Drexel University

Private · Moderately Selective · PA

Photo: TexasDex (CC BY-SA 3.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationPA · Northeast

SettingUrban

Undergrads13,233

Student:faculty9:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate30.5%

6-yr grad rate78.2%

Drop-out rate10.5%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$62k

Out-of-state tuition$62k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity59.6%

Gender diversity49.2%

International9%

Identity—

Overview

Drexel University is a private research university in Philadelphia built around one of the oldest and largest cooperative education programs in the country, dating back to the early twentieth century. Rather than treating internships as optional extras, Drexel structures much of the undergraduate experience around alternating classroom terms with extended paid work placements, making professional experience central to what a Drexel degree represents from the day a student enrolls.

Academics

Engineering, computing, business through the LeBow College, and design are Drexel's strongest areas, each closely tied to the co-op system so that coursework and real workplace experience reinforce each other. The Westphal College's game design and media arts programs carry a particularly strong national reputation, and nursing is likewise well regarded, backed by the university's health sciences and clinical partnerships. Many students graduate with up to eighteen months of paid professional experience, a distinctive credential relative to peer universities, and the Pennoni Honors College offers additional depth for students who want it.

Campus & student life

Drexel sits in Philadelphia's University City neighborhood alongside the University of Pennsylvania, giving students a genuinely urban campus experience with a major research peer institution next door and the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Schuylkill River trails within easy reach. The extended co-op calendar means the student population on campus at any given time includes a mix of students on staggered schedules, which shapes a slightly different, more professionally minded social rhythm than a traditional four-year residential campus.

Getting in

Drexel's admissions process pays real attention to a student's readiness for the co-op model specifically, and applicants drawn to hands-on, career-integrated learning tend to be a strong fit; the process is holistic but practically minded, weighing intended major and career direction more heavily than at a purely liberal-arts-oriented school.

After graduation

The co-op program gives Drexel graduates an unusually direct and well-tested pipeline into full-time employment, since many students are hired by a former co-op employer or use that experience as leverage elsewhere in their job search. The alumni network is strongly oriented around professional fields, especially engineering, computing, design, and health care, with particular density in the Philadelphia region.

Worth knowing

The co-op calendar extends most students' time to degree beyond a standard four years, typically to five, which is a deliberate tradeoff for the work experience gained and something applicants and families should plan for financially and academically well before enrolling. Students should also expect to be job-searching for their first co-op placement as early as freshman or sophomore year, a different rhythm than a typical college timeline.

drexel.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate79.4%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1240–1440 · ACT 27–32

Test policyoptional

Rec letters1

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early actionNov 1

Early decisionNov 1

Regular decisionJan 15

Applying