Let's take it one part at a time.
What kind of university it is
Drexel University is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, within the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metropolitan area, in a large city with a population of at least 250,000. That does not tell you how to get to campus or what there is nearby; if your son is thinking about living at home, drive the route yourself on a weekday at the time of his classes, because the actual travel time is almost never what the map shows.
It is a private, nonprofit, four-year-or-more institution. The highest level of education it reports offering is the doctorate, and the Carnegie system—which classifies the country's universities by what they do, not by how well they do it—places it among doctoral universities with the highest research activity. That same system describes it as a large, primarily residential school where between one-quarter and one-half of its undergraduate students lived in institution-provided housing. Carnegie also classifies it as more selective for admission. Pay attention to that phrase: more selective describes whom it admits, not how well it teaches students once they are inside.
One fact worth keeping in mind if your son is considering coming here as a transfer student: Carnegie places it among institutions with high transfer-in enrollment. That does not tell you how many credits students bring with them or how many are lost in the transition. If that is his route, request written confirmation of which courses will count and which will not before taking any step.
And one simple but useful clarification: Drexel is not listed as a historically Black university, tribal university, or land-grant institution. That does not tell you which students it serves or how your son will feel there. You can find out by asking which cultural centers and student organizations exist today and by speaking with someone who already studies there.
A small city inside a large school
Drexel reported total enrollment of 21,703 in the most recent fall count. It is one of the largest schools among the selective, private, four-year institutions in its comparison group: at most one in ten has higher enrollment.
But that large number contains something many families do not notice at first: undergraduates account for 13,589 and graduate students for 8,114. If your son is beginning an undergraduate degree, the number that matters to him is 13,589, not the total. A large part of this school consists of people who have already completed an undergraduate degree and returned for another credential.
As for who makes up that undergraduate community: Hispanic or Latino students account for 9 out of every 100. It is a small minority, and compared with the other 941 selective, private, four-year schools, Drexel ranks below the comparison-group midpoint. That neither removes Drexel from your list nor puts it on the list. It simply means that if your son will be one of relatively few, it is worth asking during the visit which student groups, cultural center, and forms of support exist for Latino students and speaking with someone who is already there. The number describes the school as a whole; your son's experience in his specific program may look different.
The rest of the picture: undergraduate enrollment is nearly even between men and women, and women account for 49 out of every 100. Students from ages 25 through 64 are few, at 7 out of every 100—this remains, above all, a community of young students. And fewer than half of first-time students, 48 out of every 100, had permanent residence in Pennsylvania. The rest came from other states or abroad, or their residence was not clearly reported.
The calendar, and how credit comes in
Drexel operates on a quarter system: the academic year is divided into three sessions of about 12 weeks each, with the possibility of a fourth term in the summer. This differs from the traditional semester system used by most universities, and it matters especially if you are considering a transfer between this institution and another one: verify the calendars and transfer policies of both institutions in writing. The quarter-system designation does not tell you whether the dates align or how credits will be recognized.
The university stated that it accepts credit for AP exams and also what IPEDS calls credit for life experience: independent study, adult courses, work experience, portfolios, prior licenses or certifications, and even military opportunities. It also reports accepting credit for military training and enrolling high school students in college courses for credit outside a formal dual-enrollment program.
The fact that Drexel reports accepting these forms of credit does not mean your son will automatically receive them. It does not say what AP score is required, how many credits are awarded, or whether those credits count toward the specific program that interests him. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
A broad academic offering, without one dominant field
In one year, Drexel awarded 3,474 bachelor's degrees across 26 academic program families—what the government calls CIP families. None accounts for most of the total: health professions was the family with the most degrees, and even then it represented only 19 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year. Compared with the other 942 selective private schools, Drexel ranks in the top quartile for the number of academic families represented in its offerings.
This does not mean there are exactly 26 majors or that all of them award degrees every year; a CIP family groups several programs together, and an individual row may report zero. What it does show clearly is that the offerings are broad rather than concentrated in a handful of flagship majors. Whether your son knows what he wants to study or has not decided yet, it is worth verifying the exact program that interests him, not only the broader family.
