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Summary
Drexel University is a private institution that was founded in 1891. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 11,899, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 96 acres. It utilizes a quarter-based academic calendar. Drexel University's ranking in the 2013 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 83. Its tuition and fees are $36,090 (2012-13).
Students at Drexel University get a unique mix of in-class education and extensive on-the-job experience before graduation. Drexel operates a cooperative education program, sending students to more than 1,200 employers worldwide for six months at a time. Before graduation, students can complete as many as three co-ops, many of which are paid. (The average paycheck a Drexel student will take home after six months is more than $14,500.) To accommodate the co-ops, the university schedule is split into quarters. A co-op is completed over two quarters, and student who complete 3 co-ops will graduate in five years. Graduating in four years is possible if students opt for a single co-op experience and take classes during the summer. Most majors require students to complete at least one co-op. The experience pays off after graduation, as about a third of Drexel graduates are offered jobs by their co-op employers. When students aren’t working, there is plenty to do on the school’s main campus in Philadelphia’s University City. They have more than 160 student clubs and organizations to get involved in, including more than 25 fraternities and sororities. The Drexel Dragons compete in the NCAA Division I Colonial Athletic Conference. The neighborhood is extremely student centric, also home to the University of Pennsylvania and the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. The city’s central hub of public transportation, 30th Street Station, is two blocks from campus, and Center City Philadelphia is a 10 minute walk away. Housing is guaranteed freshman year, and first-year students who do not live with their parents must live on campus. In total, close to 80 percent of Drexel students commute to school. Drexel refers to itself as Philadelphia’s most technological school, and it was the first campus in the nation to be entirely wireless.
Drexel offers well-regarded programs through the College of Engineering, and has a medical school and a law school, too. The Drexel University College of Medicine is the country’s largest private medical school, and the Earle Mack School of Law is a unique extension of the university’s mission, offering co-ops opportunities to law students and special curriculums in entrepreneurship, business, and health law. Notable alumni of Drexel University include Earle I. Mack, a former ambassador to Finland and namesake of Drexel’s law school, and William T. Schleyer, former chairman and CEO of Adelphia Communications.
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Drexel University holds a unique place in the academic community as Philadelphia's technological, cooperative education university. The first university to mandate students to own computers and the first to operate a fully wireless campus, technology is integrated into every aspect of the University. Drexel focuses on experiential learning through its cooperative education program, one of the nation's largest and oldest. The University's service-learning initiative, the country's largest campus-based program of its kind, complements cooperative education by allowing students to utilize the resources of Philadelphia as a "living laboratory". Drexel's thriving multidisciplinary research enterprise has erased boundaries between academic specialties. As a comprehensive university, Drexel includes the nation's largest private medical school and newest law school. Drexel's thriving multidisciplinary research enterprise has erased boundaries between academic specialties. As a comprehensive university, Drexel includes the nation's largest private medical school and newest law school. |
General Information
| School type | private, coed college |
| Year founded | 1891 |
| Religious affiliation | N/A |
| Academic calendar | quarter |
| Setting | urban |
| 2011 Endowment | $525,211,000 |
Applying
When applying to Drexel University, it's important to note the application deadline is January 15, and the early decision deadline is November 15. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due March 1. The application fee at Drexel University is $75. It is more selective, with an acceptance rate of 57.5 percent.
For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.
| Selectivity | more selective |
| Fall 2011 acceptance rate | 57.5% |
| Application deadline | January 15 |
| SAT/ACT scores must be received by | March 1 |
Academic Life
The student-faculty ratio at Drexel University is 9:1, and the school has 60.3 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Drexel University include: Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services; Engineering; Health Professions and Related Programs; Visual and Performing Arts; and Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 84.2 percent.
Student Life
Drexel University has a total undergraduate enrollment of 11,899, with a gender distribution of 55.6 percent male students and 44.4 percent female students. At this school, 28.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 72.0 percent of students live off campus. Drexel University is part of the NCAA I athletic conference.
See what students are saying about life at Drexel University.
| Total enrollment | 18,489 |
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| Collegiate athletic association | NCAA I |
Campus Info & Services
Drexel University offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, women's center, placement service, health service, and health insurance. Drexel University also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at Drexel University.
| Students who have cars on campus | N/A |
| Health insurance offered | Yes |
| Students required to own/lease a computer | Yes |
More About Campus Info & Services
Paying for School
Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.
| Tuition and fees | $36,090 (2012-13) |
| Room and board | $14,175 (2012-13) |
| Financial aid statistics | N/A |
* Overview details based on 2011 data
