About Drexel Drexel University is a comprehensive global research institution, currently ranked by US News at #133 among National Universities. With over 24,000 students, Drexel is one of the fifteen largest private universities in the United States. Drexel is one of Philadelphia's top-ten private employers, and a major engine for economic development in the region. Drexel has committed to being the nation's most civically engaged university, with community partnerships integrated into every aspect of service and academics. Drexel is an R1 Doctoral University in The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Drexel was also recently ranked the most innovative mid-sized research university in the country by the George W. Bush Instit