Drew University

Private · Moderately Selective · NJ

Photo: Jim.henderson (CC0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationNJ · Northeast

SettingSuburban

Undergrads1,533

Student:faculty11:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate62.6%

6-yr grad rate70.5%

Drop-out rate11.6%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$47k

Out-of-state tuition$47k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity44.3%

Gender diversity55.6%

International10.7%

IdentityUnited Methodist

Overview

Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, calls itself "the University in the Forest" for its wooded, park-like campus, situated less than an hour by train from Manhattan.

Academics

The liberal arts core is delivered through small seminars, and Drew's semester-long immersion programs are its most distinctive academic feature — students embed directly in New York City institutions on Wall Street, at the United Nations, or in professional theatre, earning academic credit for work done inside those settings rather than through a typical internship-plus-class arrangement. A Methodist-rooted theological school shares the campus and occasionally cross-pollinates with undergraduate religion and humanities coursework.

Campus & student life

The wooded campus feels secluded despite its closeness to New York, and easy train access means students genuinely use the city as an extension of campus life rather than an occasional day trip. Life is otherwise quiet and residential, centered on small classes and close faculty relationships.

Getting in

Drew practices holistic, seminar-culture-conscious admission, looking for students who will contribute to small discussion-based classes; essays and demonstrated intellectual curiosity carry real weight given the university's discussion-driven pedagogy.

After graduation

The New York semester immersion programs give Drew graduates genuine networking footholds in finance, media, theatre, and international affairs well beyond what the university's size would otherwise suggest.

Worth knowing

The Wall Street, UN, and theatre semesters are the university's signature offering and function as a defining feature of the undergraduate experience rather than an optional add-on.

drew.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate67.8%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1103–1338 · ACT 24–30

Test policyoptional

Rec letters—

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying