The University of Delaware, which traces its history to 1743, is one of the oldest universities in the country. Today, it's a research powerhouse: UD belongs to an elite group of institutions the U.S. government has named land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant universities. It also has its fingerprints on nearly 150 patents in the past decade alone, in the fields of cancer diagnosis, sustainable manufacturing, electrical engineering and a laundry list of other areas.
Over 19,000 undergraduate students are enrolled at UD, and they can choose from over 150 major and minor programs. Leading programs include insect ecology, national resources conservation and marine biology. The school has some niche offerings, too, like a world-class figure skating club and a century-old study abroad program that more than 30% of undergraduates participate in today.
UD also stands out for its affordability, coming in at about $100,000 for the net price of a degree for in-state students — significantly lower than most schools even before factoring in state or federal aid. And its six-year graduation rate (80%) is above the national median, according to Money’s calculations.
