Leadership shares enrollment successes and challenges

By University Communications / October 21, 2024 / Posted in: CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY / Twitter / Facebook

Statues in St. Vincent's Circle — (Photo by Jeff Carrion/DePaul University)

Recently, university leadership shared a fall enrollment update, outlining successes and challenges as we continue efforts to support our students as they move forward on the path to graduation. The good news is that DePaul reached 98% of its budgeted enrollment goal for fall 2024 because we focused on student success. Here are key takeaways:

Successes

10,504 undergraduates continued their studies this fall, which is 225 more than last year.
DePaul also has 4,496 continuing graduate students, which is 268 more than last year.
DePaul’s overall headcount declined by only .6% or 138 enrollments, which is a significant accomplishment in the face of demographic changes and FAFSA Simplification.
Enrollment is at 21,210 students in fall 2024 compared to 21,348 students in fall 2023.

How We Did It

Personalized support: New technology helped connect students with their advisors.
Early warning: New mechanisms alert us when students may withdraw from classes, allowing us to help them access resources and collect feedback.
Timely nudges: Students now receive personalized reminders, incentives and tips to register early.

Challenges

While we achieved some enrollment successes, DePaul started the academic year with 646 fewer new students. Supporting students in their continuing studies remains critical.
The FAFSA is delayed again this year. The incoming class of Fall 2025 will receive estimated financial aid awards, even if DePaul does not get the FAFSA from the Department of Education in a timely manner.

What’s Next

We will continue to build upon our success in continuing enrollment while working to eliminate achievement gaps in retention and persistence.

Read the full message to the university community for more detailed information.