DePaul exceeds expectations this fall by enrolling 23,799 students. Enrollment tops the budgeted target by 1.2 percent with tuition revenue $2.8 million above the goal and $4.5 million more than last year. Although headcount is slightly less than last year, the outcomes are notable given volatile market conditions and an increasingly competitive environment.
New freshmen and new master’s enrollment are strong, surpassing budgeted targets by 7 and 9 percent, respectively. Continuing student enrollment is solid; graduate is 3 percent over budget while undergraduate comes in almost exactly at goal.
Below are additional highlights from the final enrollment data for fall quarter based on the Sept. 27, 2014, census.
Overall Enrollment
- Total university enrollment of 23,799 students is 274 students more than the budgeted goal of 23,525. Credit hours are 294,999, which is 1.6 percent above the projected volume.
- Undergraduate enrollment of 16,153 is only 14 students fewer than the budget projection of 16,167. Undergraduate enrollment has remained stable at this level since 2009.
- Graduate enrollment of 6,844 is 4 percent above the budgeted level, although 4 percent short of last year.
- Law enrollment stands at 802 students, 1 percent over budget but 10 percent fewer than last fall.
New Student Enrollment
- The freshman class is 2,544 students, 7 percent over the budgeted goal of 2,378 and 5 percent larger than last year. Demand remains strong as applications for admission were only 2 percent less than last year’s record. The academic profile of the class is among the best in university history; the average high school GPA is 3.56 and the average ACT 25.4. The class’ diverse makeup is another highlight. Students of color comprise 36 percent of the class and out-of-state students 37 percent.
- Total transfer enrollment of 1,580 is 10 percent (185 students) less than the budgeted level. SNL’s new student enrollment exceeds budget by 21 percent (38 students) and is 8 more students than last year’s actual.
- New master’s enrollment of 1,677 is 9 percent above the budgeted target and up 81 students (or 5 percent) compared to last year. Credit hours by new master’s students are 28 percent over budget. CDM, KGSB and COE all show double-digit percentage growth over last year. This fall, 17 percent (or 289 students) of all new master’s students are international (based on F1 and J1 visa status), up 40 percent from last fall.
- The College of Law enrolls 264 new students, about 17 fewer than budgeted.
Racial/Ethnic Diversity
- DePaul’s student profile continues to become more diverse. This fall, 8,139 of the 23,799 students enrolled (or 34 percent) are students of color—the highest proportion in DePaul’s history.
- Students of color account for 37 percent of undergraduate enrollment, 28 percent of graduate enrollment and 23 percent of law enrollment.
Online Enrollment
- Online learning credit hours increased about 4 percent from last year to 25,128 hours. This accounts for about 9 percent of total credit hours this fall.
DePaul’s annual publication containing official fall enrollment data will be available in December; this booklet is mailed to all full-time faculty and staff. If you are interested in obtaining a quantity of booklets, contact
Brady Johnson, divisional communications director for EMM.