PROFILE: UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE, NEWARK, DE
This is one of a series of U.S. college and university profiles for 2011-12 and it will be
continually updated as new information becomes available to prospective students and
their families as well as the author. Statistics provided for this profile have been provided
from a variety of sources, most notably the U.S. Department of Education and the school
itself. Any use or reproduction of this profile without the expressed permission of the
author is prohibited.
Background on the University of Delaware
Located on the site of a “free school” that opened in 1743, the University of Delaware rose from
college to university status from 1833 to 1921, when the former Newark College merged with
the former Delaware Women’s College. In 1923, Delaware was the first university to introduce
study abroad when a group led by Professor Raymond Kirkbride went to France. Following the
end of World War II, the university was a very small school with less than 1,000 students.
Returning veterans, who received money for college through the G.I Bill, more than doubled the
enrollment through 1950.
Undergraduate enrollment grew rapidly to 6,700 by 1967, two years after now-Vice President
Joseph Biden earned his bachelor’s degree in history and political science. While the vice
president is one of the most famous graduates of the university, the managers of both 2008
presidential campaigns, David Plouffe, who worked for Barack Obama and Steve Schmidt, who
worked for John McCain, are also Delaware alumni, aka “Blue Hens.” Three Delaware alumni:
Scott Brunner, Rich Gannon and Joe Flacco, have quarterbacked NFL teams into the playoffs
while three others were signees to the Declaration of Independence. New Jersey governor Chris
Christie is a graduate as well.
The university was chartered as a private institution; it receives only 13 percent of its operating
budget from the state. And, unlike most state universities, the large majority—65 percent—of
Delaware students come from out of state. In 2008, the university was the most popular outof-state institution chosen by New Jersey college-bound freshmen, according to a task force
report commissioned last year by Governor Christie. Given the university’s location in the
center of the East Coast as well as its proximity to Interstate 95, Delaware attracts applicants
from Massachusetts down through Virginia. Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia and Washington
D.C. are all less than two and a half hours from campus. Newark is also served by Amtrak trains
to those cities.
Today the university has approximately 19,500 students, with approximately 16,000
undergraduates, who are enrolled in seven schools: the College of Agriculture and Natural
Resources, College of Arts and Sciences. the Lerner School of Business and Economics, the
College of Earth, Ocean and Environment, the College of Education, the College of Engineering
and the College of Health Sciences. Chemistry and chemical engineering are noted as strong
academic departments; they developed in part, due to DuPont’s influence in the state. The
agriculture, biochemistry, business, education, information systems and public policy programs
are highly regarded. The university offers one of only four academic programs in art
conservation in the country. The university is also a Land Grant, Sea Grant and Space Grant
institution. The university has also acquired a former Chrysler Motors plant located across from
the football stadium that will be developed into a research park that will be a setting to study,
among other subjects, automotive technology. The plant previously produced Dodge Aspen
heavy-duty hybrid sport utility vehicles before it was closed.
Delaware is one of only three dozen public universities that retain 90 percent or more of its
freshman while graduating at least 75 percent of them within six years. At the same time it
competes strongly against several public and private universities in nearby states that also
perform exceptionally well.
Admissions
Delaware is less selective for Delawareans than it is for out-of-state students. Fewer than 3,000
Delawareans apply for the approximately 1,300 spots that are available for them in the
freshman class, according to Amy Foley, the university’s senior associate director for admissions.
About two-thirds are admitted; nearly another quarter will pursue Associate’s degrees at branch
campuses in Dover, Georgetown or Wilmington before transferring to the main campus in
Newark. They are taught by faculty who also teach on the main campus.
Overall, with in-state and out-of-state applicants, there were just over 25,000 applications to the
freshman class entering in Fall 2011. This means that there were more than 22,000 out-of-state
students vying for one of the 2,600 spots in the class, a very competitive ratio of 8.5 applications
for every spot. About half of the out-of-state applicants were offered admission. Once regarded
as a “fallback” school for students who could not gain admission to state universities in their
home states, Delaware has emerged as a more selective institution. Its student population more
closely resembling that of a private university such as Syracuse, which has about the same
percentage of state residents--36 percent, according to the latest U.S.News college guide--as
the public University of Delaware.
