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State profile · 18 colleges · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Colleges in Delaware

Colleges in Delaware from PlainCollege's Scorecard dataset, compared on acceptance, cost, and 10-year former-student earnings.

18
Colleges
$44,130
Avg 10-yr earnings (14 of 18)
67.2%
Avg acceptance

Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.

Delaware · the picture in one line

Delaware's 14 of 18 colleges that report earnings average $44,130 in 10-year former-student earnings - 22nd highest of 56 states and territories that report.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

#22
of 56 states by avg former-student earnings
$72,950
top earnings - University of Delaware
67.2%
avg acceptance (3 reporting)
6 / 4 / 8
public / nonprofit / for-profit

Best earnings-to-cost value among Delaware colleges with reported figures: Goldey-Beacom College.

This page aggregates colleges and universities in Delaware returned by PlainCollege's U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard snapshot. It combines IPEDS-derived institutional fields with Treasury-derived earnings published for federal-aid recipients. Coverage includes public flagships, regional comprehensives, community and technical colleges, private nonprofit institutions, and for-profit schools.

The state-aggregate statistics below include all reporting institutions in Delaware as a single denominator, community colleges, public universities, private nonprofits, and for-profit institutions are pooled. State averages are therefore useful for high-level framing (in-state tuition is X, average admission rate is Y, average earnings are Z) but should not be read as representative of any specific sector or institution. Drill into individual school profiles for the full picture: admissions, costs (sticker and net), federal-aid usage, completion, retention, demographics, and earnings outcomes 6 and 10 years after enrollment.

The Scorecard data used here was retrieved in March–July 2026. That retrieval window is not the measurement year: tuition and enrollment fields retain their source reporting periods, while 10-year institution earnings describe federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year, a decade after entry.

Largest Colleges in Delaware by Enrollment

IPEDS Fall enrollment via College Scorecard.

students

What this shows Enrollment size reflects institutional scale, not quality or on-campus experience - a large school here can still be a small, selective program relative to its state peers.

Source IPEDS As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Highest Earnings, 10-Year Median: Delaware

U.S. Treasury earnings linkage via College Scorecard.

USD

What this shows Former-student earnings vary by program mix and local labor market as much as by the school itself; this comparison does not isolate a school's causal effect.

Source College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

The ROI lens

Delaware colleges: earnings vs. cost

Delaware colleges, positioned by earnings vs net price Two-by-two quadrant chart: x-axis median earnings 10 years after enrollment, y-axis average net price after financial aid. Each dot is a college, colored by completion within 150% of normal time (garnet ≥65%, amber 45-64%, red <45%). Net price increases upward, earnings increase rightward, so: bottom-right = best value (low cost, high earnings); top-right = premium (high cost, high earnings); bottom-left = community college tier (low cost, modest earnings); top-left = cost challenge (high cost, low earnings). Currently plotting 10 colleges. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard joined to Carnegie Classification. Delaware colleges, positioned by earnings vs net price COST CHALLENGE PREMIUM COMMUNITY BEST VALUE $20K $77K Median Earnings 10 Years After Enrollment ($) $10K $24K Avg Net Price ($) University of Delaware: $73K earn · $18K net · 80% grad University of Dela… Delaware Technical Community College-Terry: $41K earn · $12K net · 21% grad Delaware Technical… Wilmington University: $54K earn · $16K net · 21% grad Wilmington Univers… Delaware State University: $49K earn · $14K net · 39% grad Delaware State Uni… Goldey-Beacom College: $60K earn · $16K net · 58% grad Goldey-Beacom Coll… Dawn Career Institute LLC: $30K earn · $15K net · 75% grad Dawn Career Instit… Strayer University-Delaware: $40K earn · $23K net Schilling-Douglas School of Hair Design: $27K earn · $19K net · 52% grad Paul Mitchell the School-Delaware: $32K earn · $17K net · 59% grad The Salon Professional Academy: $24K earn · $17K net · 90% grad Grad rate (4yr) ≥65% 45-64% <45%
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education

National context

How Delaware ranks among the states

Delaware's average 10-year earnings of $44,130 place it in the 61st percentile among all 56 states and territories tracked by the College Scorecard.

Delaware: average former-student earnings vs. every state

State-average 10-year median earnings, College Scorecard

$44,130 Top 39% higher than 61% of 56 states & territories

$24,000–$28,000: 3 states & territories (5%). Below this entry. $28,000–$32,000: 1 states & territories (2%). Below this entry. $32,000–$36,000: 3 states & territories (5%). Below this entry. $36,000–$40,000: 12 states & territories (21%). Below this entry. $40,000–$44,000: 14 states & territories (25%). Below this entry. $44,000–$48,000: 10 states & territories (18%). This entry sits in this band. $48,000–$52,000: 7 states & territories (13%). Above this entry. $52,000–$56,000: 3 states & territories (5%). Above this entry. $56,000–$60,000: 3 states & territories (5%). Above this entry. DE $24,000 $60,000 every state, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $4K-wide band; taller bars hold more states & territories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Delaware vs. every state, at a glance
EarningsAffordabilityOptionsAccess

Each axis is this state's percentile among all states & territories on that metric (Earnings/Affordability/Options/Access) -- not a composite grade, just four independent comparisons in one shape.

