Here are the best colleges and universities in Delaware. Our list will help you find the right kind of school for you.
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.
Related: Differences between research universities and teaching colleges
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.
Tuition + fees
$15K
Acceptance
66%
Graduation
82%
Student body
23K
Median SAT/ACT
1255/27
University of Delaware’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
39%
Graduation
48%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
920/19
Delaware State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$12K
Graduation
21%
Student body
11K
Wilmington University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$27K
Acceptance
61%
Graduation
17%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
940/15
Wesley College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utiulized 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.
