About DePaul

DePaul is known and respected for its more than 275 graduate and undergraduate programs, and for the high caliber students who graduate with our degrees. We think the recognition and rankings are evidence of a challenging, very current learning environment that does more than just guide students through academic hoops.

When our professors aren’t teaching, many of them are working in Chicago as consultants, researchers, lawyers and entrepreneurs. Not surprisingly, their teaching style incorporates a variety of real-world examples and applications—the world is both brought into the classroom, and the classroom is taken out to engage in the world, where students are considered partners in research and community action.

Chicago itself is an ideal classroom, so we take full advantage of it, for everything from research and internships to museums and service learning opportunities. The city helps bring theory to life and synthesizes learning across disciplines in very current and practical ways.

 

Connections throughout Chicago—from professors who are active in research and consulting, to a network of more than 86,000 alumni in the metropolitan area—lead to many important educational and future career opportunities for our students.

Students describe our professors are personable and engaging, because they actually get to know them—more than 98 percent of all classes are taught by faculty members, not teaching assistants. With fewer than 40 students in the average class, our faculty know the names, concerns and goals of individuals. In other words, they care.

 

As a result of DePaul's real-world approach to teaching, our students are challenged to think, problem-solve, and apply their knowledge—long before they graduate. No wonder 93 percent of employers report they are pleased with the caliber of DePaul graduates.

We are the largest Catholic university in the country; we’re also widely known for welcoming students and employees from all ethnicities, religions and backgrounds. Some might see those two facts as conflicting, but we see them as complementary. By nurturing diversity and being intentional about incorporating multiple viewpoints into academic and student life, we are providing learning experiences that better reflect—and prepare students for—the world.

Our service-learning program, built on our Catholic heritage and Vincentian ideals​, is nationally recognized. Saint Vincent de Paul lived a life dedicated to inclusiveness and serving others, which inspires us to take theory and knowledge, and translate them to meaningful action. This may not always be a top priority for incoming students, but by graduation they see the value in what they’ve learned through service, and appreciate the built-in opportunities to help others.

 

We have more than 45 specialized centers and institutes focused on addressing social justice issues, and our faculty is committed to integrating service opportunities into the curriculum. This combination takes learning to a whole new level: During our students' time at DePaul, they don't just do, they also understand.