Drexel University

Drexel University is a private research university in Philadelphia, founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel on the premise that higher education should prepare students for real careers. It is classified as an R1 research institution and enrolls more than 24,000 students across a 74-acre urban campus in University City, within walking distance of downtown Philadelphia.

The university's defining feature is its cooperative education programme, through which students alternate classroom study with up to 18 months of paid, full-time work experience before graduating. The model is intensive and hands-on: employers take on students for extended, substantive placements rather than short internships, and the emphasis is on demonstrated experience over credentials alone. More than 100 undergraduate and over 200 graduate degree programmes route students through this system.

For employers, the practical implications are these: a large and continuously refreshed pipeline of students with prior professional experience, extended placement periods that allow meaningful contribution, and an employment record suggesting strong readiness - 96% of graduates are employed full-time or in graduate study within one year of graduation. Faculty research is supported by laboratories and facilities typical of an R1 university, spanning areas such as higher-education research, cooperative education and experiential learning.

Founding principle and practice remain aligned. Anthony J. Drexel established the institution to equip people for the working world, and the co-operative model has been its organising logic ever since, with placements structured around real work and professional networks rather than theoretical preparation alone.