COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · DOVER, DE

Is Delaware State University worth the money?

Yes — at resident pricing. A Delaware State University degree clears +$578K in 30-year projected net value over skipping college and investing the difference.

A public four-year school in Dover, Delaware, priced as a Delaware resident — earnings rolled up from 20 FREOPP-reported programs.

IPEDS 2023 cost · FREOPP 2021 earnings · BEA 2023 cost-of-living · same model as /worth-it · this school clears positive net value.

Delaware State University · Dover, DE

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$578K
30-year net value · non-resident
+$239K
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$48,322
Breaks even by age
—
Annual tuition · Delaware resident
$10,314
Annual tuition · out-of-state
$20,250
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$95,792
Total cost of attendance · out-of-state
$135,536
FREOPP program coverage
20 programs
How this is computed (and what it isn’t)

Delaware State University runs through the /worth-it model at its resident tuition rate, with the standard loan assumptions, a 30-year horizon, and Delaware’s own cost-of-living on the skip-college path. The “30-year net value” is the projected accumulated value of going vs. skipping and investing the difference, in real dollars.

What it isn’t: a verdict on every major. The school-level number averages across 20 FREOPP-reported programs — the field you pick swings it by over a million dollars on its own. We only publish school pages that clear positive net value at resident pricing; earnings roll up from at least three FREOPP programs (ADR-0032), so a single high-earning major can’t fake the number.

Questions

Is Delaware State University worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: Delaware State University clears +$578K in 30-year projected net value versus skipping college and investing the difference. That is computed from a total cost of attendance of $95,792 and median earnings of $48,322 ten years after entry (IPEDS 2023 cost, FREOPP 2021 earnings, BEA 2023 cost-of-living — the same model as the LE TEEN calculator).
How much is tuition at Delaware State University?
Delaware State University's annual sticker tuition is $10,314 for Delaware residents and $20,250 for out-of-state students, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $95,792 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of Delaware State University?
Over 4 years, Delaware State University's sticker cost of attendance is $95,792 at resident pricing, or $135,536 out-of-state — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at Delaware prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $48,322.
What is out-of-state tuition at Delaware State University?
Non-resident annual sticker tuition at Delaware State University is $20,250, versus $10,314 for Delaware residents — a premium of $9,936 a year. Even at the non-resident rate, Delaware State University clears positive 30-year net value.
How long until a Delaware State University degree pays for itself?
Under our defaults the degree path finishes +$578K ahead at the 30-year horizon; the year-by-year crossover depends on your loan share and time horizon — run your own assumptions on the calculator.
What could change the number for Delaware State University?
Two levers dominate. Residency: this page prices Delaware State University as a Delaware resident; at non-resident tuition it still clears +$239K, but the gap is real money. And the major: the field you pick swings lifetime ROI by over a million dollars on its own (see the majors pages).

Keep going

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Is Delaware State University worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/delaware-state-university