Delaware State University
Dover, Delaware · Public · 46.6% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 33/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Delaware State University scores 33 (Below Benchmark). In-state tuition is $10,670 with a $13,910 net price and four-year total cost of $55,640. Average 6-year earnings are $30,100, rising to a median $49,307 by year 10. The debt-to-earnings sub-score is 10/100 (a 0.864 ratio against $26,000 median debt and $49,307 earnings) and the repayment rate sub-score is 6/100 (only 45.1% of borrowers reduce principal at three years). Completion rate is 39.1% (20/100), the second-weakest driver. The earnings premium is solid at 0.257 (57/100), reflecting genuine wage benefit for completers. Payback period is 13.7 years. DSU serves 4,398 students with a 48.5% Pell rate as Delaware's HBCU, and its program-level data shows a familiar bimodal pattern: nursing, accounting, and CS produce B+ outcomes; humanities and arts produce D and F grades. The score reflects high debt-to-earnings strain and weak repayment more than weak outcomes for completers in flagship majors.
How Delaware State University scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score33/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate39.1% - The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our score, since a degree that is not finished rarely pays back.
Delaware State University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $10,670/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $20,634/yr |
| Average net price | $13,910/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $55,640 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $49,307 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $30,100 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $276 |
| Estimated payback period | 13.7 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 39.1% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 4,398 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $10,670/year ($20,634/year out-of-state), which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $13,910/year, or roughly $55,640 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $11,135/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $17,326/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,000, which works out to about $276 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($30,100) and comes to 0.86, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $11,135 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $12,452 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $15,701 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $17,633 |
| $110,001+ | $17,326 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $11,135 net, or $44,540 over four years. Pell layering keeps cash debt manageable, but the schoolwide 0.864 debt-to-earnings strain shows up at this income level too. The math works for completers in nursing or business; it struggles in humanities. Inverted-bracket note: families above $110,000 pay $17,326 net, slightly less than the $75,001-$110,000 bracket at $17,633 (a mild aid-stacking quirk).
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Households earning $48,001-$75,000 pay $15,701 and $75,001-$110,000 pay $17,633 net. Middle-income four-year cost of $62,804 to $70,532 against $49,307 in 10-year earnings is workable in nursing and CS, marginal in business, weak in humanities.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $17,326 net (slightly lower than the middle-upper bracket due to inverted aid stacking), or $69,304 over four years.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at Delaware State University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | $94,568 | B |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $49,115 | F |
| Communication and Media Studies | $46,440 | D |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences | $55,509 | C |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $59,689 | C |
| Psychology | $49,132 | D |
| Political Science and Government | $53,128 | D |
| Biology | $59,296 | C |
| Social Work | $56,937 | D |
| Agriculture, General | $52,676 | C |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Registered Nursing
Nursing is DSU's flagship economic engine: 66 graduates, $84,049 first-year and $94,568 four-year earnings against $29,861 debt for a 0.355 debt-to-earnings ratio and B grade. Mid-Atlantic healthcare wage market is strong, and DSU's BSN pipeline absorbs graduates well at regional hospitals. The program substantially counterweights the schoolwide weak outcomes.
Accounting
Accounting has 11 graduates with $72,522 four-year earnings against $25,000 debt for a 0.345 debt-to-earnings ratio and B+ grade. Strong outcomes reflect Mid-Atlantic Big Four placement opportunities and a tight-knit DSU business school network. Smaller program but high-quality outcomes.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business Admin produces 45 graduates with $44,022 first-year and $59,689 four-year earnings against $26,000 debt for a 0.591 debt-to-earnings ratio and C grade. Solid mainstream choice with Mid-Atlantic employer absorption. Reasonable economic case for completers committed to DSU.
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Kinesiology has 57 graduates with $25,704 first-year and $49,115 four-year earnings against $27,125 debt for a 1.055 debt-to-earnings ratio and F grade - the only F on the page. The major typically requires graduate work (PT, OT, athletic training) for career-track wages, and median undergrad debt is $27,125.
Psychology
Psychology produces 45 graduates with $27,012 first-year and $49,132 four-year earnings against $26,000 debt for a 0.963 debt-to-earnings ratio and D grade. The familiar pre-grad-school terminal-degree problem. Workable for students continuing to clinical or counseling master's programs; tough as a terminal degree.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 35.5% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 45.1% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 38.1% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 40.8% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Delaware State University’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 46.6% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 380-500 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 420-520 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 20-24 |
| Enrollment | 4,398 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 48.5% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $8,869 |
The 39.1% completion rate suggests prepared students complete at higher rates while underprepared admits face attrition risk.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware State University (this school) | 33 | $13,910 | $49,307 |
| Morgan State University | 34 | $14,985 | $50,698 |
| Coppin State University | 33 | $9,977 | $46,490 |
| North Carolina A & T State University | 32 | $10,846 | $44,440 |
| American Baptist College | 32 | $9,216 | $41,216 |
| Morehouse College | 29 | $39,013 | $52,889 |
Who Thrives Here
Delaware State fits students drawn to the HBCU experience, committed to nursing, business, accounting, agriculture, or education as majors, and able to keep net price near $11,000-$15,000 through Pell stacking. With 4,398 students and 48.5% Pell, the school is meaningfully accessible. DE residents qualifying for SEED/INSPIRE scholarships can substantially reduce cost. Out-of-state students paying $20,634 tuition face weaker economics; the $17,326 net price at high-income tiers shows the institutional aid model works for full-pay families too. The 39.1% completion rate and tough repayment numbers are the chief risks.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Delaware State University scores 33/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $13,910 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $49,307 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 13.7 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: its 39.1% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.86 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 45.1% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $26,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $30,100 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.86. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Delaware State University: Common Questions
Is Delaware State University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Delaware State University scores 33/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $13,910 a year after aid against $49,307 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 13.7 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Delaware State University cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $13,910 a year, or roughly $55,640 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Delaware State University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $49,307 ten years after enrolling, roughly $7,507 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Delaware State University?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 13.7 years for Delaware State University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Delaware State University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,000, against average earnings of $30,100 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.86. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Delaware State University?
The six-year graduation rate is 39.1%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.