January 1, 1970

DePaul University: Programs, Rankings, and Student Life

Historic DePaul University campus in the early 1900s

Most people file DePaul University under "solid Chicago school" and keep scrolling. That's a mistake. The Princeton Review's 2025 rankings placed DePaul's game design program at #5 in the country — and that same university houses The Theatre School, which trained Joe Keery (Steve Harrington in Stranger Things) and Gillian Anderson (Scully in The X-Files). That range is not an accident. It reflects a university that has spent 127 years building genuine depth in specific fields, all while staying true to a Catholic mission that shapes who gets admitted and how classes actually run.

If you're weighing DePaul against other options, here's what you need to know.

The Vincentian Foundation — and Why It Matters Beyond the Brochure

DePaul was founded in 1898 by the Congregation of the Mission, a Catholic order known as the Vincentians. Named after 17th-century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul, the school was built explicitly to serve children of Catholic immigrants. That origin still drives tangible decisions today, not just mission statements on the website.

The access-over-exclusivity model is real. DePaul became co-educational in 1911, well ahead of most Catholic institutions. By 1998, it had grown into North America's largest Catholic university by enrollment — a title built on deliberate inclusivity. Today, 92% of enrolled undergraduates receive grants or scholarships, with an average aid award of $25,679. That's not a stat you see at schools chasing wealthy applicants with gleaming facilities.

The Vincentian mission also shows up in how service gets integrated into academics. Students across majors engage in community work tied to Chicago neighborhoods through the Division of Mission and Ministry. It's not a checkbox. For students who care about purpose alongside credentials, that integration is genuinely different from what most research universities offer.

Where DePaul Actually Ranks

National rankings can flatten nuance into a single number and misrepresent where a school genuinely shines. DePaul's headline figure — #169 among National Universities per U.S. News & World Report's 2026 edition — tells you surprisingly little about the student experience or career outcomes.

The subject-specific rankings reveal a different institution:

Program	National Rank	Source
Game Design (undergrad + grad)	#5	Princeton Review 2025
Film / Cinematic Arts	#11	Niche 2026
MBA Entrepreneurship	#15	U.S. News
Best Undergraduate Teaching	#58	U.S. News 2026
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences	#135	EduRank 2026
Business	#137	EduRank 2026

The undergraduate teaching ranking is underrated. Finishing #58 in that category nationally means DePaul's professors are actually teaching — not delegating intro sections to grad students while pursuing research grants. At a university enrolling 21,348 students, that matters more than it sounds.

One counterintuitive point about the 17:1 student-to-faculty ratio: it looks modest against small liberal arts colleges, but at urban research university scale, it represents real access to faculty. Context determines what a number means.

Programs Worth Choosing DePaul For

With 354 academic programs across ten colleges, the question isn't whether DePaul offers your field. It's whether DePaul is distinctly strong in it.

The College of Computing and Digital Media (CDM) is the headline program. The game design BS and MFA operate out of CDM, and graduates have landed at Disney Consumer Products, NetherRealm Studios (Mortal Kombat's developer), Firaxis (Civilization's creator), and Owlchemy Labs. Student team Young Horses — founded by DePaul alumni — created Octodad, which won an Independent Games Festival Student Showcase award and placed in Game Developer's Top 10 Indie list. That's not a participation trophy. CDM also houses animation, visual effects, and software engineering tracks that feed directly into Chicago's advertising and tech industries.

The Theatre School is a professional conservatory with separate admissions from the main university. Faculty are working industry professionals. Alumni like Joe Keery and the playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney (now chair of playwriting at the Yale School of Drama and a member of Steppenwolf Theatre Ensemble) reflect the caliber of training available. If you're serious about professional theatre, this program stands with the best regional conservatories in the country.

Other programs that hold up to scrutiny:

Driehaus College of Business — strong entrepreneurship and finance tracks; the MBA entrepreneurship ranking reflects real curriculum depth
College of Law — a solid regional option, particularly for students who intend to practice in Illinois
School of Music — classical and jazz offerings with access to Chicago's live music scene as a practical laboratory
College of Science and Health — nursing and allied health programs with clinical placements in one of the country's largest healthcare markets

Two Campuses, Two Completely Different Vibes

DePaul splits across two Chicago neighborhoods, and they're different enough that your program choice will substantially determine your daily life.

Lincoln Park is the traditional campus. It spans 36 acres in one of Chicago's most sought-after neighborhoods — tree-lined streets, historic architecture, the Wintrust Arena for home basketball games, and the Ray Meyer Fitness Center. Residence halls and the main student center sit here. Most undergraduates spend the bulk of their first two years at Lincoln Park, and it's the campus that actually feels like a campus.

The Loop campus is downtown Chicago. It sits along Jackson Boulevard in the city's central business district, within walking distance of major law firms, financial institutions, tech startups, and cultural landmarks like the Art Institute of Chicago (a 9-minute walk from the Loop Student Center, to be exact). Graduate students, law students, and working professionals dominate here. The energy is faster, more professional, less collegiate.

Here's what both campuses share: Chicago as infrastructure. The city's L train system connects Lincoln Park and the Loop in about 20 minutes. A DePaul student can take a morning class and have an afternoon internship at a Fortune 500 company without owning a car. That access isn't theoretical — it's baked into how advisors and faculty think about student development.

