DePaul University has become the eighth-largest private university in the country this fall through a nine percent increase in enrollment that represents the largest single-year increase in school history. For the ninth consecutive year, DePaul University’s enrollment figures set a new university record for total number of students enrolled. Total university enrollment for fall 2002 is 23,227, an increase of 1,864 students over last year’s total.

According to recently tallied fall enrollment figures, DePaul remains the largest Catholic university in the United States, a distinction it first achieved in 1998.

DePaul enrolled a freshman class of 2,256 students, almost 17 percent larger than the freshman class of just two years ago. DePaul maintained its selectivity as a record number of 8,932 freshman applications were received by the university, a six percent increase over last year. A record number of 14,343 total undergraduate students are enrolled at DePaul this fall.

David Kalsbeek, vice president for enrollment management at DePaul, said the new figures represent a successful achievement by the whole institution, with strong gains in nearly all undergraduate and graduate programs.

"DePaul continues to broaden its wide array of high quality academic programs, and our enrollment growth is evidence of the value students find in our brand of higher education," he said. "By building our educational capacity for growth across many disciplines, across many campuses and now online, DePaul successfully provides access for a very diverse student body to a rewarding educational experience."

This year’s freshman class again reflects DePaul’s longstanding commitment to diversity, with minority students representing nearly 37 percent of the class. More than 15 percent of the class is Hispanic/Latino students, more than 11 percent of the class is Asian/Pacific Islander students and approximately ten percent of the class is African American students. Native American students make up less than one percent of the class. The class is 60 percent female. Freshmen hail from 42 different states, and 79 percent of the class is from the state of Illinois.

A total of 7,837 graduate students are registered for the fall 2002 term, an increase of nearly eight percent or 551 students over last year’s figures. The largest enrollment gains among graduate programs were in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, which witnessed growth of more than 21 percent, and the School of Education, which saw an increase of 21.5 percent. DePaul’s nationally ranked Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, which enrolls nearly 2,500 students, experienced a slight increase in enrollment. In addition, DePaul’s School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems (CTI), the largest graduate computer science program in Illinois, enrolled 2,404 students. Total law school enrollment at DePaul is 1,047, steady with last year’s figures.

Four undergraduate programs also have seen dramatic enrollment increases. The School for New Learning saw an increase of nearly 17 percent and the School of Education enrollment increased by more than 16 percent. Also, undergraduate enrollment at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences increased by more than 12 percent, and the College of Commerce experienced growth of more than nine percent.

In addition to its Lincoln Park and Loop campuses in Chicago, DePaul has campuses in Lake Forest (Barat and Conway Park), Des Plaines (O’Hare Campus), Rolling Meadows, Naperville and Oak Forest (South Campus). DePaul also offers MBA and bachelor degree programs in Hong Kong, and MBA programs in Bahrain and the Czech Republic.

Ten Largest U.S. Catholic Universities for 2002 (based on total fall enrollment)*:

1. DePaul University

2. St. John's University (N.Y.)

3. Fordham University

4. Boston College

5. Loyola University - Chicago

6. Georgetown University (D.C.)

7. University of Notre Dame

8. St. Louis University

9. Marquette University

10. University of Dayton

Ten Largest U.S. Private Universities for 2002 (based on total fall enrollment)*:

1. New York University

2. Brigham Young University

3. University of Southern California

4. Boston University

5. Harvard University

6. Columbia University

7. Northeastern University

8. DePaul University

9. George Washington University

10. University of Pennsylvania

*SOURCE: DePaul University Enrollment Management Survey