DePaul University enrolled the largest freshman class in its 101-year history this fall, with 1,749 freshmen entering the university, an increase of 267 students (18 percent) over last year. The university's total enrollment reached 19,549, exceeding 1998 enrollment by 984 students (5.3 percent) and reaffirming DePaul's place as the largest and fastest growing Catholic university in the United States.

     "This is tremendous news for DePaul," said the Rev. John P. Minogue, C.M., university president. "Our continued ability to provide a quality, holistic and personalized education while giving more students access to higher education is testimony to our unified commitment to DePaul's Catholic, Vincentian and urban mission."

     The enrollment figures became official in mid-October when they were reported to the Illinois Board of Higher Education.

     "It's not just the size of the freshman class that has us excited, but that we continue to see increases in the diversity of the entering students and with an overall high school grade point average of 3.3 they are very strong academically," noted Ray Kennelly, dean of admissions.

     Among DePaul's enrollment trends:

     · A record number of 11,778 undergraduates are enrolled at DePaul, an increase of 611 students, or 5.3 percent, over last year. Undergraduate enrollment in the School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems (CTI) increased most significantly, up 32 percent from 1,047 last year to 1,383 in 1999. Also notable was the undergraduate enrollment of 3,671 in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, an increase of 228 students or 7 percent from last year.

     · DePaul's 1999 freshman class is the most diverse in university history, with minority students representing 33 percent of the class (nine percent African American, 11 percent Asian/Pacific and 13 percent Hispanic/Latino). University wide, 6,269 students or 32 percent of all DePaul students are minorities, with African Americans numbering 2,063 or 10.5 percent, Hispanics/Latinos equaling 1,778 or 9 percent and Asian/Pacific students accounting for 1,861 or 9.5 percent of students.

     · DePaul graduate and professional program enrollments totaled 7,771 for the fall term, an increase of 399 students or 5.4 percent more than last year. With 1,620 graduate students, CTI again led the increases among graduate programs, with a gain of 321 graduate students or 25 percent over last year. CTI continues to hold the title as the computer school with the largest graduate program enrollment in the country.

     · The total number of students taking courses at DePaul's four suburban campuses exceeded 3,000 for the first time. Enrollments were: 1,451 students at the O'Hare Campus in Des Plaines; 1,384 students at the Naperville Campus in Naperville;156 students at the Lake County Campus in Lake Forest; and 154 students at the South Campus in Oak Forest.

     Noting that DePaul's total enrollment has increased 25 percent since 1990, David Kalsbeek, vice president for enrollment management, said: "DePaul continues to be an increasingly attractive option for college-bound high school students and adults returning for their first or advanced degrees. The university's expanding curriculum, modern facilities, growing reputation, commitment to diversity, excellent professional programs and the convenient campus locations make us stand out as an exciting place to be."/p

     Among other noteworthy trends, freshman applications to DePaul surpassed the 6,000 mark for the first time ever and represent a 5.5 percent jump in interest from prospective students. In addition, a growing number of students are living in campus housing, with 1,966 students living in residence halls on the Lincoln Park campus, compared to 1,800 last year.