Delaware does not admit students via an early decision or an early action plan, though the
university uses the Common Application. There is a one-page supplement; those who are
interested in the Honors Program must write only one additional essay. Every application gets
two reads, says Amy Foley; some are deferred to teams where a senior counselor is a team
captain. Applicants are asked to select a major when they apply, although they may also choose
University Studies, which means Undecided.
While SATs are considered ‘important’ for admission, the rigor of the high school transcript and
the academic grade point average are ‘very important’. Delaware, like other leading research
universities, expects applicants to take their hardest courses during their senior year in high
school and continue to perform well. The admissions office also reviews the essay as well as
their recommendations and resume (also required). The office advises against writing about
depressing topics on essays as well as an over-abundant number of recommendations beyond
those from teachers or guidance counselors.
Any student who is seriously interested in Delaware and believes that they display extraordinary
credentials, prowess or talents should apply for the Honors Program. This includes not only
honors courses but also honors housing in the Russell Complex, one of the nicer dorms.
Students may also apply to the Honors Program in subsequent years, provided that they have at
least a 3.4 GPA.
Given Delaware’s location, its main competitors are the flagship universities in the states where
the university has the strongest outreach including Rutgers-New Brunswick, The College of New
Jersey (TCNJ), the University of Maryland-College Park, Penn State-University Park, Temple,
SUNY-Binghamton, SUNY-Stony Brook, the University of Virginia, University of Connecticut,
University of Massachusetts, James Madison University (VA), Virginia, William and Mary and
Virginia Tech.
When compared using data available from the Education Trust, a non-profit education policy
organization based in Washington D.C. There are significant differences in the selectivity and
academic performance of these schools. In the cases of TCNJ, Maryland, Virginia and William
and Mary, students who are from New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia are applying to more
selective schools in their home state. In most other cases Delaware will be equally selective or
more selective. There are also differences in the demographics of the student bodies, also
according to data available from the Education Trust. Some, such as Rutgers and Maryland, have
larger shares of Pell-eligible students and minority students than Delaware, while others do not.
In addition, some of these institutions have their own law schools and medical schools, often a
draw for undergraduate students, while Delaware does not.
Applicants to Delaware also consider privately-supported schools in the Northeast and MidAtlantic states including American University (DC), Boston University (MA), Drexel University
(PA), George Washington University (DC), Northeastern University (MA), Syracuse University and
Villanova University (PA), among others, as well as Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania.
Given the level of competition, students at the top of the applicant pool are aggressively
courted. The majority of merit-based aid goes to non-residents. Unlike most schools that send
financial aid letters separately from offers of admission, Delaware tries to package them
together whenever possible.
Costs
In-state tuition and mandatory fees for Delawareans are approximately $11,200 for the 2011-12
school year, while out-of-state students pay just under $27,500. The challenge is to stand out
and prove the “value-added” to entice bright students away from their home state school as
well as leading private schools in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states.
The spread between in-state tuition at competing schools and the out-of-state tuition at
Delaware ranges from $12,000 (Penn State) to $21,000 (SUNY-Binghamton). The out-of-state
tuition is also higher than the amounts charged to out-of-state students by U-Mass, Maryland,
Penn State, Rutgers and the SUNY universities, as well as James Madison and Virginia Tech. UConn charges out-of-state students about the same, while Virginia and William and Mary charge
over $10,000 more.
In addition, given that Delaware is a state university with out-of-state students in the majority, it
is necessary to consider full tuition and fees against discounted fees by competing private
schools. In 2009-10, the last year such comparisons could be made by the U.S. Department of
Education, the out-of-state tuition and fees at Delaware were approximately $23,200 and the
total cost, including room and board and books, was estimated to be about $34,800.
Compare this to these total estimates for Average Net Price (costs less scholarships and grants)
in 2009-10 for these competing private schools, also provided by the U.S. Department of
Education.
