 miles of paved trails provide wonderful jogging, biking, and walking paths.
For more activities, visit the Parks and Recreation's Web sites for both West Lafayette and Lafayette and the Indiana's Department of Natural Resources Web site.


For more information about the West Lafayette-Lafayette area, visit the Community Information page.