DePaul University has been ranked among the top 100 universities in the country to award master’s degrees to minority students, and among the top 50 institutions to award master’s degrees to Asian American students. The rankings were published in the July 8 and 22 issues of "Black Issues in Higher Education" magazine.

DePaul was ranked in several categories based on the number of degrees it awarded to minorities at both the graduate and undergraduate level. The survey ranked DePaul as a leader in awarding graduate degrees to African Americans, Asian Americans and Hispanics in business management, to Asian Americans in computer and information sciences and to African Americans in English and literature.

At the undergraduate level, DePaul was ranked among the top 50 universities in the United States to award baccalaureate degrees to Asian Americans in business management and in computer and information services, and to Hispanics in computer and information sciences and in ethnic and cultural studies.

This is the eighth year the magazine has published rankings of U.S. colleges and universities based on the number of associate, bachelor and graduate degrees conferred upon minority students. The current rankings are based on U. S. Department of Education data from the 1996-97 academic year.

DePaul was ranked as follows:

• 63^rd of the top 100 universities in awarding master’s degrees to minorities in all disciplines. Minority students received 17 percent, or 221, of the master’s degrees DePaul awarded in 1996-97.

• 31^st of the top 50 universities awarding master’s degrees to Asian Americans. There were 105 master’s degrees conferred upon Asian American students in 1996-97.

• 9^th among institutions conferring graduate business degrees upon Asian Americans. Seventy Asian American students were awarded business degrees in 1996-97.

• 11^th and 21^st among universities awarding master’s degrees in English and literature to Hispanic and African American students respectively. Three African American and three Hispanic students were awarded master’s degrees in these subjects in 1996-97.

• 17^th among universities awarding graduate computer and information sciences degrees to Asian Americans. Asian Americans earned 18 degrees in this subject in 1996-97.

• 18^th and 32^nd among universities awarding master’s degrees in business management to Hispanic and African American students respectively in 1996-97. Twenty-nine Hispanic and 34 African American students earned graduate business degrees.

• 19^th among institutions awarding undergraduate degrees to Hispanic students in computer and information sciences. Eleven undergraduate computer degrees were awarded to Hispanic students in 1996-97.

• 21^st among universities awarding bachelor’s degrees to Hispanic students in ethnic and cultural studies. Six Hispanic students earned degrees in these subjects in 1996-97.

• 32^nd among universities conferring undergraduate degrees in computer information sciences upon Asian Americans. Twenty-two Asian American students earned computer degrees in 1996-97.

• 46^th among colleges and universities awarding baccalaureate degrees in business management to Asian Americans. Fifty-six Asian American students earned undergraduate business degrees in 1996-97.

"DePaul has a longstanding commitment to attract and retain top-tier minority applicants because it understands the value of diversity in education," said Richard J. Meister, executive vice president for academic affairs. "Minority students are choosing DePaul because it is geographically accessible, embraces diversity and has competitive programs that provide excellent skills for today’s job market."

DePaul University, the largest Catholic university in the United States, had an enrollment of 18,565 students in the fall of 1998. Of those, 1,948 were African American, 1,535 were Asian American and 1,631 were Hispanic.