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ENROLLMENT FACTS

Fall 2007 Enrollment Overview


Each fall, DePaul University releases its enrollment figures. The following reflects highlights from the Fall 2007 Enrollment Summary.

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University Enrollment


DePaul University's fall 2007 total enrollment is 23,401.

DePaul is the largest Catholic university in the nation. DePaul is also the ninth largest private, not-for-profit university in the nation and the largest in the Midwest.

DePaul's total enrollment of 23,401 represents a diverse student body in terms of ethnicity, geography and other demographics. These students come from all 50 states and more than 100 countries. A total of 54% are women, and 26% are students of color. From 1987 to 2007, DePaul's total enrollment grew by 71%.

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Undergraduate Enrollment


Fall 2007 marks the 11th consecutive year of undergraduate enrollment growth. A record number of undergraduates, 15,024, enrolled for this fall term, an increase of 3% since 2003.

This year, 80% of undergraduates (12,045) are full time, compared with 74% in 2003 and 62% in 1997. Full-time enrollment has increased 11% since 2003, while part-time enrollment has declined by 20%. SNL's enrollment is almost exclusively part time (92%), followed by CTI at 21%.

A total of 3,454 undergraduates, or 23%, are 24 years of age or older, compared with 29% in 2003. Half of these students (53%) are in SNL; 70% are enrolled part time. While more than half of all undergraduates 24 years or older are women, only 22% of all women enrolled are 24 years or older. Twenty-four percent of all men enrolled this fall are 24 years of age or older.

Thirty percent of this year's undergraduates are seniors up from 27% in 2003.

From 1997 to 2007, undergraduate enrollment has grown 40% and continues to grow as a share of total enrollment, increasing from 60% in 1997 to 64% in 2007.

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Freshman Class


DePaul welcomed 2,522 freshmen in fall 2007. compared with 2,537 in fall 2006. This is an increase of 261 freshmen since 2003 (12%), and more than doubles the freshman class of 1997.

By Academic Profile
Measures of academic preparedness of the fall 2007 freshman class improved over 2003. The average high school GPA is 3.4, compared with 3.3 in 2003. The percentage of freshmen who graduated in the top 10% of their high school classes has increased from 17% in 2003 to 20% this year.

The average ACT composite score was 24.6 this year, with the middle 50% of the class scoring between 22 and 27. In 2003, the average ACT was 23.4, and the middle 50% of the class scored between 21 and 26. Nationally, the average ACT composite was 21.2 in 2007, and only one-fourth of all test takers nationally scored above DePaul's median of 24.

By Gender and Ethnicity
The fall 2007 freshman class is 42% male, compared with 40% in 2003.

Compared to 32% in 2003, the freshman class is 27% minority. The proportion who did not report ethnicity has doubled from 5% in 2003 to 10% in 2007. Based only on those who report ethnicity in 2007, the freshman class is 30% minority. This fall, DePaul enrolled: By Geography
From 2003 to 2007, in-state freshman enrollment grew by 4% and out-of-state enrollment grew by 33%.

Almost half of this year's freshmen are from the Chicago suburbs (47%), up from 43% in 2003. Another 30% were from out of state, compared with 25% in 2003. Enrollment of freshmen from the city of Chicago is 16%, compared with 25% in 2003.

Seventy-five percent of full-time freshmen live in the residence halls, compared with 64% in 2003.

First-generation Freshmen
Enrolling this fall are 763 first-generation freshmen (30%), from families where neither parent has a college degree.

Half of these students come from the Chicago suburbs and another 24% from the city of Chicago. Twenty-two percent were in the top 10% of their high school classes.

These freshmen enrolled in all colleges, with Education having the largest proportion of first-generation freshmen (39%), followed by Commerce (37%). Compared with 75% of the freshman class at large, 61% of full-time first-generation freshmen live in residence halls.

Sixty-one percent of this year's first-generation freshmen are women. Hispanic/Latino and African-American students make up 26% of the first-generation freshmen, and 45% of all Hispanic/Latino and African-American freshmen are first-generation.

