(DePaul University/Keeton Holder)Since its founding, DePaul’s Catholic
Vincentian mission has always focused on delivering an excellent education that is accessible to students in Chicago. While DePaul students now hail from many cities, states and countries, DePaul continues to work toward increasing accessibility to higher education through initiatives supporting Chicago Public School students in their journey to college.
Through a series of collaborative events and initiatives, DePaul engages CPS students to demystify aspects of the college application process. One method for taking pressure off of college applications is DePaul’s direct-admit program, launched during the 2024-25 application cycle is. Any CPS applicant with a weighted GPA of 3.7 or higher is guaranteed admission to DePaul.
“The college application process can be overwhelming, especially for students who might be the first in their family to go to college,” says Erin Updegraff, executive director of first year admission and recruitment. “If you graduated from a Chicago Public high school with a 3.7 GPA or higher, you're automatically admitted to DePaul. All you have to do is apply.”
CPS students with a 3.7 GPA are also eligible for the
Chicago Promise Scholarship, which awards high school graduates a $20,000 scholarship that is renewable for four years. A similar scholarship is available for graduates of Catholic high schools in Illinois. According to Updegraff, these initiatives have increased early action applications from qualified CPS students, as well as a higher admit rate, for the 2024-25 school year.
Exploring DePaul
“Just because students live in the city of Chicago doesn’t necessarily mean that they know where DePaul is or have been to our campus. Partnering with CPS makes it easier to get students on campus to explore and get excited about college,” Updegraff says.
DePaul provides a variety of opportunities for current CPS students to explore college life at DePaul. DePaul hosted two exploration days for CPS students in the fall, where students could learn about college life and get their questions answered. During the first exploration day, more than 60 students from Bogan Computer Technical High School, Thomas Kelly College Prep and Steinmetz College Prep visited campus. Students experienced a full day of campus tours, info sessions and talks with the Office of Multicultural Student Success and Cultural Resource Centers.
At the exploration day that focused on computer science, students from Hubbard High School and Lane Tech got an inside look into DePaul’s
School of Computing. Students experienced sample classes led by computer science faculty and talked with a panel of alumni who are professionals in the field.
DePaul also hosts “next steps day” in the spring where admitted CPS students can do all the next steps in the enrollment process – including applying for housing, enrolling in classes, scheduling orientation, and taking placement exams – in one day to ensure they’re ready for the upcoming year.
“Part of the work we do is getting high schoolers excited about college and helping them navigate the college process. Some students need different approaches so we’re always trying to look outside of our traditional recruitment efforts to see what we can do to support those students,” Updegraff says.
For more information about admission and aid at DePaul, visit the
website.