Private Nonprofit · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Drexel University

Drexel University is a private nonprofit institution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. as a private nonprofit, published Scorecard outcomes cover federal-aid recipients at this campus — endowment and sticker price sit outside those cohort fields.

$84,648
10-yr median earnings
79.4%
Acceptance rate
$38,509
Avg net price / yr
77.6%
150%-time completion

The verdict

Drexel University pairs top-5% former-student earnings with a moderately open admit.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

Top 3%
former-student earnings, US
79.4%
acceptance rate
77.6%
150%-time completion
+23%
earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Large Carnegie: R1
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Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.

How to read this Drexel University profile

Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.

Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.

Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.

College Value Score

C+
College Value Score
61/100
Drexel University

A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.

Earnings A+
$84,648
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price F
$38,509
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate A-
77.6%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$25,325
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A+
87.5%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention A-
89.5%
First-year students returning for year two
Drexel University vs. the national benchmark
EarningsNet PriceCompletionDebtRepaymentRetention

Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.

10-yr median earnings

$84,648

Federal aid recipients only

Avg net price

$38,509

After grants and scholarships

150%-time completion

77.6%

Full-time, first-time cohort

150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 77.6%

Four-year-institution cohort

College ROI Quadrant - Drexel University vs peers

Drexel University positioned by earnings vs cost Two-by-two quadrant chart: x-axis median earnings 10 years after enrollment, y-axis average net price after financial aid. Each dot is a college, colored by completion within 150% of normal time (garnet ≥65%, amber 45-64%, red <45%). Net price increases upward, earnings increase rightward, so: bottom-right = best value (low cost, high earnings); top-right = premium (high cost, high earnings); bottom-left = community college tier (low cost, modest earnings); top-left = cost challenge (high cost, low earnings). Currently plotting 8 colleges. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard joined to Carnegie Classification. Drexel University positioned by earnings vs … Carnegie Classification: R1 R1 COST CHALLENGE PREMIUM COMMUNITY BEST VALUE $31K $121K Median Earnings 10 Years After Enrollment ($) $24K $46K Avg Net Price ($) Drexel University (you are here): $85K earn · $39K net · 78% grad You are here - Drexel University University of Pennsylvania: $111K earn · $29K net · 97% grad University of Penn… Carnegie Mellon University: $115K earn · $32K net · 93% grad Carnegie Mellon Un… Villanova University: $100K earn · $44K net · 92% grad Villanova University Lehigh University: $106K earn · $37K net · 89% grad Lehigh University Duquesne University: $75K earn · $38K net · 77% grad Duquesne University Walnut Hill College: $37K earn · $32K net · 59% grad Moore College of Art and Design: $38K earn · $43K net · 60% grad Grad rate (4yr) ≥65% 45-64% <45%
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education

Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.

How Drexel University ranks nationally

Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.

Drexel University: former-student earnings vs. every US college

10-year median earnings, College Scorecard

$84,648 Top 3% higher than 97% of 5,103 US colleges

$0–$20,000: 169 US colleges (3%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 2,245 US colleges (44%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 1,897 US colleges (37%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 606 US colleges (12%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 134 US colleges (3%). This entry sits in this band. $100,000–$120,000: 39 US colleges (1%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 11 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 2 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. This college $0 $160,000 every US college, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Metric Drexel University National rank Percentile
10-yr median earnings $84,648 #142 of 5103 97th
Average net price $38,509 #4848 of 5020 3rd (lower is better)
150%-time completion 77.6% #836 of 4858 83rd
Undergraduate enrollment 13,233 #246 of 5462 95th

National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.

Quick Facts

13,233
Undergraduate enrollment
79.4%
Acceptance rate
1,345
SAT average
77.6%
150%-time completion
$84,648
10-yr median earnings
89.5%
First-year retention

How Drexel University ranks in Pennsylvania

State rank among 270 reporting Pennsylvania colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.

Metric Drexel University State rank Percentile
10-yr median earnings $84,648 #11 of 270 96th
Average net price $38,509 #259 of 264 2nd (lower is better)
150%-time completion 77.6% #58 of 259 78th
Undergraduate enrollment 13,233 #5 of 282 98th

Highest former-student earnings in Pennsylvania

#School10-yr earningsNet price
1Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine$138,767-
2Carnegie Mellon University$114,862$31,944
3University of Pennsylvania$111,371$28,699
4Lehigh University$105,584$36,931
5Villanova University$100,423$43,756
6Bucknell University$93,807$40,766
7Lafayette College$91,410$34,433
8Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia$86,881$29,689
9Saint Joseph's University - Lancaster$86,881$42,478
10Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing$86,138-
11Drexel UniversityThis school$84,648$38,509
12Swarthmore College$80,257$23,149

