Record-Breaking Enrollment at DePaul
 
Despite the troubled economy, DePaul University set an all-time record for enrollment this fall, surpassing 25,000 for the first time while welcoming its most diverse freshman class ever.

Total enrollment increased nearly 3 percent to 25,072 this year. The strongest gains occurred in graduate programs (up 3.5 percent from last year) and among transfer students (up 6.5 percent). Undergraduate enrollment was 2.5 percent higher than last year, reaching 16,199.

This year's freshman class of 2,531 is 23 students shy of last year's numbers, but is more diverse than any previous class. A quarter of this freshman class is African-American or Hispanic/Latino, compared with 18 percent in 2008-09. Fifty-eight percent of the class is white, and the remaining 17 percent is either Asian, Native American, multiracial or opted not to identify their backgrounds. The class maintains a strong academic profile, with an average ACT composite score of 24.5.

"DePaul has achieved remarkable enrollment successes this fall despite concerns about the economy that created a heightened level of uncertainty for most of the recruitment and enrollment cycle for universities nationally," says David Kalsbeek, senior vice president for enrollment management and marketing. "Our enrollment is up because of strategic decisions the university made to increase transfer and graduate students, and our freshman class reached our goals for both diversity and academic quality."

Though it did not diminish student interest in DePaul, the economy has shaped this year's enrollment in a number of ways, most noticeably in requests for financial aid. This fall, 85 percent of the freshman class filed for financial assistance, compared to 75 percent last year. According to Kalsbeek, the university saw a higher number of freshmen and their families file appeals after receiving their financial aid packages, stating that their circumstances had changed. "As a result," he says, "our commitment to institutional need-based grants has increased considerably."

"In addition, we saw an increase in currently enrolled students experiencing unanticipated financial difficulties in affording their tuition," Kalsbeek says. "Nevertheless, our freshman-to-sophomore-year retention rate is an all-time high of 85 percent, contributing to the overall record undergraduate enrollment this fall."

Fewer out-of-state students applied for either freshman or transfer admission, which Kalsbeek believes is symptomatic of the economy. "Students are staying closer to home because of the economic uncertainties, but that's also an advantage for DePaul because we are in a large, urban center. We became an attractive alternative for Chicago-area students who had been considering or going to schools out of state."

Among DePaul's nine schools and colleges, the newest one-the College of Communication-showed the largest percentage increase in total enrollment, attracting 11.5 percent more students this fall compared to last year and reaching an enrollment of 1,408. Next was the School of Education, which boosted its enrollment by about 9.6 percent to 2,351 students this fall. In terms of headcount, DePaul's College of Liberal Arts & Sciences increased the most, with 333 more students, a 4.62 percent increase over last year. The College of Law's enrollment increased 3 percent to 1,078.



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