The $7.5 million gift came from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
It's the second-largest private donation received by the university. And DePaul has agreed to match it by raising $9.1 million.
The grant will be formally announced this week.
DePaul says the school will help provide a steady stream of highly train managers for the tourism industry.
Chicago-area industry employs nearly 300,000 workers, up 18 percent from five years ago.