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Freshman Enrollment Trends


Demand for admission to DePaul from the traditional high school market remained strong as a result of the university's successful recruitment and improved market position and prominence. DePaul received 12,468 applications for fall 2007, 20% more than the 10,414 in 2006.

Since 1997, freshman applications have more than doubled, and this, coupled with the strong yield rates, has resulted in a doubling of the freshman class and a substantial improvement in academic selectivity (down to 63% from 81%).

From 2003 to 2007, total freshman applications grew by 32%. Applications from African-American inquiries were up by 32%, applications from Asian inquiries were up by 23%, and applications were up by 19% for Hispanic/Latino inquiries. While applications from students of color increased, as a share of overall applications they declined from 34% to 32%.

Applications from suburban inquiries grew by 31% from 2003 to 2007, but held at about 37% of the application pool. Applications from out-of-state inquiries increased by 52%, up from 33% to 39% of the pool. Applications from Chicago inquiries increased by 3%, but declined as a share of total applications from 23% to 18%.

Freshman applications have increased 20% since 2006 and 32% since 2003.

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Retention and Graduation Rates


Returning in fall 2007 for their sophomore year were 83.7% of the fall 2006 full-time freshmen. In general, freshman retention rates have been consistent over the recent period of dramatic growth in freshman enrollment. The average retention rate for freshmen entering from 1991 to 1995 was 81.5%, compared with 83.3% for those entering from 1996 to 2000, and 83.2% from 2001 to 2006.

In 2001, DePaul enrolled a total of 2,041 full-time freshmen. A total of 81.6% of these students returned for their sophomore year. Six years later, 62.1% of these full-time freshmen had graduated from DePaul. For the 1996 to 2001 freshman classes, the six-year graduation rate has ranged between 61.1% and 64.1%.

At the close of the 2006-07 academic year, DePaul had awarded a total of 5,554 degrees: 2,842 bachelor's degrees, 2,319 master's degrees, 29 doctoral degrees, 359 juris doctor (J.D.) degrees and 5 master of laws (LL.M.) degrees.

Of the 2,842 bachelor's degree recipients, 49% originally enrolled at DePaul as freshmen, 46% enrolled as transfers and 5% enrolled as non-degree students.

In addition, 33% of these degrees were awarded to students of color.

Seventy percent of the 2,842 undergraduates who received bachelor's degrees in 2006-07 received their degrees in four years or less.

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Transfer Student Enrollment


A total of 1,341 new undergraduate transfer students enrolled in fall 2007, up from 1,241 last year, but 3% fewer than the all-time high of 1,387 in 2002.

Until 1997, the number of new fall transfers generally equaled the number of new freshmen enrolled each fall, but the strategic emphasis in Vision 2006 on freshman enrollment growth shifted this ratio. By 2006, 33% of new degree-seeking undergraduates were transfers, compared with 48% in 1997.

In 2007, VISION twenty12 focused additional emphasis on transfer enrollment. This fall, transfers account for 35% of new degree-seeking undergraduates.

Compared with 2003, the 2007 transfer class is more full time, more male and younger. Eighty-two percent of new transfers are full time, 49% are men, and 72% are under 24 years of age. Half of the transfers 24 or older enrolled in SNL (47%). Fifty-two percent of transfers entered DePaul as sophomores and another 32% as juniors and seniors.

By Ethnicity
In 2007, 26% of all new transfers are students of color compared with 24% in 2003. There has been a large increase in students not reporting ethnicity (up from 6% to 23%). Based only on those who report ethnicity in 2007, the transfer class is 34% minority, compared with 30% of new freshmen. This fall, DePaul enrolled: By Geography
DePaul remains a top destination for transfer students in Illinois. More than half (55%) of the new transfer students are from suburban Chicago, with another 28% from the city of Chicago. Since 2003, the proportion of transfer students who are from out of state has increased from 8% to 11%.

