Delaware is home to six higher learning institutions offering associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees for both traditional and online students. Despite its small size, there are plenty of excellent options among the brick-and-mortar and online colleges in Delaware.

With two public schools and four private schools, Delaware excels in awarding degrees in fields such as mathematics, political science, criminal justice, and publishing. Prospective students can also choose from between affordable traditional courses and online degree programs at either the Delaware State University or the University of Delaware.

In-state students will pay roughly $8,000 for a year at Delaware State University and about $14,000 for tuition at the University of Delaware. Out of state students will pay more.

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The student body size of these schools is, however, vastly different. Just a little over 4,000 students attend Delaware State University. By contrast, more than 22,000 on-campus and online students are currently taking courses at the University of Delaware.

Among private colleges in Delaware, Wilmington University has the highest student population among private colleges at just under 10,000 students. Wilmington University is also the most affordable private college in Delaware at $11,000.

Students who attend Delaware College of Art and Design can specialize their associate degree in animation, fine arts, graphic design, illustration, or photography. Residents who earn degrees in the medical or mental health fields have the opportunity to get state-sponsored financial aid through Delaware’s State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP). Applicants must agree to work in underserved areas of Delaware for two or three years and can receive up to $105,000.

Though it is the second smallest state in the nation, Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution, earning it the nickname, The First State. With the Delaware River running through it, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and forests throughout, Delaware college students will find beauty everywhere.

Just above the nation’s average annual college tuition cost at $12,274, Delaware provides prospective students with an array of highly respected traditional and online degree programs. Discover more about Delaware’s colleges and universities.

What are Delaware’s Colleges & Universities?

Delaware’s Best Overall

How do we determine Delaware's best colleges and universities?

Methodology

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

We’ve identified 4 colleges and universities in Delaware that meet our criteria. This list of the top 30 colleges in Delaware below focuses on schools that offer bachelor’s degrees. The ranking features fully accredited public and private colleges and universities in Delaware.

Best Colleges in Delaware 2022

#1
University of Delaware
Newark , DE
#1 Best Grad Schools in Delaware 2023 #1 Best Research Universities in Delaware 2023 #1 Most Affordable Colleges in Delaware 2023 #1 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2023
Other Rankings
- #1 Best Public Colleges in Delaware 2023
Tuition + fees
$15K
Acceptance
72%
Graduation
82%
Student body
22K
Median SAT/ACT
1240/27
What is University of Delaware known for?

University of Delaware’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Chemistry
Computer Science
Engineering
Criminal Justice
Earth Sciences
Sociology
Political Science
Business
Education
Mathematics

Most Influential Alumni

Daniel Nathans
Richard F. Heck
Steve Schmidt
Susan Stroman
Rakesh Jain
Lodewijk van den Berg
Timothy Shanahan
David A. Hounshell
Terrell Ward Bynum
Chris Christie
Valerie Biden Owens
Rein Taagepera
University of Delaware’s Online Degrees
BSN in Nursing Rn To Bsn

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
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#2
Delaware State University
Dover , DE
#14 Best HBCU Online Master's Programs #1 Best Small Colleges in Delaware 2023 #2 Best Grad Schools in Delaware 2023 #2 Best Research Universities in Delaware 2023
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
59%
Graduation
47%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
910/19
What is Delaware State University known for?

Delaware State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Social Work
Mathematics
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
Education
Computer Science
Engineering
Business
Medical

Most Influential Alumni

Simmie Knox
Arup Chakraborty
Robin Christiansen
Clyde Bishop
Ashley Coleman
Clifford Brown
Wayne Gilchrest
James L. Moore III
Kendall Gray
Steve Davis
Sam Shepherd
Emanual Davis
Delaware State University’s Online Degrees
BS in Accounting

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Human Resource Management

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Management

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Liberal Studies

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Public Health

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
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#3
Wilmington University
New Castle , DE
#1 Best Private Colleges in Delaware 2023 #3 Best Grad Schools in Delaware 2023 #3 Best Research Universities in Delaware 2023 #3 Most Affordable Colleges in Delaware 2023
Tuition + fees
$12K
Graduation
23%
Student body
10K
What is Wilmington University known for?

Wilmington University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Nursing
Psychology
Computer Science
Business
Education
Medical
Criminal Justice
Political Science
Social Work
Sociology

Most Influential Alumni

John C. Sigler
Hugh T. Broomall
Paul Bechly
Francis D. Vavala
Thomas P. Gordon
Carol A. Timmons
Bushra Gohar
Richard C. Cathcart
David D. Rudolph
Terry R. Spence
Trinidad Navarro
Charles Potter Jr.
Wilmington University’s Online Degrees
BS in Animation And 3d

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Digital Filmmaking

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Graphic Design

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Web Design

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Business Analytics

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Business Management

Degree Concentrations
Professional Aeronautics

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Finance

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Human Resource Management

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Marketing

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Organizational Dynamics

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Organizational Management

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Sports Management

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Accounting

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Accounting And Finance

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Applied Technology

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Computer And Network Security

Degree Concentrations
Digital Forensics

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Computer Science

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Information Systems Management

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Criminal Justice

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Law, Policy, And Political Science

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Education

Degree Concentrations
Early Childhood Education
Elementary Education K-6
Middle Level Education Grades 6-8
Skilled And Technical Sciences

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Communication

Degree Concentrations
Digital Journalism
Public Relations And Strategic Communication
Visual Communication

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Liberal Studies

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Health Sciences

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BSN in Nursing Rn To Bsn

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Behavioral Science

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
BS in Psychology

Required Credits: 120
Completion Time: None Reported
Format: Online
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#4
Wesley College
Dover , DE
#1 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Delaware 2023 #1 Best Christian Colleges in Delaware 2023 #2 Best Private Colleges in Delaware 2023 #2 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2023
Other Rankings
- #2 Best Small Colleges in Delaware 2023
Acceptance
59%
Graduation
31%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
935/16
What is Wesley College known for?

Wesley College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Mathematics
Biology
Nursing
Communications
History
Criminal Justice
Political Science
Sociology
Literature
Philosophy

Most Influential Alumni

Annie Jump Cannon
Wayne Gilchrest
Carolyn Bunny Welsh
William D. Denney
Tom Wagner
Joe Callahan
Matt Gono
Simeon S. Pennewill
Colin Bonini
Charles Oberly
William Noble Andrews
Ronald S. Dancer
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Build your own college ranking

Delaware’s Best Colleges in Your Area of Interest

2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.

Best Colleges in Delaware 2023