Public · University

Delaware State University

Dover, Delaware · Small city

46.6%
Admit rate
$13,910
Avg net price
39%
Graduation rate
$49,307
Median earnings

Delaware State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Dover, Delaware (small city setting), enrolling 4,398 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).

PublicMidsize · 4,398 undergradsSmall citySelective · 47% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Mid-Eastern Athletic ConferenceCold wintersNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Delaware State University's admitted students.

Admit rate
46.6%
SAT (mid 50%)
800–1020
Avg GPA (est.)
2.81

Enter a test score to see where you land against Delaware State University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Delaware State University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Dover, Delaware

Dover is the capital and the second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Delaware, after Wilmington. Dover was founded as the court town for newly established Kent County in 1683 by William Penn, the proprietor of the territory generally known as the "Lower Counties on the Delaware." Later, in 1717, the city was officially laid out by a special commission of the Delaware General Assembly. The former Dover Opera House, built in 1904, was renovated and converted to the Schwartz Center for the Arts, which hosted performances by the Dover Symphony Orchestra, ballet, and classic films. The Schwartz Center for the Arts closed on June 30, 2017, due to financial issues. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
7 miles
Nearest airport
6 miles to Dover Civil Air Terminal/Dover Air Force Base (DOV)

How Delaware State University compares

Selectivity46.6%

More selective than 86% · #1 most selective of 3 in Delaware

SAT average940

Higher than 2%

Graduation rate39%

Higher than 21% · #3 of 4 in Delaware

First-year retention70%

Higher than 30%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$49,307

Higher than 37% · #4 of 5 in Delaware

Average net price$13,910

Cheaper than 77% · #1 cheapest of 5 in Delaware

Median debt at graduation$26,000

Lower than 24%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment4,398

Larger than 76%

Percentiles compare Delaware State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Delaware.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

5,144students
  • Undergraduate4,39885%
  • Graduate74615%

Undergraduates by gender

4,398undergrads
  • Women2,92667%
  • Men1,47233%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White6.2%
  • Black76%
  • Hispanic8.3%
  • Asian0.9%
  • Other or multiracial8.7%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
4,398
Graduate enrollment
746
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
49%
First-generation students
36%
Students over 25
5%
Median family income
$39,554
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$79,821
Endowment
$37,018,763

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
46.6%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
800–1020
SAT average
940
SAT reading
420–520
SAT math
380–500
ACT composite
20–24
Average GPA (estimated)
2.81

Cost

In-state tuition
$10,670
Out-of-state tuition
$20,634
Room & board
$16,664
Books & supplies
$1,500
Total cost of attendance
$27,939
Average net price
$13,910

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
39%
Graduated on time (4 years)
28%
First-year retention
70%
Transferred to another college
8%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$37,503
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$49,307
Median debt at graduation
$26,000
Students with federal loans
52%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
24%

About 11% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
28%
Low-income (Pell)
42%
First-generation
40%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
3,230
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
73%
Housing charge (year)
$10,248
Meal plan (year)
$3,386
Application fee
$35
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
504 (194 men · 310 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (13)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)185
Football91
Basketball32
Lacrosse29
Softball29
Soccer27
Baseball25
Volleyball25
Equestrian23
Golf10
Bowling10
Tennis9
Other Sports9

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
6.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
87
Property offenses (2022–2024)
18

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (5,327 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

35reported offenses a year
29 violent a year6.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Aggravated assault
15
Rape
8.7
Fondling
4.7
Burglary
3.3
Motor vehicle theft
2.0
Robbery
0.7
Arson
0.7
Murder
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$11,135
$30–48k
$12,452
$48–75k
$15,701
$75–110k
$17,633
$110k+
$17,326

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$69,394

$15,701/year × about 4.4 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

61%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,472
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 61% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,472. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,255 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$49,307
Typical debt at graduation
$26,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
53%
Out-earn a HS grad
50%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.3 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$49,253
Men
$49,581

Men out-earn women by $328 (1%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
87°F
Winter low
28°F
Annual rain
47.6″
Annual snow
13.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.54.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Dover, DE US station (3.4 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Delaware State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Delaware State University side by side →

Colleges near Delaware State University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.