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).
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
- Nearest big city
- 57 miles to Philadelphia, PA
- To the ocean
- 7 miles
- Nearest airport
- 6 miles to Dover Civil Air Terminal/Dover Air Force Base (DOV)
How Delaware State University compares
More selective than 86% · #1 most selective of 3 in Delaware
Higher than 2%
Higher than 21% · #3 of 4 in Delaware
Higher than 30%
Higher than 37% · #4 of 5 in Delaware
Cheaper than 77% · #1 cheapest of 5 in Delaware
Lower than 24%
Lower than 23%
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
- Undergraduate4,39885%
- Graduate74615%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Dover, DE US station (3.4 mi from campus).
What Delaware State University graduates study — and earn
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 →
Coppin State University
Baltimore, Maryland · Large city · 3 mi to Baltimore
- Students
- 1,844
- Admission
- 46%
- Net price
- $10k
- SAT
- 975
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $46k
University of West Alabama
Livingston, Alabama · Remote rural · 102 mi to Birmingham
- Students
- 2,974
- Admission
- 43%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1015
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $44k
Grambling State University
Grambling, Louisiana · Distant town · 60 mi to Shreveport
- Students
- 4,164
- Admission
- 45%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 943
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $41k
Southern University and A & M College
Baton Rouge, Louisiana · Midsize city · 5 mi to Baton Rouge
- Students
- 5,519
- Admission
- 35%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 942
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $43k
University of West Georgia
Carrollton, Georgia · Distant town · 43 mi to Atlanta
- Students
- 7,520
- Admission
- 52%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1032
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $50k
Alabama A & M University
Normal, Alabama · Midsize city · 4 mi to Huntsville
- Students
- 6,124
- Admission
- 58%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 938
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $41k
Colleges near Delaware State University
Delaware Technical Community College-Terry
Dover, DE · Public · Associate · 10,867 students
Polytech Adult Education
Woodside, DE · Public · Certificate · 590 students
All In The Wrist Barber Academy
Smyrna, DE · Private for-profit · Certificate · 21 students
Washington College
Chestertown, MD · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 891 students
Paul Mitchell the School-Delaware
Newark, DE · Private for-profit · Certificate · 148 students
Rowan College of South Jersey-Cumberland Campus
Vineland, NJ · Public · Associate · 2,074 students
Academy of Massage and Bodywork
Bear, DE · Private for-profit · Certificate · 81 students
Chesapeake College
Wye Mills, MD · Public · Associate · 1,320 students
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.














