Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsPublicHBCULand-grant

Delaware State University

Dover, Delaware·Public, 4-year or above·Mid East·desu.edu
6-yr Graduation
39%
-13.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Total enrollment
5,327
peer median 5,018
Avg net price
$15,745
-$401 vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
8,445
8,445 candidates competed
Admitted
3,934
46.6% acceptance rate
Enrolled
1,325
33.7% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
39%-13.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
4-year graduation
28%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
39%
Full-time retention
70%

Pell equity

11.0pp gap
Pell recipients
35%
Non-Pell
46%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 11.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 76 Title IV programs, 18 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 58 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
76
Passing
18
23.7% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

76programs
  • Passing18 · 23.7%
  • No Data58 · 76.3%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
2
Watch
0
Safe
16
No data
58

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

18
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Master's Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+4.7%
$53,944 vs $51,545
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+6.6%
$64,094 vs $60,112
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+33.4%
$46,440 vs $34,808
Social Work
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+37.9%
$63,662 vs $46,158
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+41.1%
$49,115 vs $34,808
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+41.2%
$49,132 vs $34,808
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+45.9%
$50,794 vs $34,808
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+49.1%
$89,641 vs $60,112

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Master's Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+4.7%
+$2,399

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

13
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
55%
$30,500 debt · $55,509 earn
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
54%
$25,000 debt · $46,440 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
53%
$26,000 debt · $49,132 earn
Social Work
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
52%
$32,805 debt · $63,662 earn
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
51%
$25,250 debt · $49,115 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
50%
$25,302 debt · $50,794 earn
Criminology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
48%
$25,500 debt · $53,128 earn
Political Science and Government
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
46%
$25,000 debt · $53,838 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Accredited since 1945Next review Jan 2030

Programmatic accreditations · 9

Action history · 15

  1. Jul 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIET) - Coordinated Program in Dietetics
  2. Jan 2024Approved for Distance Education
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIET) - Coordinated Program in Dietetics
  3. Dec 2023Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (MNUR) - Master's program
  4. Apr 2023Grant Substantive Change: Degree
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIET) - Coordinated Program in Dietetics
  5. Sep 2022Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (NUR) - Baccalaureate program

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$14,776
$30–48k$14,338
$48–75k$16,445
$75–110k$16,336
$110k+$20,170

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$15,745
-$401vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs median $16,146
Federal loans
48.5%
In-state tuition
$10,314
Out-of-state
$20,250

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 2,654 students received $15.9M in Pell grants, alongside $48.5M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
2,654
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$15.9M
$15,898,559 total
Direct Loans
$48.5M
6,098 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

2k
20
2k
21
2k
22
3k
23
3k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$9.1M
2,284 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$8.4M
2,381 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$6.4M
377 loan awards
Parent PLUS$23.5M
994 loan awards
Grad PLUS$1.2M
62 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 1,246 borrowers who entered repayment, 43 (3.4%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
3.4%
+1.1pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
1,246
Defaulted
43
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
13.6%
2017
14.3%
2018
11.2%
2019
3.4%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Delaware State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs83
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

686 total completions
01Public Admin
9513.8%
02Business
9313.6%
03Health Professions
8612.5%
04Education
7410.8%
05Biological Sciences
7110.3%
06Liberal Arts
7010.2%
07Parks/Recreation
6910.1%
08Psychology
487.0%
09Social Sciences
476.9%
10Communication
334.8%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
5,327
12-mo unduplicated
6,512
Undergraduate
5,397
Graduate
1,115

Gender split

Men
34%2,246
Women
66%4,266

Race / ethnicity composition

Black
75.1%
Hispanic
8.5%
White
7.1%
Two or more
5.9%
Non-resident
1.9%
Asian
1.1%
Unknown
0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
437
171 M · 266 W
Women athletes
60.9%
Athletic aid
$5.5M
Total student aid
Budget
$16.3M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$2.8M
$2.7M
Recruiting expense
$104K
$12K
Head-coach salaries
$143K
$48K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 13

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
63 M · 136 W
$1.1M
Football
97 M ·
$3.9M
Lacrosse
· 36 W
$435K
Soccer
· 34 W
$419K
Baseball
34 M ·
$532K
Basketball
15 M · 18 W
$2.0M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
7.04
41 offenses · 5,826 students

3-year trend

4.222 yrs ago3.461 yr ago7.04Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
79
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
26
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
6

Criminal offenses by type

Aggravated assault
18
Rape
11
Motor vehicle theft
5
Burglary
4
Fondling
3

By location

41total
  • On campus38
  • Non-campus2
  • Public property1

Includes 24 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

3
Domestic violence
10
Dating violence
2
Stalking
15 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons65
Drugs853
Liquor132

Residence-hall fires

  • Living Learning Commons1 fire
    Open flamesDamage $0-$99
  • Tubman Laws Hall1 fire
    OtherDamage $10,000-$24,999
  • Malmberg Hall1 fire
    ElectricalDamage $10,000-$24,999

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
17.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
220

Delaware State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Delaware State selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectDelaware State University
39%5,327$15,745Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
SUNY Oneonta
69%69.6%5,337$18,833Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
SUNY Old Westbury
45%83.6%4,709$9,900Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
State University of New York at Cortland
68%59.8%6,938$19,951Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
State University of New York at Plattsburgh
59%78.4%4,540$16,547Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
University of the District of Columbia
44%4,202$14,693Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Peer group median52%74.0%5,018$16,146

Frequently asked questions about Delaware State University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Delaware State.

What is the graduation rate at Delaware State University?

Delaware State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 39% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Delaware State University?

Delaware State University reports a total enrollment of 5,327 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Delaware State University?

The average net price at Delaware State University is $15,745 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Delaware State University?

Delaware State University's yield rate is 33.7%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Delaware State University located?

Delaware State University is located in Dover, Delaware 19901.

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