Public Graduate Good 67/100

Delaware State University

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Dover, Delaware

About Delaware State University

Thinking about Delaware State University, a college in Delaware where more students graduate in Public Administration than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Delaware State University is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Dover, Delaware. It enrolls 4,398 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
46.6%
Graduation
40.9%
Net Price
$13,910
Median Earnings (10yr)
$49,307
Enrollment
4,398
Student : Faculty
18:1

Accreditor Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Good
67/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 23
Value 76
Affordability 80
Selectivity 44

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Delaware State University admits 46.6% of applicants, which makes it genuinely competitive, so your application needs to be strong.

Acceptance Rate
46.6%
Selective
SAT Range (25th–75th)
800 – 1020
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
20 – 24
Cumulative composite
Test Policy Not Considered Standardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Delaware State University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Becoming less selective ↑ 8.9 pts since 2019
52.8%201939.3%202058.8%202154.9%202261.7%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $13,910 a year on average, it sits below what public colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$13,910
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
49%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
52%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$10,670
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$20,634
Room & Board (on-campus)
$16,664
Room & Board (off-campus)
$14,290
Books & Supplies
$1,500
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$4,970
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$4,970
Total Cost of Attendance
$27,939

Application fee: $35 (one-time, due at submission)


Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $11,135
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $12,452
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $15,701
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $17,633
  • Over $110,000
    $17,326

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$4,750
10% percentile
$8,000
25% percentile
$26,000
Median percentile
$30,937
75% percentile
$41,000
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $18,750 ↓ $7,250
No Pell $13,250 ↓ $12,750
Dependent students $17,500 ↓ $8,500
Independent students $19,000 ↓ $7,000
Female students $18,047 ↓ $7,953
Male students $16,250 ↓ $9,750
Pell recipients: 18.2% (4,742 students)No Pell: 12.9% (3,351 students)Dependent students: 17.0% (4,426 students)Independent students: 18.5% (4,806 students)Female students: 17.6% (4,565 students)Male students: 15.8% (4,110 students)Overall Median$26,000
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $9,500, less than completers ($26,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

41% of students who start here finish within six years, and 71% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
41%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
71%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $49,307 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$49,307
Earning > $25K
74%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$36,000$40,000$43,000$47,000$51,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$37,400

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$39,900

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$35,700

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$38,500

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$41,800

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 23.2 pts across 6 years
35.5%1yr45.1%3yr58.7%5yr
What this signals: Moderate. Only 59% of graduates are paying down principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 4,398 students, a mid-sized community. Worth knowing: 36% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
4,398
Part-Time
12%
First-Generation
36%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
Black 75.9% 3,340
Hispanic 8.3% 363
White 6.2% 274
Other 6.1% 266
International 2.1% 94
Asian 0.9% 39
Black: 75.9% (3,340 students)Hispanic: 8.3% (363 students)White: 6.2% (274 students)Other: 6.1% (266 students)International: 2.1% (94 students)Asian: 0.9% (39 students)Total4,398

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Delaware State University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Small City Dover, Delaware
Housing
Strongly residential 3,230 beds for 4,398 students
Adult Learners
5% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure
Designation
Historically Black College / University (HBCU)

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Health graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Delaware State University offers an extensive catalog of programs: 57 distinct programs across 23 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

3 Programs
5 Programs
5 Programs
2 Programs
4 Programs
1 Program
2 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 18 students for every instructor here: on the higher side, so larger classes are common.

Student : Faculty
18:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$10,303
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$41M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$75,143
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

229 instructional faculty across 5 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 61 27% $90,671
Associate Professors 89 39% $77,975
Assistant Professors 45 20% $66,398
Instructors 1 0% $48,142
Lecturers 33 14% $56,577

Pros & Cons of Delaware State University

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Delaware State University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Below-average net price
  • Wide reach of need-based federal aid
CONS
  • Selective admissions, solid academic profile expected
  • Class sizes are on the higher side
  • Below-average completion rate
  • Modest first-year retention

Frequently Asked Questions about Delaware State University

The questions families ask most about Delaware State University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Delaware State University hard to get into?
Delaware State University is selective but not extremely competitive. Its acceptance rate is 46.6%. Strong academic credentials and a thoughtful application materially improve your odds.
What is the acceptance rate at Delaware State University?
46.6% of applicants are admitted. Around half get in, so a solid application has a real chance. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for Delaware State University?
Aim for 1020 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 800 and 1020 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for Delaware State University?
Aim for 24 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 20 and 24 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Delaware State University cost?
Budget around $13,910 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Delaware State University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $49,307 a year against a net price of $13,910, about 3.5 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Delaware State University known for?
Mostly Social Work, Nursing, Kinesiology. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Delaware State University graduates earn?
About $49,307 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Delaware State University accredited?
Yes. Delaware State University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Delaware State University?
4,398 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Delaware State University?
41% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Delaware State University a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Delaware State University located?
Delaware State University is located in Dover, Delaware.
What programs does Delaware State University offer?
57 different programs, most commonly Social Work, Nursing, Kinesiology. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Delaware State University?
18 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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