Drexel University
In the wake of a 2007 Master Plan, a near-constant stream of construction trucks has transformed this Philadelphia campus aesthetically, academically and athletically. There’s the Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building, the URBN Center for the College of Media Arts & Design, and a new home for the LeBow College of Business. Elsewhere on campus, the new Daskalakis Athletic Center houses a resurgent basketball team and impressive new fitness facilities.
The numbers: 11,901 full-time undergrads … 1800 median SAT (comparable to a 27 ACT) … $37,505 annual tuition, $13,200 annual room and board … 200 degree programs … Ranked 97th among national universities by U.S. News … 74.9% acceptance rate. Extra credit: Under Drexel’s Co-op program, students experience six-month blocks of full-time employment in a field related to their major. Students may go to another state or country. They may even work for such prominent companies as Microsoft, Comcast and GlaxoSmithKline. Compare to: Temple University, Saint Joseph’s University. Contact: 3141 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa., (215) 895-2000, drexel.edu.
