DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois
The legacies of Saint Vincent de Paul and Saint Louise de Marillac are embodied in DePaul University’s approach to education and service. At DePaul, students share a common desire to serve their communities and the world with purpose.
With over 300 undergraduate programs, the breadth of academic excellence at DePaul is vast and varied. The university’s world-class faculty are experts in their field who bring their years of experience to the classroom every day. Although DePaul’s faculty are conducting groundbreaking, award-winning research everyday, their biggest priority is the success of their students. Classes are small to maximize engagement between students and professors. Students are challenged to meet their potential and inspired to reach their goals.
Get to know DePaul University
College Highlights
FOCAL POINT SEMINAR
Offered during the winter and spring quarters, each Focal Point Seminar employs a multidisciplinary approach to investigate a significant person, place, event, text, or idea. As with the Chicago Quarter, students may choose from an array of more than 90 course offerings taught by faculty from throughout the university.
The first guiding principle of the seminar is that an understanding of a particular topic is deepened when various perspectives are applied to it. This is achieved when faculty members apply their unique experiences to the subject they’re teaching. A second guiding principle is that students learn best when they are active. The Focal Point Seminar emphasizes the back-and-forth, interactive approach to learning and engagement. Students are encouraged to participate with enthusiasm by embracing opportunities to think, read, and listen critically.
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
Whether it’s a mission to Mars or the supply chain on steroids, there are new and exciting problems for DePaul students to solve. Research is integral to the student experience, so students will find many opportunities to make their mark on the world. Research isn’t reserved just for STEM majors, either. Students are encouraged to explore undergraduate research opportunities regardless of their major. Faculty are active participants and leaders in various professional organizations, centers, and initiatives that focus on research and creative activity.
DEPAUL DISCOVERIES
DePaul is proud to showcase the innovative research produced by its students in its undergraduate research journal, DePaul Discoveries. This journal was created in 2012 to highlight the research achievements of DePaul undergraduate students in the newly formed College of Science and Health. DePaul Discoveries provides a forum for sharing original research in a peer-reviewed, professional-level, open-access journal.
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SHOWCASE
The annual Undergraduate Research Showcase allows undergraduate students in the College of Science and Health to present research they have conducted over the last year to both the DePaul and local communities.
CHICAGO AREA UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM (CAURS):
The Chicago Area Undergraduate Research Symposium (CAURS) is an annual, student-coordinated research symposium created in partnership with several area universities—primarily DePaul, Northwestern, Loyola, ITT, Roosevelt, and the University of Chicago. This symposium is specifically for undergraduates in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities, but any undergraduate may present research they have done at DePaul or through an external program.
GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT
The Office of Global Engagement provides DePaul students with a wealth of education abroad offerings, ranging in duration, cost, program type, cross-cultural engagement, and academic discipline.
- Long-Term Programs: Study in Australia, Asia, Europe, Latin America, or the Middle East for a semester or year.
- Short-Term Programs: Take class on campus, then travel with a faculty member in December, during the spring break, or over the summer.
- FY Abroad Programs: Designed specifically for first-year students, these short-ter, faculty-led programs help new college students explore over the spring break or in the summer.
- Identities Abroad: This abroad experience is focused on topics of diversity and identity, providing scholarship funding for eligible students.
ENROLLMENT BY ETHNICITY
Non-U.S. Citizen: 2%
Hispanic/Latinx: 21%
Black or African American, non-Hispanic: 8%
White, non-Hispanic: 51%
Native/Indigenous American or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: 0%
Asian, non-Hispanic: 11%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic: 0%
Two or more races, non-Hispanic: 5%
Race and/or ethnicity unknown: 2%
FIRST-YEAR PROGRAM
All DePaul students complete a two-part Liberal Studies Core, the curriculum of which is themed around the city of Chicago—students are even taught how to navigate the L. There are over 100 sections of the program, all led by a faculty member, a staff member, and a peer mentor. With under 30 students in each section, everyone can easily engage with their core DePaul team.
The Liberal Studies Program is the common curriculum taken by all students within the seven undergraduate colleges of DePaul University. Overall, the program is designed to develop students’ writing abilities, computational and technological proficiencies, and critical and creative thinking skills. Some notable liberal studies courses introduce the institution’s unique Catholic, Vincentian, and urban mission and identity; opportunities for community service can be included in the course!
While the liberal studies curriculum itself is quite varied, the program as a whole shares six common learning goals:
- Mastery of Content
- Intellectual and Creative Skills
- Personal and Social Responsibility
- Intercultural and Global Understanding
- Integration of Learning
- Preparation for Career and Beyond
FIRST-YEAR WRITING PROGRAM
The First-Year Writing Program, a unit within the department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse, provides courses to nearly all university students. The program aims to help students learn to read and write critically within the context of the university as they prepare for reading and writing in the world beyond. Students develop their writing skills guided by the following principles:
- Literacies: Literacy goes beyond the ability to read and write. Rather, literacies at DePaul focuses on the distinctive ways of reading, writing, thinking, speaking, persuading, and listening.