Delaware (total charges—out-of state student)
American U (Average Net Price, all students)
American U (Average Net Price, students from families with income $75,001 to
$110,000)
Boston U (Average Net Price, all students)
Boston U (Average Net Price, students from families with income $75,001 to
$110,000)
Drexel U (Average Net Price, all students)
Drexel U (Average Net Price, students from families with income $75,001 to
$110,000)
Geo. Washington University (Average Net Price, all students)
Geo. Washington University
(Average Net Price, students from families with income $75,001 to
$110,000)
Northeastern U (Average Net Price, all students)
Northeastern U
(Average Net Price, students from families with income $75,001 to
$110,000)
Syracuse (Average Net Price, all students)
Syracuse (Average Net Price, students from families with income $75,001 to
$110,000)
Villanova (Average Net Price, all students)
Villanova (Average Net Price, students from families with income $75,001 to
$110,000)
$34,800
$28,294
$32,433
$28,500
$30,195
$33,495
$33,534
$27,095
$24,297
$32,687
$32,961
$24,306
$26,085
$27,525
$29,543
Delaware starts at a cost advantage because of the lower tuition. However, the privately
supported schools have become more aggressive in offering merit-based and need-based
financial aid. While academic quality and amenities may win over some price-sensitive shoppers,
the likelihood of receiving aid, especially in the later years, will influence others.
Distinguished Scholars at Delaware include the Eugene duPont Scholars (who receive full
scholarships), Alumni Scholars, Alison Scholars, 1743 Scholars, and Stark Scholars. Keep in mind
that while much of a student body and their families will pay more than the Average Net Price at
their college, the brightest students will usually pay less.
One of only 56 institutions, public or private, to have an endowment in excess of $1 billion in
2010, the university’s endowment lost nearly a quarter of its market value in a single year,
according the National Association of College and University Business Officers. The typical
practice for a university is to limit spending to no more than five percent of the market value of
the endowment. A decline in the market value may thus lead to budget cuts as well as tuition
increases.
The debt-to-degree ratio for Delaware graduates from 2006 through 2009 was approximately
$14,100 according to Education Sector, a Washington DC-based non-profit and non-partisan
public policy organization. This ratio represents the average debt that must be incurred by a
student in order for them to complete their degree. The more likely the student is to graduate
on-time and the lower the cost of the school, the lower the ratio will be. Since this ratio
considers the costs to in-state and out-of-state students, it is useful to make comparisons with
the private universities students consider versus attending Delaware (below). Even if the
Delaware student receives less aid, s/he is likely to owe less for their degree.
University of Delaware
American University
Boston University
Drexel University
George Washington University
Northeastern University
Syracuse University
Villanova University
$14,135
$18,907
$16,335
$26,656
$14,657
$23,482
$22,875
$18,393
Delaware is one of 194 colleges and universities that participate in the McNair Scholars
Program. It is designed to prepare undergraduate students for doctoral studies through
involvement in research and other scholarly activities. McNair participants are either firstgeneration college students with financial need, or members of a group that is traditionally
underrepresented in graduate education and have demonstrated strong academic potential.
Comforts
Delaware requires all freshmen to live on campus and guarantees that students will have access
to on-campus housing for all four years. However, more than half of the student body elects to
live off-campus, usually in their junior and senior years. The university owns apartments in only
one complex called Christiana Towers; these are open year-round for international students,
athletes and others who must live on campus throughout the course of a year.
Delaware operates 15 residence halls. Dorms on the East and West Campuses are freshmanonly, although freshmen may live in housing in one dorm on the Central Campus as well. All
West Campus dorms have air conditioning, but not all dorms on the East Campus do. There is
also one freshman-only dorm on the North Campus, which offers suite-style living. All students
living in suite-style dorms are responsible for cleaning their bathroom. The residence halls are
currently close to full capacity. A series of planned renovations will lead to a net gain in the
number of beds on campus. Nearly all dorms are Wi-fi enabled.
There are living-learning communities as well as an all-female dorm, Warner Hall, which is
located on The Green, that welcome students from all classes and substance-free housing in
Squire Hall, which is on the Central Campus. Living learning communities, according to the
Residence Life Web pages include:
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Eco-house Community
PROUD community
Martin Luther King Jr. Humanities Community
Music Community
Film and Performing Arts Community
Crew Community
Cuisine Community
Healthy Living Community
H. Norman Schwarzkopf Leadership Community
Crafts Community
Students have 14 places they can go to get food on their meal plan; they are not limited to
campus dining halls, and each dining hall serves different meals at the same time. Every student
has one free chance to change their plan during the semester. Each plan is a combination of
meals and points; the points can be used to purchase food at the student center stores and
restaurants.
