Strong student interest – especially from transfer students – has pushed DePaul University’s enrollment to an all-time high, according to fall 2008 figures.

Total enrollment at the university for the 2008 academic year is 24,352, a 4 percent increase over last year’s enrollment of 23,401. This also tops DePaul’s previous enrollment record of 23,610 set in 2003. As a result of the enrollment increase, DePaul moved from ninth to eighth place in ranking of the largest private universities in the United States.

A significant factor in the enrollment increase was the growth of transfer students which was up 13 percent over the prior year.  It reflects the success of new efforts aimed at students transferring from other institutions. “Nationally, the majority of undergraduates now have courses from more than one institution on their college transcript,” said David Kalsbeek, DePaul’s senior vice president for Enrollment Management and Marketing. “Our outreach and openness to transfer students is an acknowledgement of that new reality.”

This year’s freshman class of 2,555 also is a record.  Drawn from the University’s largest applicant pool of 12,942, the class retains its strength in academic quality, with a mean ACT test score of nearly 25 and a mean grade-point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. The freshman class also maintains DePaul’s tradition of diversity, with minority students making up approximately 30 percent of the class.

Successful new programs continue to be key to enrollment growth at DePaul. Last year’s launch of the College of Communication, formerly a department in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the newly renamed and restructured College of Computing and Digital Media, both have drawn greater interest and enrollment demand at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Graduate and law school enrollment has held steady at 8,570, with 1,756 new students registering this fall, fueled by double-digit percentage growth in the School of Education and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Slightly more than one-third of freshmen came from out of state, another record. Jon Boeckenstedt, associate vice president for Enrollment Management, said DePaul’s growing reputation for academic quality helped boost awareness of the university among more applicants and high school guidance counselors from across the country. The university has seen increased interest from prospective students in states and regions such as California, Texas, Florida and the Washington, D.C. corridor, Boeckenstedt said.

Undergraduate enrollment stands at 15,782, showing no effects from the economic downturn thus far. However, DePaul officials are preparing for what could be a prolonged economic slump.

“We are celebrating a great class, but we are keeping an eye on the economy as we move forward,” Boeckenstedt said. Shrinking college loan availability, which has affected students and their families at other institutions, has had less impact at DePaul because of the university's decision more than a decade ago to participate in the Federal Direct Loan program. Nevertheless, he said the economic squeeze on families will continue to be a challenge for those considering private institutions and the university is exploring ways to keep education accessible during trying economic times.

For more than 10 years, DePaul has ranked as the nation’s largest Catholic university and among the 10 largest private universities in the United States.  DePaul offers undergraduate and graduate programs of study in the liberal arts and sciences, commerce, computer science, communication, law, education, music and theatre.  In addition to its Lincoln Park and Loop campuses in Chicago, DePaul has campuses in Des Plaines, Naperville, Oak Forest and Rolling Meadows.