- Reflection: Focused and sustained reflection is key to developing a student’s ability to process and transfer knowledge.
- Language as a Social Process: Language is, at heart, collaborative; hence, dialogue with others is crucial for helping students situate themselves as writers, readers, and thinkers in the world.
- Knowledge as a Transaction: Rather than viewing knowledge as a commodity, students at DePaul are encouraged to understand it as a complex, give-and-take process between multiple participants.
- Support and Engagement: Learning to write in new genres and contexts is an extraordinarily complex activity—one that naturally requires support. A student’s writing ability is nurtured and supported at every turn.
CAPSTONE
Students are required to take a Liberal Studies capstone course in their major field during their senior year. Some Liberal Studies capstone courses may be offered jointly for students in related majors and fields of study. These courses provide students with an opportunity to integrate their major area of study with broader issues raised in their general education program. The Liberal Studies capstone experience allows students to see the relationship between the ideas, perspectives, and substantive areas of scholarship within their major and those learned through the other courses and experiences of the Liberal Studies Program.
SPECIAL STUDY OPTIONS
Programs available at this institution.
Accelerated program
Distance learning
Double major
English as a second language (ESL)
Honors Program
Independent study
Internships
Liberal arts/career combination
Study abroad
Teacher certification program
Weekend College
IRWIN W. STEANS CENTER
Student development is critical to the mission of the Steans Center and DePaul, which is positioned to equip students with the knowledge and experience necessary to help them develop into future leaders and socially conscious citizens. This comes in part from the hands-on, real-world approach of community-based service-learning that students experience through coursework, training, workshops, and social justice reflection assignments. There are a wide variety of opportunities to get involved, including:
- Student employment at the Steans Center
- Scholarships
- Community-based research assistant opportunities
- Internships with community organizations and schools
- Events and workshops
- Service-learning study abroad
STUDENT LIFE
DePaul has more than 350 student organizations dedicated to community service, student government, professional development, recreational sports, and more.
SCHOOL LOCATION
Located in the heart of Chicago, DePaul University offers students a unique opportunity to live and learn in one of the nation’s most thriving cities. DePaul’s proximity to Chicago’s business district means students have a leg up when it comes to finding internships, experiential learning opportunities, and lucrative connections with alumni. DePaul’s beautiful campuses are steps away from 50 museums, 26 miles of lakefront, 20 annual music festivals, and over 30 fortune 500 companies.
Lincoln Park Campus: DePaul’s eclectic and lively Lincoln Park campus is nestled on the border of Lake Michigan in the residential and retail hub of Lincoln Park. This campus is home to five of DePaul’s colleges and schools:
- College of Education
- College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
- College of Science and Health
- School of Music
- The Theatre School
Loop Campus: Located in the city’s largest business district, the Loop campus embodies the vibrant energy of downtown Chicago. The Loop campus is home to five of DePaul’s colleges and schools:
- College of Business
- College of Law
- School of Continuing and Professional Studies
- College of Communication
- College of Computing and Digital Media
ATHLETICS
DePaul Blue Demons
- Men’s Sports: Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Soccer, Tennis, Track & Field
- Women’s Sports: Basketball, Cross Country, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, Track & Field, Volleyball
RESIDENCE LIFE
Percent of students living on campus.
First-time, first-year (freshman) students: 66%
Undergraduates: 19%
Campus housing options.
Coed dorms
Apartments for single students
Special housing for students with disabilities
Special housing for international students
Theme housing
Wellness housing
DEPAUL CAREER CENTER
Internships, facilitated by the DePaul Career Center, are an excellent way to explore career pathways while building a strong professional network within a field of interest. Plus, internships are career catalysts. Internship experience can help land a full-time role after graduation, as employers seek out candidates with tangible work experience and relevant skills.
INTERNSHIP PLUS PROGRAM
The Internship Plus program was established to support DePaul University students who demonstrate financial need while they participate in unpaid internships. This program awards up to $2500 in financial assistance to eligible undergraduate students working in a quarter-long unpaid internship.
CAREER COMMUNITIES
Career Communities are each student’s guide for exploring, making connections, and launching a career in a specific field of interest. Communities provide information, opportunities for exploration and experience, and mutual support in a variety of ways. Through these communities, students will cultivate professional skills with guidance from career advisors, industry experts, alumni, faculty, and employers in their chosen field of interest.
Admission
ADMISSIONS FACTORS
Very Important
Rigor of secondary school record | Academic GPA | Standardized test scores
Important
Class rank | Recommendation(s)
Considered
Application essay
FRESHMAN PROFILE
SAT Composite
25th Percentile: 1080 | 75th Percentile: 1280
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing
25th Percentile: 540 | 75th Percentile: 650
SAT Math
25th Percentile: 530 | 75th Percentile: 640
Tuition & Cost
Tuition: $40,551
Fees: $651
Room: $10,647
Board: $4,446
What Others are Saying
Contact DePaul University
Contact Admissions
depaul.edu/admission-and-aid/
(312) 362-8300
admission@depaul.edu
Campus Location
1 E. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604
(312) 362-8000