Drexel University Acceptance Rate, Ranking, & Tuition – 2025

October 31, 2025

drexel university acceptance rate ranking tuition notable alumni

Ranked #2 in the country in placing students in internships, practicums, and cooperative education experience by U.S. News and World Report, Drexel University is a great fit for students who are looking to jumpstart their careers. Students take part in the Drexel Co-op, which 鈥減rovides them with opportunities to gain up to 18 months of real-world work experience with respected organizations from around the globe,鈥 according to the university. The Drexel campus is located in the heart of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, providing access to opportunities in healthcare, biotechnology, tourism, and several Fortune 500 companies. In today’s blog, we’ll explore the Drexel University acceptance rate and more.

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Drexel Acceptance Rate

For entry into the Class of 2028, Drexel received 37,314 applications. Of these dragon-hopefuls, Drexel accepted 29,642 students, giving Drexel a staggeringly high 79% acceptance rate. Let’s look at some historical admissions data for context.

Applicants Admits Acceptance Rate
Class of 2027 40,204 31,171 77%
Class of 2026 37,040 29,487 80%
Class of 2025 34,519 28,522 83%

What’s the minimum SAT or ACT score for Drexel?

Drexel is an SAT/ACT optional school. Among the 41 percent of students who submitted scores in Fall 2024, the median SAT and ACT scores broke down like this:聽

  • SAT Critical Reading: 620-700聽
  • SAT Math: 620-740聽
  • ACT Composite: 27-32

Who gets into Drexel University?

In terms of diversity, the Class of 2028 is about as diverse as you’d think. The racial and ethnic profile looks like this:

  • Native American: 0.1%
  • Asian: 26.1%
  • Black or African American: 11.7%聽
  • Hispanic: 10%
  • International: 10.3%聽
  • Pacific Islander: 0.1%
  • More than one Race: 5.2%
  • White: 34%聽
  • Race or Ethnicity Unknown: 2.5%聽

Drexel University History

Drexel was founded in 1891 as the Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry by , who was a financier and philanthropist. The school changed form several times before officially becoming Drexel University in 1970. Throughout its history, the university has always been privately controlled.聽

Today, Drexel is one of America鈥檚 many private, non-profit, R-1 research universities. Other examples include Carnegie Mellon University, Villanova University, and Emory 鲍苍颈惫别谤蝉颈迟测.听

In the early 1990s, Drexel was facing historic lows in enrollment, even boarding up dormitories because of a lack of students.聽

Starting in 1995, however, Drexel underwent an era of 鈥渦nprecedented growth and excellence,鈥 under former university president Constantine Papadakis, according to the school. In Papadakis鈥 13-plus years, total enrollment at Drexel grew by more than 130 percent. Full-time undergraduate enrollment increased by more than 144 percent. At that same time, selectivity in admissions also increased; freshmen applications grew by nearly 700 percent. The median SAT score rose to 1202 in that same time.聽

In its 鈥淧apadakis era,鈥 Drexel also merged with the then-bankrupt Allegheny University of the Health Sciences, creating the Drexel University College of Medicine. In 2005, Drexel became the first top-ranked doctoral university in the U.S. to open a law school in more than 25 years.聽

With major changes to the university landscape in the last few decades, Drexel is a compelling East Coast choice for competitive students.

Drexel University Rankings

There’s no doubt that Drexel is a world-class institution. Here are some of its notable rankings.

