Drexel University

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

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.

Community Insights (Reddit/Forums)

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