Private nonprofit · University
Wilmington University
New Castle, Delaware · Large suburb
- —
- Admit rate
- $15,644
- Avg net price
- 20%
- Graduation rate
- $53,844
- Median earnings
Wilmington University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in New Castle, Delaware (large suburb setting), enrolling 7,906 undergraduates.
About New Castle, Delaware
New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. New Castle was originally settled by the Dutch West India Company in 1651 under the leadership of Peter Stuyvesant on the site of a former indigenous village, "Tomakonck" ("Place of the Beaver"), to assert their claim to the area based on a prior agreement with the original inhabitants of the area. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 29 miles to Philadelphia, PA
- To the ocean
- 2 miles
- Nearest airport
- 1 mile to Wilmington (ILG)
How Wilmington University compares
Higher than 5% · #4 of 4 in Delaware
Higher than 14%
Higher than 50% · #3 of 5 in Delaware
Cheaper than 70% · #3 cheapest of 5 in Delaware
Lower than 75%
Lower than 59%
Larger than 86%
Percentiles compare Wilmington 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
- Undergraduate7,90662%
- Graduate4,88838%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women5,44369%
- Men2,46331%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White46%
- Black24%
- Hispanic16%
- Asian3.0%
- Other or multiracial12%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 7,906
- Graduate enrollment
- 4,888
- Student–faculty ratio
- 12 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 26%
- First-generation students
- 47%
- Students over 25
- 62%
- Median family income
- $29,853
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $82,611
- Endowment
- $168,243,172
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 793 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Delaware30%
- Other U.S. states70%
A national draw — only 30% of first-years come from Delaware; 70% arrive from other states.
Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $12,630
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $2,000
- Total cost of attendance
- $19,644
- Average net price
- $15,644
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)
- 20%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 12%
- First-year retention
- 61%
- Transferred to another college
- 29%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $49,635
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $53,844
- Median debt at graduation
- $20,000
- Students with federal loans
- 46%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 37%
About 8% 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
- No
- Application fee
- $35
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II without football
- Varsity athletes
- 337 (193 men · 144 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 (11)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (13,746 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.
$16,623/year × about 4.6 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: 16% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,436. 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 225 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)
- $53,844
- Typical debt at graduation
- $20,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 37%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 69%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.7 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 $10,228 (20%) 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
- 26°F
- Annual rain
- 45.3″
- Annual snow
- 20.2″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Wilmington New Castle CO AP, DE US station (1 mi from campus).
What Wilmington 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 Wilmington University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Wilmington University side by side →
Mercy University
Dobbs Ferry, New York · Large suburb · 22 mi to New York
- Students
- 5,735
- Admission
- 86%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $52k
Indiana Wesleyan University-National & Global
Marion, Indiana · Fringe rural · 48 mi to Fort Wayne
- Students
- 6,656
- Admission
- —
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $60k
Lindenwood University
Saint Charles, Missouri · Small city · 20 mi to St. Louis
- Students
- 4,624
- Admission
- 57%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1190
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $53k
Bellevue University
Bellevue, Nebraska · Large suburb · 7 mi to Omaha
- Students
- 10,220
- Admission
- —
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $61k
Park University
Parkville, Missouri · Large suburb · 8 mi to Kansas City
- Students
- 4,555
- Admission
- —
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $56k
Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois · Large suburb · 38 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 3,974
- Admission
- 81%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1076
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $59k
Colleges near Wilmington University
Strayer University-Delaware
Wilmington, DE · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 161 students
Dawn Career Institute LLC
Newark, DE · Private for-profit · Certificate · 355 students
Academy of Massage and Bodywork
Bear, DE · Private for-profit · Certificate · 81 students
Salem Community College
Carneys Point, NJ · Public · Associate · 910 students
Paul Mitchell the School-Delaware
Newark, DE · Private for-profit · Certificate · 148 students
Goldey-Beacom College
Wilmington, DE · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 691 students
Hair Academy School of Barbering & Beauty
Newark, DE · Private for-profit · Certificate · 33 students
Schilling-Douglas School of Hair Design
Newark, DE · Private for-profit · Certificate · 152 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.













