DePaul University’s fall enrollment has hit an all-time high making the nation’s largest Catholic university a continued choice for students, despite a challenging economy.

DePaul’s fall 2011 enrollment was 25,398 students, up 253 from last year. The 6,699 new student enrollment—which includes freshmen, transfer, graduate and law students— also set a record and is 8 percent greater than the number of new students enrolled last year.

“We achieved success across the board this year,” said David H. Kalsbeek, senior vice president for Enrollment Management and Marketing (EM&M). “These goals were achieved because we made critical investments in staffing and financial resources, and we executed well-planned strategies. However, our greatest asset is the breadth and depth of our portfolio of academic programs in our schools and colleges. Combine that with the fact that Chicago is a destination, world-class city with great allure to students and you have a formula that is attractive to students looking to successfully meet their educational needs in a less-than-ideal economy.”

Applications for this year’s freshman class increased dramatically with more than 16,700 students applying—about 40 percent more than last year. The final class of 2,458 is about 10 percent larger than last year’s. 

The academic profile of the freshman class also continued to improve. About 55 percent of this year’s freshmen graduated in the top quarter of their high school class, and their average ACT score was 25.4—both all-time records.

An estimated 32 percent of this fall’s freshmen are students of color. African-American students account for 7 percent of the freshman class, while 16 percent are Hispanic/Latino, 4  percent are multi-ethnic, 5 percent are Asian and 61 percent are White/Caucasian. In addition, 36 percent of new freshmen are first-generation, 12 percent are from Chicago Public Schools, 45 percent are from suburban Chicago and 19 percent are from the city of Chicago.

New undergraduate transfer enrollment is at 1,530 students, an all-time high and about 12 percent higher than last year.  

Enrollment of new graduate students grew by 6 percent, driven in part by a surge in international enrollments, particularly among Chinese students admitted to the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. This fall, 344, or 18 percent, of new master’s students are international, up from 13 percent last year. The College of Communication also saw a large proportionate increase in its new master’s enrollment. Overall, total graduate enrollment is 7,983—about the same as last year.

 DePaul also continued to chart increases in racial/ethnic diversity this fall as overall minority enrollment increased by 5 percent over fall 2010. Of the 25,398 students enrolled at DePaul this fall, 8,031, or 32 percent, are students of color.

About DePaul

With more than 25,000 students, DePaul University is the largest Catholic university in the United States and the largest private, nonprofit university in the Midwest. The university offers approximately 275 graduate and undergraduate programs of study on three Chicago campuses and three suburban campuses. Founded in 1898, DePaul remains committed to providing a quality education through personal attention to students from a wide range of backgrounds.