Drexel University

Statue of the Drexel dragon (its mascot) on the corner of 33rd and Market St., with the Pearlstein Business Learning Center in the background.

Drexel University is a Tier 1 private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a financier and philanthropist. In the 2022-23 academic year, Drexel had an enrollment of more than 22,000 students, with about 60% of them graduate students. Drexel uses a fall-winter-spring quarter system (as opposed to semesters).

In 2024, the U.S. News and World Report ranked Drexel 98th (out of 439) among national universities. The average SAT score of applicants was 1230-1430.

Location

Drexel's main campus is located 3141 Chestnut St. in the University City section of Philadelphia, only about a block away from the University of Pennsylvania. It is also virtually adjacent to Philadelphia's Amtrak and main local train station (30th Street Station), making it feasible to commute from a forty-mile radius by train, bus or trolley.

In addition to the main campus, there is a smaller campus in Center City, the medical school at the Queen Lane campus (a few miles north of the main campus), and the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, which become a subsidiary of Drexel in 2011. The Academy includes America's oldest natural history museum and conducts strong research in biodiversity and environmentalism.

Tuition costs

Annual costs to attend are steep. In 2024, it took an estimated $83,818 for an undergraduate to attend for three quarters (one "year") before applying any financial aid.

Drexel Co-op

Drexel is known to emphasizing real-world work experience as part of its curriculum. Many Drexel undergraduates spend five years, not four, to complete their studies, which typically includes 18 months of co-op with up to three different companies. The majority of co-ops are paid, averaging $18,720 per 6-month period, but this figure changes with major.

Demographics

As of 2023, nearly half the student population identified as white and nearly a quarter as Asian. Blacks, Hispanic and international student percentages range from 7-9% each.