Another figure that often draws interest: the ratio of students to instructional staff is 9 to 1, one of the lowest reported ratios, placing Drexel in the bottom quartile among its peers. But a low ratio does not guarantee small classes—the figure compares full-time equivalents rather than counting seats in a classroom. If this matters to you, ask directly how many students are in first-year classes.
The institution also reports structured academic opportunities: study abroad, undergraduate research, a complete program that can be taken at night or on weekends, and pathways preparing students for teacher certification. Their reported status confirms that they exist as stated options; it does not confirm access, capacity, or each student's actual experience.
Getting into Drexel: what it requires and what actually happens
This is where it helps to sit down and take your time, because several numbers are often confused with one another.
First, the application. Drexel does not have open admission: it reviews application components before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, it marks six as required: high school transcript, high school GPA, personal essay, letters of recommendation, a formal demonstration of what the student can do, and an English proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. It also considers class rank, the college-preparatory program completed, and work experience, although these are not required. The application fee is $50. It is a long application: have your son begin the essay during the summer, not during the week of the deadline. The first draft is never the one that gets submitted.
Now for observed selectivity. In the most recent cycle, Drexel received 40,204 first-time applications and offered admission to 31,171 applicants. That equals 78 out of every 100. This admission rate is common among its selective peers and ranks slightly above the midpoint of that comparison group. Put another way: your son has a real reason to apply here. He also has a real reason to complete his entire application and submit it on time, because 9,033 applicants in that same cycle did not receive an offer. Remember that this percentage comes from a single cycle, not an unchanging rule—check the figure again for the year when your son applies.
Here is the number that confuses families most, so it needs to be stated very clearly: out of every 100 students Drexel admitted, only 9 enrolled. Put another way, out of every 11 young people who received a yes, about one ultimately accepted the place. This is among the lowest enrollment rates of its peers—nine out of ten similar schools rank above it. That is not a stain on Drexel's reputation: the federal record does not explain why each admitted student made a particular choice. What it does tell you is something useful: what other people decided does not predict what Drexel will offer your son. Wait for his letter showing the net price—the actual amount the year would cost—and then decide with that information in hand whether Drexel stays on the list.
As for standardized tests, neither the SAT nor the ACT is required. Among students who did enroll, 38 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores, a high share compared with similar institutions. Among those students, the middle half scored between 610 and 700 in reading and writing and between 620 and 730 in mathematics. Those ranges describe students who had already enrolled and submitted scores—they do not describe all applicants, do not prove that the score was used in the admission decision, and neither 610 is a minimum nor 700 a guarantee.
And regarding transfers: in the most recent count, the number of undergraduate students entering Drexel for the first time after studying at another institution was 605. This is a high count compared with its peers, although it is not a proportion—a large school may count more people simply because of its size. The transfer-out rate—how many students entering as regular students ultimately transfer elsewhere—is not reported in this file. That does not show that no one transfers; it only means the information is not available here.
The sticker price, and why it is not what you will pay
At Drexel University, among the 399 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $27,737. Among the 270 students from the same population whose EFC family income was from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $35,842; among the 767 students whose EFC family income was above $110,000, it was $47,490. For dependent students, the band combines their parents' income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band, whose student count was 399, and the average for the highest-income band, whose student count was 767, is $19,753. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family's price. Among first-year students who received any scholarship or grant, the average was $42,342.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same period coverage, Drexel ranks in the most expensive quartile for the lowest-income families. That does not mean you should rule it out. It means you should request the financial aid letter before deciding.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, correctly identifying yours is the first step. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The number that governs your decision is the one in the financial aid letter sent to you.
The aid students actually receive, and the debt you need to add up carefully
One figure is worth emphasizing: 91 out of every 100 degree-seeking Drexel students receive some scholarship or grant aid that does not have to be repaid. Receiving something here is the norm, not the exception. Among recipients, the year's average was $28,345—real money, but not a price: that average includes people who received much more and people who received much less. The federal Pell Grant, reserved for low-income families, reached 25 out of every 100 students.
Now for the debt, stated plainly because this is where families get most confused. In the 2022-23 school year, 49 out of every 100 Drexel undergraduate students received a federal student loan—practically half. Among borrowers, the average amount that year was $6,545. If your son borrowed a similar amount each year throughout the four years of the degree, the accumulated total would be around $26,180, not counting interest. That is a number to consider before the first signature, not at the end.
