Ranked, compared, and filtered by real data: costs, outcomes, and admissions
Delaware's size makes it easy to underestimate, but the University of Delaware has built genuine research depth in chemical engineering, materials science, and agricultural economics, a legacy tied directly to the DuPont company's century-long presence in the Wilmington area.
Delaware State University carries the HBCU tradition in the state and has been expanding its STEM programs steadily, serving students who often become the first in their families to earn a four-year degree.
By Ownership
By Type
See how Delaware's colleges compare to the national average on the four measures most students and families weigh when deciding where to go: cost, acceptance rates, graduate earnings, and graduation rates.
The colleges in Delaware that rank highest by UCD Score, and those that deliver above-national graduate earnings at a below-average net price, two of the strongest signals when choosing a school.
Not every student is looking for the same thing. These six panels rank Delaware's colleges by the data that matters most for each path.
Ranked by annual graduates
Ranked by annual graduates
Ranked by annual graduates
Ranked by net price
Ranked by grad earnings
Which colleges give you the most for what you spend? These eight schools rank highest in Delaware by the ratio of 10-year graduate earnings to annual net price.
| # | College | Net Price / yr | Earnings (10yr) | Ratio | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Delaware Newark | $17,799 | $72,950 | 4.1× | Excellent |
| 2 | Goldey-Beacom College Wilmington | $15,554 | $59,892 | 3.9× | Strong |
| 3 | Delaware Technical Community College-Terry Dover | $11,578 | $41,448 | 3.6× | Strong |
| 4 | Delaware State University Dover | $13,910 | $49,307 | 3.5× | Strong |
| 5 | Wilmington University New Castle | $15,644 | $53,844 | 3.4× | Strong |
| 6 | Strayer University-Delaware Wilmington | $22,593 | $40,092 | 1.8× | Average |
ROI Ratio = median earnings 10 years after enrollment ÷ annual net price. Higher is better.
The six fields of study with the most annual graduates across all colleges in Delaware, based on IPEDS completion data.
The specific degree programs producing the most graduates across Delaware's colleges. A more granular view than the Popular Majors above, useful when you already know roughly what you want to study and want to see where the volume is.
The cities in Delaware with the most colleges, ranked by number of institutions.
Utah crowds 14,137 students into each of its colleges, four times the national norm. These are the states where college options are scarcest per student.
There are 170 colleges that operate a medical school, and they cluster hard. Texas leads with 14, three states hold a fifth of them, and four states have none.
Northeast college graduates earn about $12,700 more a decade out than Southern ones, but they also pay thousands more to get there. The regional split, by the numbers.
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
Scout uses AI and can make mistakes. Verify important numbers on the page.
