DePaul is among the top 25 colleges and universities for Hispanic students, according to a national ranking in a recent issue of Hispanic Magazine.

     The publication's March issue ranked DePaul 17th among the top 25 higher education institutions deemed best for Hispanics based on criteria such as successful recruitment and retention of Latino students, and enrollment figures that mirror the country's 10 percent Hispanic population. DePaul's fall enrollment included 1,778 Hispanic students, or about nine percent of the overall student population. The magazine also considered academic excellence, the number of Latino-related degree programs, Hispanic student organizations and support programs, and Hispanic faculty.

     "DePaul has a long history of commitment to diversity, educational access and outreach to underserved communities," said David Kalsbeek, vice president for Enrollment Management. "This citation is a recognition of those aspects of the university's mission and an affirmation of the overall quality of the DePaul experience for Latino students."

     Other ranking criteria included the number of graduating Latinos. For this statistic, the magazine referred to the Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education's 1999 Top 100 list, which included DePaul in several categories. DePaul ranked 19th nationally in computer science bachelor's degrees, 61st in business and management bachelor's degrees, 72nd in master's degrees and 90th in bachelor's degrees awarded to Hispanics, based on 1997 National Center for Education statistics.

     DePaul's inclusion in the list was notable because most of the colleges and universities listed by the magazine are located in states with significantly larger Hispanic populations.