Illinois community colleges are the leading source of these new transfer students, accounting for 54% in fall 2007 and up from 41% in fall 2003. A smaller percentage of new transfer students came from Illinois' public universities (10%) and private institutions (6%). In addition, 29% transferred in from out-of-state institutions.

Of the 717 transfer students from Illinois community colleges, 66% were from suburban Chicago, 33% were minority students, and 73% were under 24 years of age. The three top community colleges sending students to DePaul were College of DuPage, Oakton Community College and William Rainey Harper College.

While only 11% of the new fall transfers in 2007 reside out of state, 29% listed an out-of-state institution as their school last attended.

Trends
During the past 10 years, demand for admission to DePaul from the transfer and returning adult market has grown as the result of the university's successful recruitment and strong market position and prominence. This strong demand was evidenced by increases in applications and new enrollments from 1997 to 2002.

From 2002 to 2006, transfer applications held steady at around 3,500, while new enrollments went from 1,387 to 1,241, a decline of 11%. This decrease was due to a declining admit rate and lower yield rate.

In fall 2007, applications and new transfer enrollment increased. Applications and the number admitted were each up 13% and, even with a slightly lower yield rate than last year (53%), new student enrollment increased 8%.

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Graduate and Professional Enrollment


A total of 7,353 graduate students registered for the fall 2007 term, compared with 7,873 in 2003.

A total of 1,745 new graduate students registered this fall, up 3% from 1,692 last year, but 4% fewer than the record 1,826 in 2002. The largest gain in new students from 2006 to 2007 was the College of Communication, up from 33 students to 68, followed by KGSB, which was up 5% to 475 students.

Professional Enrollment
The College of Law welcomed 320 new juris doctor students with a total enrollment of 1,024, compared with 1,095 in 2006.

Doctoral Enrollment
In 2007, DePaul enrolled 212 doctoral students, down by 7% from 228 in 2003. Almost half were enrolled in LA&S (44%), with another 35% in Education and 21% in CTI. Doctoral enrollment accounts for 3% of all graduate enrollment.

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Diversity


In 2007, DePaul enrolled 6,159 students of color. Minority enrollment accounts for 26% of the total enrollment, 30% of undergraduate enrollment, 21% of professional enrollment, and 20% of graduate enrollment.

Since 1997, Hispanic/Latino enrollment has grown by 49%, Asian/Pacific enrollment by 31%, Native American enrollment by 37%, and African-American enrollment by 8%.

International Students
In 2007, 904 students have international status (F1, J1 or other visa types), compared with 796 in 2006, an increase of 14%. International students represent 4% of total university enrollment. These students come from more than 100 countries, with the highest concentration of students coming from India, China and Thailand. Almost half (42%) of these international students are enrolled in CTI.

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Campuses


Half of all credit hours in fall 2007 were generated at the Lincoln Park Campus (51%), as was the case in 2003. In 2007, the Loop Campus generated 41% of total credit hours, compared to 38% in 2003.

In addition, in fall 2007 another 11,072 credit hours were generated through online learning, up 86% from 2003. This fall, online hours account for 4% of the total credit hours, compared with 2% in 2003. A total of 2,099 students registered for online courses, including 978 undergraduate and 1,121 graduate students.

Of the students registering for online courses, 60% of undergraduates and 74% of graduates were exclusively online, not simultaneously enrolled in other campus-based courses. Of these, 34% were from outside Illinois and 40% were from the Chicago suburbs.

Suburban campuses generated 5,799 credit hours in fall 2007, or 2% of total credit hours, down 51% since 2003, when suburban hours accounted for 5% of all credit hours.

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National Comparisons


From 1997 to 2007, the 10 largest Catholic institutions grew by 17%, or about 21,000 students. DePaul grew by 31%, or 6,000 students, accounting for 28% of the growth at these institutions.

Overall, the top 10 private, not-for-profit universities enrolled 286,771 students in 2007 and have grown by 6% since 2003, while DePaul has been steady. Of these institutions, the two fastest growing in the past five years are: Boston University with 10% growth to 32,053 students in 2007; and New York University with 9% growth to 41,783 students, remaining the largest private university in 2007.

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