School type matters

How school type shapes earnings in Delaware

Average 10-year former-student earnings by institution type. Program mix, selectivity, student background, and local labor markets all contribute to the observed gaps, so read this beside each school's own figures.

Average former-student earnings by school type - Delaware

Mean of per-school 10-year median earnings, College Scorecard

avg earnings

What this shows Keeping schools within one state reduces some regional variation, but this descriptive comparison does not control for program mix, selection, or student background.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
18
Total Schools
$10,663
Avg In-State Tuition (8 of 18)
67.2%
Avg Acceptance Rate (3 of 18)
$44,130
Avg Median Earnings (14 of 18)
6 Public 4 Private NP 8 For-Profit
Ownership Breakdown

What the IPEDS Data Shows for Colleges in Delaware

PlainCollege's Scorecard dataset contains 18 postsecondary institutions in Delaware. The ownership mix is 6 public institutions, 4 private nonprofits, and 8 private for-profit schools. Public institutions often report lower in-state tuition because state appropriations subsidize the published price, while private nonprofits may show higher sticker prices partly offset by institutional aid.

Cost and selectivity signals vary widely even within a single state. The average in-state tuition among the 8 of 18 Delaware institutions that report one is $10,663, and the average admission rate among the 3 that report one sits at 67.2%. Admission rates from IPEDS exclude open-enrollment institutions, which is why community colleges and many for-profits show as unreported rather than at 100 percent. Looking at the table, the acceptance-rate column is blank for schools that don’t screen applicants, a meaningful distinction when evaluating selectivity alongside earnings.

Institution-level earnings connect cost to one observed outcome. Among the 14 of 18 Delaware colleges that report 10-year median earnings, federally aided former students show a mean of $44,130, based on Treasury-derived records published through the Scorecard. Because earnings depend heavily on field of study, student background, and local labor markets, state-level averages should be read alongside each school’s program mix. The table sorts institutions with reported IPEDS enrollment so users can compare acceptance rates, enrollment scale, and median earnings side by side.

All Schools in Delaware

School Name City Type Enrollment Acceptance Rate 10yr Earnings
University of Delaware Newark Public 19,071 70.6% $72,950
Delaware Technical Community College-Terry Dover Public 10,867 - $41,448
Wilmington University New Castle Private NP 7,906 - $53,844
Delaware State University Dover Public 4,398 46.6% $49,307
Goldey-Beacom College Wilmington Private NP 691 84.5% $59,892
Polytech Adult Education Woodside Public 590 - -
Dawn Career Institute LLC Newark For-Profit 355 - $30,429
Strayer University-Delaware Wilmington For-Profit 161 - $40,092
Schilling-Douglas School of Hair Design Newark For-Profit 152 - $27,420
Paul Mitchell the School-Delaware Newark For-Profit 148 - $32,242
The Salon Professional Academy Dagsboro For-Profit 81 - $23,718
Academy of Massage and Bodywork Bear For-Profit 81 - $31,204
Margaret H Rollins School of Nursing at Beebe Medical Center Lewes Private NP 51 - $72,380
Hair Academy School of Barbering & Beauty Newark For-Profit 33 - -
All In The Wrist Barber Academy Smyrna For-Profit 21 - -
Delaware Technical Community College-Owens Georgetown Public - - $41,448
Delaware Technical Community College-Stanton/Wilmington Wilmington Public - - $41,448
Relay Graduate School of Education - Delaware Wilmington Private NP - - -

Featured Colleges in Delaware

Quick picks from this state – compare two schools side by side

University of Delaware
Newark, DE
19,071 students
Delaware Technical Community College-Terry
Dover, DE
10,867 students
Wilmington University
New Castle, DE
7,906 students
Delaware State University
Dover, DE
4,398 students
Goldey-Beacom College
Wilmington, DE
691 students
Compare University of Delaware vs Delaware Technical Community College-Terry →

Explore more Delaware data

Highest-earning colleges → Best value colleges → ROI calculator → Compare states →

Guides & Resources

Is College Worth It?

A data-driven answer using earnings and cost data.

How to Compare Colleges

A framework for picking schools with data, not rankings alone.

Financial Aid & Net Price

How net price differs from sticker price and financial aid.

Understanding College Earnings Data

How Scorecard earnings figures are measured and their limits.

About This Data

According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, PlainCollege's current snapshots were retrieved in March–July 2026. This state's institution-level figures come from the July retrieval, including IPEDS-derived characteristics. Earnings represent median income 10 years after enrollment for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year, using U.S. Treasury-derived records published through the Scorecard.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

What this means for Delaware applicants

  • Delaware has 18 colleges in PlainCollege's Scorecard dataset, spanning community colleges, public flagships, and private institutions.
  • Average reported admission rate across Delaware colleges is 67.2% - individual schools vary widely, check each profile for its own rate.
  • State-level averages pool every reporting institution together; run a specific school's numbers before assuming the state figure applies to it.Use the ROI calculator

This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or educational advice. State-level averages pool every reporting institution and do not predict any individual school's outcome.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. State-level rollups are computed directly from College Scorecard and IPEDS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.