Student Life: What Tuesday at 3 PM Actually Looks Like

DePaul's 350+ clubs and organizations cover the usual range — professional associations, cultural groups, performing arts, athletics, and volunteering programs. The DePaul Activities Board (DAB) runs FEST, the school's annual outdoor music and culture festival, alongside Homecoming, comedy shows, and speaker series throughout the year.

Housing patterns shift after freshman year. Like most urban universities, DePaul students tend to move off-campus into Lincoln Park's apartment market after their first year. That neighborhood is expensive; shared units typically run $1,400 to $1,900 per month depending on proximity to campus. Budget for this specifically — it's the cost that catches people off-guard.

Sports exist but don't dominate. The men's basketball program (Blue Demons, Division I) has historical depth — the 1945 National Invitation Tournament win is still the program's most celebrated moment — and the women's team has made 25 NCAA tournament appearances. But there's no football program, and the athletic culture is lighter than at flagship state schools. For students who don't want their college identity tied to game-day schedules, this is actually a draw.

"The city's energy, diversity and opportunity turn everyday moments into lessons in leadership, empathy and possibility." — DePaul University on Chicago as classroom

First-year retention sits at 86%. Solid. But it also signals that a portion of students discover urban university life isn't what they expected and transfer to more enclosed campus environments. Worth reflecting on before you commit.

The Numbers: Tuition, Aid, and What It Actually Costs

Undergraduate tuition for 2024–2025 is $45,405 per year. With housing, meals, books, and personal expenses layered in, the full estimated cost of attendance reaches roughly $68,433 annually. That's private university pricing, and it warrants a real conversation about value.

Graduate tuition runs $23,358 — competitive for a private institution in a major metro area, and generally lower than comparable programs in New York or Los Angeles.

The financial aid picture changes the calculation. Because 92% of undergraduates receive some form of grant or scholarship averaging $25,679, the realistic annual cost for many families lands around $42,754. Still significant. But a meaningfully different number than the sticker.

My honest take: DePaul is worth the private school premium if you're enrolling in one of its nationally ranked programs — game design, The Theatre School, film — or if you're committed to building a career in Chicago and want the alumni network that comes with attending the city's largest Catholic university. If you're considering DePaul for a program where it holds no particular advantage over Illinois public universities, the math gets much harder to justify.

The university's student-to-faculty ratio of 17:1 and 86% freshman retention rate suggest an institution that invests in keeping students engaged. But the best ROI at DePaul comes from using Chicago deliberately — internships, networking, industry events, and the city's professional infrastructure. Students who treat DePaul as a traditional college-bubble experience are leaving the most valuable part of the education behind.

Bottom Line

For game design, film, and professional theatre, DePaul belongs near the top of your shortlist. These aren't "pretty good for a regional school" rankings — they're nationally competitive.
The Vincentian mission translates to real financial access. 92% aid coverage isn't marketing language; it reflects a century-long institutional commitment to first-generation and working-class students.
Choose your campus intentionally. Lincoln Park and the Loop serve different needs. Your program determines which you'll inhabit, and the two neighborhoods feel like different universities.
Run your net price, not the sticker price. $68,433 is the ceiling. Most students pay something considerably closer to $42,754.
Chicago is the curriculum that doesn't appear in any course catalog. Treat it accordingly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is DePaul University considered a good school?

DePaul ranks #169 nationally among U.S. News National Universities — a solid but not elite overall position. Where it earns genuine distinction is in specific disciplines: #5 nationally for game design (Princeton Review 2025), #11 for film, and #58 for undergraduate teaching quality. The overall rank understates its strength in targeted fields.

What is DePaul University most known for?

DePaul is best known for its College of Computing and Digital Media (particularly game design and animation), The Theatre School (a professional conservatory with prominent alumni in film and television), its position as North America's largest Catholic university, and its two-campus presence at the heart of Chicago.

Is it hard to get into DePaul University? I've heard it's selective.

Not especially. DePaul's acceptance rate is approximately 75.89%, making it accessible to most applicants with a solid high school record. The Theatre School and some CDM programs have separate, more competitive admissions processes — but general university admission is genuinely open. The selectivity misconception often comes from conflating DePaul's strong program rankings with overall admissions difficulty.

How does DePaul's quarter system affect the academic experience?

DePaul operates on a quarter system (10 weeks per term) rather than semesters — with the exception of the law school, which runs on semesters. Quarters move fast: courses cover material quickly, final exams arrive sooner than students expect, and the academic calendar includes four distinct study periods per year. Students who adapt well tend to appreciate the pacing; those who need more time to settle into a course can find it stressful.

How should I evaluate whether DePaul is worth the tuition?

The clearest framework: if your target program ranks nationally at DePaul (game design, film, Theatre School) and you plan to build a career in Chicago, the investment has a visible return. If your program is one where DePaul doesn't hold a distinct edge over in-state public options, the cost premium is harder to defend. Always calculate net price after aid — for most students, the actual cost sits around $42,754, not the $68,433 headline figure.

What do students say they wish they'd known before choosing DePaul?

The most consistent theme in student feedback is that Chicago requires active effort to use. Students who arrive expecting the city to happen to them often feel disconnected. Students who show up already curious about internships, neighborhood exploration, and professional networking consistently report the experience as transformative. The other common note: off-campus housing costs in Lincoln Park catch a lot of sophomores off guard.