Small class sizes and a solid graduation rate give DePauw University, located an hour outside Indianapolis, a reputation as a top liberal arts school. Its roughly 1,700 students are active in a variety of extracurricular activities, and the university's popular Winter Term in Service program sends many of them to developing countries for community service.
The social sciences, especially economics, are popular majors, but students are fairly spread out among the university's 45-plus degree programs. While DePauw doesn't have a journalism degree program, the school does have a rich history of graduating future journalists. That's unsurprising given the college's history: The Society of Professional Journalists, known then as Sigma Delta Chi, was founded there in 1909, and The DePauw is the oldest college newspaper in Indiana. About 84% of students graduate within six years, a mark that puts DePauw slightly above schools with similar student populations. Students go on to earn a median salary of about $66,600 in their first several years out of college.
DePauw is home to the first sorority in the nation, and Greek life remains an important part of the social scene. Some 62% of all students are in sororities or fraternities, and almost all students live on campus throughout their time as undergraduates.