This average covers only federal loans in the student's name during one year. It does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes take out, debt from private banks, or credit cards. Nor is it the total debt with which someone leaves upon graduating—to determine that, you would have to add up all four years, and that figure is not in this report.
Drexel also offers an installment tuition payment plan as a stated mechanism for managing the cost.
Housing, sports, distance education, and support: the rest of the map
Drexel does have institution-provided housing, and it does not require all first-time students to live there—that rules out a universal requirement but does not mean no program has one. The reported maximum capacity of institution-provided housing is 3,361. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies with the selected plan. The existence of the option does not guarantee an available bed or a fixed cost: request the year's rate, the deadline, and written confirmation of whether you are guaranteed a place or placed on a waiting list.
Regarding ROTC, Drexel marked all three service branches—Army, Navy, and Air Force—which is uncommon, as only 135 of the 3,012 universities in this directory marked all three. But a marked field does not confirm that the program is taught on this particular campus, that space is available, or that a scholarship is offered. Ask about each branch separately.
In sports, Drexel competes at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NCAA. These fields do not identify current teams, seasons, or divisions—if a sport matters to your son, write directly to the coach and request the information in writing.
As for distance education, Drexel offers online courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, but only 4 out of every 100 undergraduate students take all their courses at a distance. The large majority, 96 out of every 100, take at least one in-person class.
The library operates with paid staff, and its annual expenditures exceed the government-recorded threshold of $100,000; it has physical and digital collections and participates in interlibrary lending. Reported services and support include combined academic and career counseling, employment services, job placement for graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program for veterans, a point of contact for military members and their families, a student veterans organization, and a webpage for services for students with disabilities. Their reported status confirms that they exist as stated services; their quality and actual accessibility must be investigated directly on campus.
Those who stay, and those who finish
Here we reach the numbers that carry the most weight for many families.
Of the cohort that entered Drexel full time in 2022, 90 out of every 100 were still enrolled or had already graduated by the following year. This is a high figure compared with its selective peers. But it combines two different groups—those still enrolled and those who had already finished—and does not separate them or explain what happened to everyone else.
The graduation rate tells a story with two very different chapters. Of the cohort that entered in 2017, 77 out of every 100 had earned a degree six years later. But at the four-year mark—the one almost every family uses in its budget—the figure falls to 31 out of every 100. The difference between the two time frames is 46 percentage points. That does not tell you how many terms each student attended or how much the extra time cost in tuition or rent. It does tell you something concrete that you should ask before signing anything: how long the program that interests your son usually takes, how its required courses are scheduled, and how the total cost changes if the path takes longer.
A broader figure, measured over a longer period, follows a cohort that entered between 2015 and 2016—including both first-time students and students with prior experience, attending both full time and part time. At the eight-year mark, 73 out of every 100 had earned a Drexel degree or certificate. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was nearly identical: 72 out of every 100. Compared with its peers, Drexel ranks in the top quartile on this measure. But a high percentage is not an individual promise: it describes an earlier cohort and does not determine whether your son will graduate here or how long it will take. It is worth asking about the program's current support and the outcomes of more recent cohorts.
What you can do with all of this
You now know one part of the map well. You know what kind of university Drexel is, how people get in, what its sticker price is and what it has cost in practice at different family-income levels, how likely your son is to stay and graduate, and which questions still depend on a letter that only your family will receive.
This part cannot tell you what your son wants to study, what he has built so far, or how much your family can or is willing to pay. Those two parts of the plan belong to you and him, not to this article. Put them together with what has become clear here, and the decision will come from that combination—not from a single number.
Your son's responsibilities are the essay, the letters, and the daily effort. Yours are the FAFSA, the financial aid letter, the questions in writing, and the time to compare. No figure in this article decides for you. It only gives you a clearer view of the road before you take the exit.
Source note: the information in this article comes from data reported by Drexel University to IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and other databases of the United States Department of Education, corresponding primarily to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Drexel University or the United States government, and this article does not replace official information provided directly to your family by the university.