Private nonprofit · University

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois · Large city

75.9%
Admit rate
$30,902
Avg net price
68%
Graduation rate
$68,751
Median earnings

DePaul University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Chicago, Illinois (large city setting), enrolling 14,090 undergraduates. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 14,090 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 76% admitNCAA Division I without footballCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against DePaul University's admitted students.

Admit rate
75.9%
SAT (mid 50%)
1140–1330
Avg GPA (est.)
3.56

Enter a test score to see where you land against DePaul University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and DePaul University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Chicago, Illinois

Chicago is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. The first known permanent settler in Chicago was a trader, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable. Du Sable was of African descent, perhaps born in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (Haiti), and he established the settlement in the 1780s. He is commonly known as the "Founder of Chicago". Chicago has the third-largest gross metropolitan product in the United States—about $670.5 billion according to September 2017 estimates. The city has also been rated as having the most balanced economy in the United States, due to its high level of diversification. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
Chicago, IL
To Great Lakes shore
1 mile
Nearest airport
9 miles to Chicago Midway (MDW) · major hub

How DePaul University compares

Selectivity75.9%

More selective than 53% · #28 most selective of 58 in Illinois

SAT average1262

Higher than 73%

Graduation rate68%

Higher than 74% · #13 of 58 in Illinois

First-year retention86%

Higher than 77%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$68,751

Higher than 82% · #15 of 66 in Illinois

Average net price$30,902

Cheaper than 14% · #53 cheapest of 57 in Illinois

Median debt at graduation$23,168

Lower than 51%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment14,090

Larger than 92%

Percentiles compare DePaul University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Illinois.

DePaul University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

21,112students
  • Undergraduate14,09067%
  • Graduate7,02233%

Undergraduates by gender

14,090undergrads
  • Women7,75055%
  • Men6,34045%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White44%
  • Black7.8%
  • Hispanic25%
  • Asian13%
  • Other or multiracial10%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
14,090
Graduate enrollment
7,022
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
32%
First-generation students
30%
Students over 25
10%
Median family income
$48,556
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$114,453
Endowment
$1,025,211,000

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 2,943 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Illinois69%
  • Other U.S. states30%
  • International0.9%

A regional draw: about 69% of first-years come from Illinois, the rest from elsewhere.

1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
75.9%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1140–1330
SAT average
1262
SAT reading
580–670
SAT math
560–660
ACT composite
25–31
Average GPA (estimated)
3.56

Cost

In-state tuition
$45,999
Room & board
$19,095
Books & supplies
$1,104
Total cost of attendance
$63,052
Average net price
$30,902

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
68%
Graduated on time (4 years)
55%
First-year retention
86%
Transferred to another college
18%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$54,695
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$68,751
Median debt at graduation
$23,168
Students with federal loans
46%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
57%

About 13% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
55%
Low-income (Pell)
60%
First-generation
60%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
2,736
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
19%
Housing charge (year)
$11,691
Meal plan (year)
$6,777
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division I without football
Varsity athletes
305 (140 men · 165 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (7)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)154
Soccer61
Basketball30
Softball20
Tennis17
Volleyball15
Golf8

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
48
Property offenses (2022–2024)
32

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (21,210 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

27reported offenses a year
16 violent a year11 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
9.0
Rape
5.0
Fondling
4.3
Aggravated assault
4.0
Robbery
2.7
Motor vehicle theft
1.3
Arson
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$27,359
$30–48k
$25,950
$48–75k
$28,687
$75–110k
$31,057
$110k+
$37,092

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$122,891

$28,687/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

99%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$24,057
average award, among those who get one

DePaul University discounts heavily: 99% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $24,057. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 2,961 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$68,751
Typical debt at graduation
$23,168
Debt vs. one year's pay
34%
Out-earn a HS grad
73%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.4 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$64,727
Men
$76,314

Men out-earn women by $11,587 (18%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
81°F
Winter low
20°F
Annual rain
34.4″
Annual snow
38.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.04.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Chicago Northerly IS, IL US station (1.8 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to DePaul University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare DePaul University side by side →

Colleges near DePaul University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.