All students are allowed to have cars, but freshmen are given the lowest priority for parking
passes. However, a car is really not necessary expect for trips to the supermarket.
Off-campus rents in Newark range from $300 per person per month to share a house to $550
per person per month to share a luxury townhome. Practically all students who live off campus
live less than two miles from campus. The regional transit agency plans routes around student
living patterns.
Community
Although the Delaware campus went through its greatest level of expansion during the latter
half of the 20th century, the main quad of the Central Campus, the academic center of the
university, is dominated by Georgian-style architecture that has its roots in the late 19th century.
The Green, the main quad is well-maintained although smaller sections are chained off from
pedestrians, presumably to keep them from walking across the grass. The campus has an
abundance of bike racks, though with only 750 acres between residence halls, the downtown
and academic buildings, it is quite pedestrian friendly. The university uses an unattractive 70sstyle brown-on-brown signage in front of every building, regardless of age; it clashes rather than
blends with the buildings.
The campus has two student centers. One, Perkins, was also the campus book store until the
current academic year. The other, Trabant, has a student-run restaurant called Vita Nova, an
offshoot of the hotel and hospitality management curriculum. Perkins is closer to the residence
halls and academic buildings on the Central Campus and houses the offices of The Review, the
campus newspaper as well as the university’s radio and television stations. Trabant is closer to
the Morris Library, the largest library on campus as well as the School of Business classrooms,
and it is larger multi-purpose rooms and theatre spaces. Trabant is also closer to the newer
residence halls, the Dickinson Complex and the Rodney Complex, on the West Campus. Both
student centers offer the choices of food one would find on any other college campus, though
Trabant, being the newer center, has a greater variety of food stores in the food court. One
observation: the interior décor of both buildings is somewhat outdated compared to the
student centers at Penn State and Rutgers. (Full disclosure: the author has visited and spent
considerable time on both of these campuses)
Reported incidents of crime on and around campus have gone down, according to the
university’s 2011 Clery Report. Incidents of burglaries on campus, the most reported crime,
have declined by more than 50 percent over the past three years from 32 to 15. Drug and liquor
law violations have increased though far more are referred to campus authorities than resolved
by local or campus police, who share patrol responsibilities for downtown Newark.
In 2010, a total of 154 arrests for liquor violations as well as 985 referrals to campus authorities.
There were a total of 99 arrests for drug law violations as well as 114 referrals to campus
authorities. Although the number of referrals has risen, the increase is also a sign that the
university is using its own services to resolve drug and alcohol related problems involving
students. More positively, reported incidents of these crimes in public places: drug and alcohol
violations and possession of illegal weapons dropped from 64 in 2008 to only 10 in 2010.
This is one of the best-connected campuses in the country due not only to its location, but also
to its access to mass transit as well as airports. Both Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor Service and
SEPTA train lines to Philadelphia stop in Newark. Airports in Baltimore, Wilmington and
Philadelphia are less than an hour and a half away.
Signage welcoming travelers into downtown Newark calls the commercial center the Great
American Main Street. In one case, it’s true. Practically every chain eatery has a restaurant
here, although there are plenty of local establishments, too. While Delaware is a much smaller
school than Maryland, Rutgers or Penn State the downtown is as college-oriented as College
Park, New Brunswick or University Park. However, outside of bars, more of the entertainment
opportunities are on campus. A recent decision by the university to partner with Barnes and
Noble on a downtown book store will only help to increase foot traffic.
There are 50 fraternities and sororities at Delaware, quite high for a mid-sized state school;
fifteen percent of the student body goes Greek. With tighter policing in the downtown—the
university and the city have taken on more shared responsibilities—the fraternities become a
more important social center on the weekends than they might be at other schools.
One very popular extracurricular activity is music. According to the admission office’s marketing
video, more than 2,000 Delaware students participate in a musical activity, with approximately
350 being in the marching band. The Del Tones, an a capella group have performed on Sing-Off,
and are one of the best-known groups of their kind in the country.
