Drexel University
Source: drexel.md
Drexel University
Admissions (Class of 2029 / Fall 2025)
- Total applicants: ~37,300
- Overall acceptance rate: 79%
- Early round: EA available — no significant rate differential reported
- Class size: ~2,350
- Yield: ~10%
Academics
- SAT middle 50%: 1240-1400
- ACT middle 50%: 27-32
- Avg unweighted GPA: 3.42-3.71
- Top 10% of HS class: ~30% (estimated)
- Testing policy: Test-optional
Demographics
- Women: 49%, Asian: 19%, Black: 7%, Hispanic: 8%, White: 45%, International: 10%
Financial Aid / Net Cost
| Income Bracket |
Net Price |
| $0-$30,000 |
$25,234 |
| $30,001-$48,000 |
$27,057 |
| $48,001-$75,000 |
$33,324 |
| $75,001-$110,000 |
$36,496 |
| Over $110,000 |
$42,021 |
Athletics
489 varsity athletes (~4.2% of undergrads). NCAA Division I, Coastal Athletic Association (CAA). 18 varsity sports.
Notable
Drexel's signature co-op program (mandatory for most majors) integrates up to 18 months of paid work experience into the 5-year undergraduate degree. This makes Drexel attractive for career-focused students, particularly in engineering, business, and health sciences. High sticker price ($64K tuition) but generous merit aid brings net cost down significantly. The co-op model means students often graduate with professional experience and lower net debt. Good safety for students seeking practical career outcomes.
Admissions Strategy
- High acceptance rate (79%) makes Drexel an accessible safety, but the co-op program is the primary draw
- EA available with no significant rate differential; admissions is relatively straightforward
- Forums emphasize that Drexel's value proposition is entirely about the co-op — students who don't want co-op should look elsewhere
- The 5-year program option allows two additional co-ops at the same tuition as the 4-year program (no tuition charged during co-op terms, only ~$800/quarter fee)
Campus Culture & Fit
- The co-op cycle defines student life: alternating between academic terms and 6-month full-time work placements
- 94% of students complete at least one co-op; median 6-month co-op salary is $22K+; nearly half of seniors receive full-time offers from co-op employers
- Student experience varies significantly by major — engineering and business co-ops are well-paid and plentiful; psychology and humanities co-ops can be unpaid or scarce
- Urban Philadelphia campus; students benefit from the same city access as Temple but with a different (smaller, more career-focused) culture
- College Confidential threads debate whether the high sticker price ($64K) is justified, but net cost after merit aid is substantially lower
Financial Aid Reputation
- High sticker price but generous merit aid brings net cost down significantly
- Co-op earnings ($22K+/placement) offset education costs and reduce post-graduation debt
- The "is it worth the price?" question on College Confidential always comes back to co-op ROI — if your major has strong co-op placements, the answer is generally yes
Simulation-Relevant Takeaways
- Very low yield (10%) reflects Drexel's safety-school role and price sensitivity — many admits choose cheaper public options
- The co-op program is the single biggest yield driver for students who do enroll; career-focused students self-select in
- For modeling: Drexel attracts a career-oriented demographic; yield should be higher for engineering/business majors and lower for humanities; the 5-year timeline is a unique structural feature
Sources
- Drexel University first-year student profile (drexel.edu)
- College Factual net price data
- AcceptanceRate.com
- CollegeTuitionCompare.com
- BigFuture College Board