  • #80 in National Universities – U.S. News
  • #42 Most Innovative Schools –聽U.S. News
  • #76 Best Value –聽U.S. News
  • #64 Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs –聽U.S. News

Drexel University Tuition

Because Drexel is a private institution, prospective students should expect to see a slightly higher price tag than what they might see at Penn State or Pitt (considering other schools in Pennsylvania). It鈥檚 worth considering, however, that the typically higher cost at a private school is often offset by higher private financial aid from the school鈥檚 endowment. This, however, will all depend on your individual economic and academic situation, and the scholarships, grants, and loans for which you qualify.聽

The following estimated expenses for Drexel鈥檚 2023鈥2024 academic year come from the National Center for Education Statistics College Navigator Database.聽

Estimated Tuition and Fees for 2024鈥2025 Academic Year

Tuition and Fees $61,842
Books and Supplies聽 $2,420
Room and Board聽 $18,831听
Total On-Campus Estimated Cost of Attendance聽 $83,090听

That being said, for Drexel is “only” $23,242. This is because Drexel offers almost every student significant financial aid. On average, an incoming first-year student will receive $38,000 in annaul aid.聽

Drexel University Notable Alumni

Paul Baran Engineer, inventor of packet switching
Malik Rose Former NBA player
Chuck Barris Game show host (The Gong Show, The Newlywed Game)聽
Jesse Willcox Smith Illustrator during Golden Age of Illustration
Christopher Ferguson Retired NASA astronaut
Lex Friedman聽 Computer scientist and podcaster
Dorcas Bates Reilly Invented the green bean casserole while working at the Campbell Soup Company聽
Harold Shaub聽 Former CEO of the Campbell Soup Company聽
Chris McKendry ESPN anchor and journalist聽
Katherine McNamara Actress, Clary Fray in 厂丑补诲辞飞丑耻苍迟别谤蝉听
Violet Oakley First woman to receive the Gold Medal of Honor from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts聽
Meinhardt Raabe Actor best known for role as the Munchkin coroner in The Wizard of Oz
Alia Sabur Child prodigy and Guinness World Record holder for World鈥檚 Youngest Professor聽
Rebecca Cole The second African American woman to become a physician in the United States聽
Matilda Evans First African American woman licensed to practice medicine in South Carolina聽
Lillie Rosa Minoka Hill Second female Native American physician聽

Where is Drexel University?

Drexel University is located in the heart of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which means you have access to the entirety of public transit and city life within this vibrant and diverse American city.聽

Drexel鈥檚 programs are split between three campuses: University City Campus, Center City Campus, and the Queen Lane College of Medicine Campus. But where are they?聽

  • The University City Main Campus is just west of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia鈥檚 University City district. This is Drexel鈥檚 largest and oldest campus and is the center of administrative and academic life. The residential portion of the University City campus is in the Powelton Village section of West Philadelphia.聽
  • The Center City Campus is in the middle of the city of Philadelphia and straddles the Vine Street Expressway between Broad and 15th Streets. Students can take a shuttle from the Center City Campus to both the University City and Queen Lane Campuses.聽
  • The Queen Lane College of Medicine Campus is in the East Falls neighborhood of northwest Philadelphia and is used mostly by first-and-second-year medical students and researchers. The same free shuttle service connects this campus with the other two.聽

Philadelphia is also within reach of cities like New York, Boston, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. by bus and train. There are many international airports in the region, allowing international students to travel home easily鈥攐r domestic students to simply see the country for spring break.聽

Drexel University Majors

At Drexel, the most popular set of majors fall under the Health Professions and Related Programs category, with Nursing consuming the bulk of those enrolled in the Health Professions, followed by pre-med.聽

That鈥檚 followed closely by Engineering, with the largest number of students enrolled in Mechanical Engineering, then Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering, and Computer Engineering.聽

The third most popular group of majors is Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services. Within that category, Accounting and Finance is the most popular major, followed by Marketing, and in third place, Accounting and Business/Management.聽

The student-faculty ratio at Drexel is 9:1, and more than 50 percent of classes contain fewer than 20 students.聽

Drexel University Acceptance Rate 鈥 Review

Drexel University has the second-best cooperative internship program in the country, making it an excellent choice for students to study in a major U.S. city while gaining exposure to their chosen field. If you鈥檝e got your sights set on a specific major that would benefit from access to the city of Philadelphia, the East Coast, and structured work-study experiences, Drexel might be the right fit for you. Don鈥檛 make these mistakes, and get started on your college applications today.

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