Purdue University , located in West Lafayette , Indiana , U.S. , is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University System . Purdue was founded on May 6 , 1869 , as a land-grant university , accepted a donation of land and money from Lafayette businessman John Purdue to establish a college of science , technology , and agriculture in his name . John Purdue , a Lafayette business leader and philanthropist ( buried at Purdue ) , sought to help establish a `` land grant '' college in Indiana .