Writing-Editing-Style Tips

There’s a notable difference between percent, percentage and percentage point when using stats. So, be careful not to confuse percent with percentage point. A change from 10% to 13% is a rise of 3 percentage points. This is not equal to a 3% change; rather, it’s a 30% increase.

Example 1: Graduate student enrollment at Purdue has surged 43% in the past decade, from 8,407 students in 2013 to 12,017 students in Fall 2022.
Example 2: The race for the new student government president was extremely close, decided by just two single percentage points, 51%-49%.

Note: The AP Stylebook enacted this change in 2019, and Purdue communications should follow this approach: Use the % sign when paired with a number, with no space, in most cases.

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