DePaul University always has prided itself on making higher education accessible to students of all races, economic backgrounds, ethnicities and ages.

The urban university once again is reaping the rewards of its mission. It has been recognized as one of the top 100 universities in America awarding master’s and bachelor’s degrees to minorities, according to the most recent survey published in the June 5 and July 3 issues of “Black Issues in Higher Education” magazine. The survey is based on data gathered from U.S. Department of Education reports submitted by all institutions of higher education.

This is the 12th year the magazine has published rankings of U.S. colleges and universities based upon the award of baccalaureate and master’s degrees. The most recent data available comes from the 2001-2002 academic year.

While DePaul was listed in several categories, it’s most striking rankings involved computer science and commerce graduates. DePaul ranked 6th in the nation for the number of Hispanic students earning both undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science during the 2001-2002 school year. A total of 38 Hispanic undergraduates and eight graduate students earned degrees from DePaul’s School of Computer Science and Telecommunications (CTI) in 2002.

DePaul ranked 7th in the nation for Asian-Americans earning master’s degrees in business, with 99 students earning degrees from DePaul’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business in 2002.

DePaul also ranked 14th and 15th in the nation for the number of Asian-Americans earning master’s and undergraduate degrees in computer science, respectively. Also in computer science, DePaul ranked 23rd in the nation for African-American students earning master’s degrees.

“At a time when the value of student diversity on America’s college campuses is being so widely debated, DePaul’s success in attracting a rich diversity of students to its nationally recognized academic programs is exemplary,” said David Kalsbeek, vice president for Enrollment Management at DePaul. “It is one hallmark of a university committed to a mission of serving a rapidly changing urban society.”

Other rankings for DePaul include:

* 27th and 28th among institutions conferring graduate business degrees upon African-Americans and Hispanics, respectively. Fifty-four African-American and 31 Hispanic students earned graduate degrees in commerce in 2002.

* 12th in the nation among universities awarding master’s degrees in mathematics to Asian-Americans.

* 17th and 20th in the nation among universities awarding law degrees to Hispanics and American Indians, respectively.

* 25th in the nation among institutions awarding law degrees to both Asian-American and African-American students.

* 29th and 44th in the nation for institutions awarding professional degrees to Hispanic and American Indian students, respectively.

* 28th overall among universities awarding master’s degrees to Asian-Americans. This group earned a total of 158 such degrees during the 2001-2002 year.

* 64th among universities awarding master’s degrees to African-Americans, with 125 degrees awarded during the 2001-2002 year.

* 71st among the top 100 universities conferring master’s degrees on Hispanics. They earned 65 master’s degrees in 2001-2002.

* 79th in the nation for Hispanic baccalaureates and 80th for Asian-American baccalaureate degrees awarded. DePaul awarded 233 and 210, respectively.

Founded in 1898 by the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians) Catholic religious community, DePaul emphasizes academic excellence, service to the community, access to education and respect for the individual.

In addition to its Lincoln Park and Loop campuses in Chicago, DePaul has campuses in Lake Forest (Barat), Des Plaines (O’Hare), Rolling Meadows, Naperville and Oak Forest.