Athletics at Delaware do not have a high media profile as they do at the flagship state schools in
neighboring states. However, the quality of play in the leagues where their teams play is very
high, with the greatest success coming in football. The university competes in the Colonial
Athletic Association (CAA). CAA teams participate in a play-off system in football where the
higher seeded team (presuming the stadium has adequate seating) hosts the lower seeded
team. Delaware is the only school at this level, called the “playoff-subdivision,” to average more
than 20,000 fans per home game at its stadium for the past twelve years. The Fightin’ Blue Hens
won their last national championship in 2003. Two other CAA rivals, James Madison and
Villanova, have also won national championships since then. The Blue Hens were runners-up in
2007 and 2010. Only Delaware and Georgia Tech have had three consecutive head coaches
inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
The CAA is also one of the most competitive mid-major conferences in men’s college basketball.
Since 2006 two CAA teams, George Mason and Virginia Commonwealth, have reached the NCAA
Final Four. And while the Lady Hens have not won a women’s basketball conference title, their
team has one of the most prominent athletes on campus, Elena Del Donne, a Delawarean who
backed out of a scholarship to U-Conn and decided to stay home. Del Donne was so intent on
coming to Delaware that she played volleyball during her freshman year instead of basketball,
so that U-Conn would release her from her commitment.
In addition to football success, Delaware has won conference championships in women’s field
hockey, women’s volleyball and men’s lacrosse since 2001.
Curriculum
Delaware brings freshmen to campus for orientations in smaller groups of around 200 students
from late June through late July. The university has a First Year Experience for all freshmen
similar to programs offered at smaller liberal arts colleges. The Experience includes a Common
Reader that all incoming freshmen must read before coming to campus. In 2011, the book
chosen was The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, written by Rebecca Skloot. Students discussed
the book in small group sessions and they also heard a lecture by the author. Other events will
be organized around the book throughout the semester. The Experience also includes a First
Year Seminar; each 25 student course is taught by senior faculty who are assisted by
upperclassmen. These seminars, which carry one credit, are organized under major
departments.
Aside from the First Year Seminar, all students must complete a semester of English composition
as well as these General Education Requirements, in a distribution that is becoming more
commonplace at larger universities:
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Creative Arts and Humanities: 9 credits
History and Cultural Change: 6 credits
Social and Behavioral Sciences: 6 credits
Math, Natural Science and Technology: 10 credits
In 2008 the university embarked on a new strategic plan called the Path to Prominence. This
included expansion of “discovery learning” opportunities including internships, fieldwork
programs and service learning. Unique to Delaware is a seven-week Winter Session which runs
from the beginning of December through the beginning of February where students may take
courses, study abroad or work in service projects. All students must complete a Discovery
project in order to graduate. Forty five percent of Delaware students study abroad at least one
during their undergraduate education while nearly 700 participate in research projects with the
faculty. Many academic departments have their own internship programs as well.
According to a university Fact Book, interest in the business, engineering and health science
programs increased by nearly 1,900 students from 2006 through 2010, while the university
added less 700 students to its total undergraduate enrollment. The undergraduate enrollment in
the College of Agriculture increased by 100 students and the College of Earth, Ocean and
Environment, a relatively new school in 2006, increased by 200. However, education
enrollments have declined from around 2,000 students in 2006 to under 1,000 in 2010. Arts and
Science programs have historically attracted more than 6,000 undergraduates. The shift in
interest to the benefit of the science and engineering majors may turn out to have a positive
impact on their funding picture as well as the academic quality of these programs.
Delaware has a student-faculty ratio of 16 to 1. This is calculated by counting all of the full-time
faculty as well as one-third of those who teach part-time. Delaware’s location is attractive to
part-time instructors who live and/or work closer to Baltimore, Philadelphia or Wilmington.
While Delaware is a smaller university than the flagships in neighboring states, the ratio is higher
than it is at Rutgers-New Brunswick (30,000 undergraduates and a student-faculty ratio of 14 to
1) but lower than Penn State-University Park (38,000 undergraduates and a student-faculty ratio
of 17 to 1) and the University of Maryland-College Park (26,000 undergraduates and studentfaculty ratio of 18 to 1).
In addition, while Delaware does not have a medical school, it has an innovative eight-year premed and medical school program in partnership with the Medical College of Thomas Jefferson
University in Philadelphia. The curriculum not only includes the traditional courses in the
life/physical sciences but also the opportunity to specialize in one of three areas related to
medicine dealing with bioethics, administration and public policy, or translational research. Like
other education partnerships between undergraduate schools and medical schools, this
program lays out a direct pathway from college to medical from the freshman year onward.