Admissions

Admission Rate 79.4%
SAT Average 1,345
SAT Math (25th-75th) 620 – 740
SAT Reading (25th-75th) 620 – 700
ACT Average 29
ACT (25th-75th) 27 – 32
0%100%79.4%
Share of applicants admitted

Costs & Financial Aid

Net price by family income at Drexel University

Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket

net price / yr

What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Drexel University - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Tuition & Net Price

In-State Tuition $62,412
Out-of-State Tuition $62,412
Average Net Price $38,509
26.8%
Pell Grant Rate
49.3%
Federal Loan Rate
$25,325
Median Debt
$268/mo
Monthly Payment

Net price at Drexel University swings rather than trends

Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $23,167 to $38,428 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as +13.9%, but the years in between do not follow that line, so the honest summary is the range rather than a trend. Budget against the upper end, not the average.

Lowest year
$23,167
Highest year
$38,428
Most recent (2023)
$38,428
Average net price, 2013–2023

11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.

2013: $33,7422014: $35,2192015: $37,7472016: $36,0502017: $37,4272018: $33,6312019: $34,9142020: $35,9632021: $23,1672022: $35,5962023: $38,428
2013 · $33,7422023 · $38,428

Over the same years, enrollment went -16.9% (16,257 → 13,509 students).

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.

Student Demographics

Race & ethnicity

Student body at a glance

56.8%
Female
29.2%
First Generation

Outcomes

89.5%
Retention Rate
$69,063
Median Earnings (6yr)
83.3%
Earning Over $25K
87.5%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)

Outcomes & debt snapshot

Measure Cohort / horizon Value
Completion within 150% of normal time First-time, full-time 77.6%
First-year retention First-time, full-time freshmen 89.5%
Median earnings 6 years after entry $69,063
Median earnings 10 years after entry $84,648
Share earning over $25,000 Working, not enrolled 83.3%
Loan repayment rate Completers, 3 years after leaving 87.5%
Median federal student debt At completion $25,325
Estimated monthly payment Standard 10-year plan $268/mo

Programs & Earnings

Field-of-study summary by credential

Credential Programs Award count Avg earnings Top earnings Avg debt
Bachelor's 58 3,621 $84,059 $121,832 $27,743
Master's 50 1,892 $99,703 $188,550 $55,954
Doctoral 6 81 $108,819 $146,209 $74,531
Graduate Certificate 6 35 $107,819 $116,187 -
Post-baccalaureate Certificate 4 0 - - $27,000
First Professional 3 404 $110,157 $139,102 $165,685

Top programs at Drexel University by completer earnings

Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file

median earnings

What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Program Credential Completers Median Earnings Median Debt
Computer Science Master's 44 $188,550 -
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods Master's 50 $155,026 -
Computer Engineering Master's 22 $154,648 -
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Doctoral 1 $146,209 -
Business/Commerce, General Master's 213 $142,843 $41,000
Optometry First Professional - $139,102 -
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions Master's 72 $137,232 $127,979
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General Master's 5 $135,982 -
Engineering-Related Fields Master's 15 $132,745 -
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering Master's 21 $127,488 -
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Master's 314 $126,827 $51,250
Finance and Financial Management Services Bachelor's 0 $121,832 -
Construction Management Master's 17 $121,599 $43,562
Mechanical Engineering Master's 31 $121,560 -
Business Administration, Management and Operations Master's 25 $120,812 $51,311

Independent Scorecard matches among reporting colleges — not recommendations from the institution or a counselor.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the acceptance rate at Drexel University?
Drexel University is a private nonprofit institution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The acceptance rate is 79.4%. The average SAT score is 1,345. Undergraduate enrollment is 13,233 students.
How much do Drexel University former students earn?
Federally aided former students at Drexel University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $84,648 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $69,063.
How much does Drexel University cost?
The average net price at Drexel University is $38,509. In-state tuition is $62,412 and out-of-state tuition is $62,412. Median student debt at graduation is $25,325.
What is the graduation rate at Drexel University?
Drexel University has a 77.6% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 89.5%.
Is Drexel University worth the student debt?
The median student debt at Drexel University is $25,325, while former students earn a median of $84,648 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 30% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 87.5% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $268.

Sources & methodology

Private-nonprofit profiles emphasize Scorecard cost-after-aid and completion alongside IPEDS Carnegie class. Endowment, gifts, and sticker price are not Scorecard fields on this page.

Figures are the Mar–Jul 2026 federal retrievals. Nonprofit campuses vary widely in aid practice — net price here is the Title-IV-recipient cohort average, not an individual award letter. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Where to go next from Drexel University

Nonprofit Scorecard medians describe federal-aid recipients who were working and not enrolled — they are not sticker-price ROI and not advice.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Private-nonprofit profiles compile Scorecard net-price and earnings cohorts with IPEDS structure fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.