However, it does not reduce the time by which a student would complete their bachelor’s
degree and their MD degree.
Connections
With the graduation of the class of 2011, The University of Delaware has approximately 155,000
living alumni, about 100,000 live in six Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states: Delaware, New
Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
But unlike state universities that have longer histories as four-year post-secondary institutions,
UD has few traditions that have bound students and alumni over generations. Homecoming is
still popular, given the success of the football program. Other traditions include the Kissing
Arches, located on the Green, once symbolized a dividing line between the former men’s and
women’s colleges. Supposedly a couple who kiss under the arches is destined to marry. Two
other traditions are to rub the nose of Judge Morris, for whom the main library is named, for
good luck on exams and to flip the veteran’s page at Memorial Hall, the dominant and roundtopped building on the Green.
The alumni relations office has started a class banner program; the banner designed and
finished by freshmen is hung at graduation. Banners for all of the classes are hung in the student
center during the school year. Banners were started as a new tradition, in part, because so
many students move off campus as upperclassmen; campus-based traditions would have little
staying power. However, Alumni Weekends have increased in attendance from 1,900 in 2009 to
around 3,000 in 2011.
Like most large universities, the vast majority of Delaware graduates received their degree
during the 1970s and later, and more are living outside of the East Coast, including more who
live outside of the United States. The alumni association has 14 official clubs across the country,
organized on the East Coast, California and Texas. Each hosts an event each month; some host
sending events for incoming freshmen. The alumni association has also advanced their online
community called UDConnection.com , a searchable contact database, has 22,000 names as well
as all alumni news and opportunities to sign up for events. The association also has its own
Facebook page and Twitter feed. The Messenger, the print alumni magazine, is published four
times a year.
Eighty percent of Delaware seniors use the Bank of America Career Services Center, according to
Matthew Brink, the university’s director of career services. The center operates two offices, one
on the Central Campus, the other within the business school’s main building. The center has 25
ongoing partnerships with employers and professional associations; the number expects to grow
as the economy improves. As two examples, JP Morgan hired 72 graduates from the 2011
graduating class and Macy’s hired 32 students for full-time positions and internships.
The career center also runs 12 customized career fairs; most are not tied to a single set of
majors. In addition, the College of Education hosts their own education fair, most recently
providing interview and networking opportunities with over 100 school districts across the
country. Altogether, says Brink, 964 employers participated in job fairs and/or conducted oncampus interviews in 2010-11. Over 27,000 employment opportunities were posted and more
than 41,000 students and alumni attended on-campus events.
While academic departments often manage their own internship or practicum programs—77
percent of the 2010 senior class completed at least one internship beyond the Discovery
Learning requirements—the career center engages first semester freshmen on a monthly basis.
Staff liaisons are assigned to work with students at a given college or a given group of majors.
Staff members try to connect freshmen to two or three career-related activities, though student
participation is voluntary. Online alumni student assessments and a Career Map program are
also available; these are done though packages that produce a PDF for the jobseeker and
counselor while dialogue takes place using Skype. This fall, the career center is also launching
an updated online Alumni-Student Networking program, with over 1,000 participating mentors.
Conclusion
One can argue that Delaware is like a private university, only the students get a $10,000
discount off the bat. That’s not such a bad thing considering that the academics in the business,
education and liberal arts departments are probably as good as those at the private universities
that applicants are most likely considering, while the science and engineering offerings are likely
to be better. The career development center is as aggressive at assisting students and alumni as
any similar office at similar public or private schools in the neighboring states. Everyone:
students, employers, faculty and staff are helped by the fact that the school is accessible by bus,
car or mass transit to major East Coast cities. Delaware is accessible to more of them than any
university, public or private, that is not located in a major city.
The university has historically been a popular choice for students who do not want to attend the
flagship state university in their home state. Some reasons are understandable. Downtown
Newark is more attractive than downtown New Brunswick, which serves Rutgers in New Jersey,
while both have excellent mass transit access. Delaware has a lower SAT range than the
University of Maryland or SUNY-Binghamton, among other schools, and it is less isolated from
larger cities than Penn State or U-Conn. In this case, paying more to attend another state’s
flagship school is worthwhile for students who receive aid or for these who do not need it, as
well as for those who live in a state where the flagship is more difficult to get into. But
Delaware, while fielding competitive football teams, does not offer much in the way of
traditions or landmarks that bond the campus community at a the larger flagship state
universities.
The university also asks out-of-state students to pay as much as $21,000 more per year than
they would spend to attend their home state’s flagship university, a “location premium” for
some, possibly an “academic premium” for students interested in programs such as art
conservation and chemical engineering. But the additional money could be spent on graduate
school or repaying student loans, assuming that merit or need-based aid is not possible.
And, while Delaware is well-located regionally and has a large alumni network, it is situated
within a very small state that offers fewer employment options to graduates than most. If the
University of Delaware is to continue to attract the best students from other excellent schools it
will need to continue to think regionally and globally in terms of making connections for
students, better assisting them with merit and need-based aid. This school is too reliant on the
dollars of out-of-state students to think otherwise.
REPORT CARD: UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
Costs: B 12 Points
Pluses
Delaware draws 65 percent of its students from out-of-state, more than even some private
universities such as Northeastern and Syracuse. If one looks at Delaware like a private school,
the university is a bargain for out-of-state students.
Special attention to needs of first generation and students of under-represented minorities,
including the McNair Scholars program.
Minuses
In-state tuition and mandatory fees relatively high compared to most state universities,
although lower than schools in neighboring Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey
Out-of-state tuition is higher than schools in neighboring Maryland, Pennsylvania and New
Jersey as well as for SUNY schools, James Madison and Virginia Tech
Private universities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states are becoming more competitive at
providing aid to the students that would overlap with the top of Delaware’s applicant pool
Limited dollars for merit scholarship aid
Comforts: B+ 16 points
Pluses
The university can guarantee on-campus housing for four years—as long as you want a dorm
Vast majority of dorms are Wi-Fi enabled
Options to live in either all-freshmen or mixed dorms (by class).
Warner Hall, the all-female dorm on the Green, is considered a standout place to live
Flexible meal plans and abundant dining options
Economical local housing market compared with other Eastern cities and university
communities, with most housing less than two miles from campus.
Minuses
Not all dorms have air-conditioning
Less than half the students live on campus after their freshman year
Buildings completed around and before the 60s—Harrington Complex being one example-- and
earlier are showing their age.
University owns few apartments
Community: A 20 points
Pluses
Attractive, pedestrian-friendly campus. Also bicycle-friendly. No need for cars
Active retail Main Street with plenty of eating and drinking places
Winning football program
Transit access unequaled by any university that is not in a major city
University is large enough and has location to attract high-profile speakers and entertainers
Very musically active community: Del Tones, Marching Band, and more
The Green looks much like the quad at an older university with more history
Much of the Central Campus and West Campus is tree-lined
Community and university have teamed to reduce crime effectively and to handle drug and
alcohol related incidents with more appropriate discretion
Minuses
Outdated interior décor in student centers and dining areas
Campus signage is unattractive and outdated
Smaller sections of the Green are chained off from pedestrians though largest part is well known
for study and sunbathing in nicer weather
Curriculum: A 20 points
Pluses
First Year Experience includes Common Reader and First Year Seminar
Liberal arts core is not terribly cumbersome
Ample opportunities to gain advanced standing as a freshman, even to the point of graduating
early, studying abroad or adding a second major or multiple minors
Nationally and regionally respected programs in Agriculture, Art Conservation, Chemistry,
Chemical Engineering, Education, Information Systems and Public Policy
Honors Program offer exceptional academic opportunities as well as housing options
“Discovery” learning is a required course, though most students go beyond one opportunity to
study abroad, do research, work in an internship or practicum or take on a public service project
Minuses
Some majors such as architecture and industrial design are not offered
Ability to get into classes is source of complaints on review sites
University does not have a law school or medical school, while competitors such as Maryland,
Penn State and Rutgers do
Connections: A 20 points
Pluses
Very aggressive, well-designed, well-staffed and well-managed career development center
Large alumni community: 155,000 living alumni, with 100,000 in Delaware and surrounding
states
Alumni relations efforts have stepped up in recent years; moved to network of 14 regional clubs
that manage their own events. Also developed much stronger online presence.
Few traditions that form common bonds within a large university community
TOTAL SCORE: 88 points