University of Delaware Admission
University of Delaware Undergraduate Program
University of Delaware Application

The Facts

University of Delaware is one of the most overlooked top universities in the nation, and many guidance counselors compare it to Princeton. The university is fairly large and houses over 14,816 undergraduate students and over 3,301 graduate students. However, the school has a fantastic student to faculty ratio of 13:1. The school boasts a highly selective honors program where students decide how they want to pursue honors work in the class room. There is also an Undergraduate Research program in which undergraduates work as research assistants for various faculty members. In fact, approximately 600 students, including freshmen, participate in the program, so it is a big draw at the school.

Admission to the school is not as competitive as one might anticipate; last year, about 7,626 students applied and 6,247 were admitted; of those, 1,884 enrolled. The Class of 2004 had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1030 to 1260 and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 22 to 28. Around 46% of admitted students were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class.

Students say that there is a healthy sense of competition at the school, and although academics are tough, they don’t overwhelm most students to the point of exhaustion (most of the time...). Professors generally have a great relationship with their students, and always make a point to offer their assistance. The school caters to both gifted students and those who might need a little bit of extra help by offering various honors and support programs as well. The school offers around 120 majors in their six undergraduate colleges which range from nature and science to business and economy. Some of the most popular majors at the school include business administration, elementary teacher education, psychology, biological sciences and English.

The Social Scene

The town of Newark, Delaware is quite small, and doesn’t offer a whole lot in the way of social life; however, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia are only a train ride away, and many students opt to head out of Newark on the weekends. The campus is large and takes over most of the town, whose small amount of residents take place in many university activities and contribute regularly to campus life.

There is a large amount of Greek life at the university, and fraternities and sororities have an undeniable amount of influence over campus social life, and drinking is the preferred activity of many students, despite a recent administrative crackdown on drinking. There are also the inevitable dorm parties where small groups of students gather and socialize in their various interest groups. Sports are also a big deal for students at the school, and attending football games to support The Blue Hens (a strange name...) is extremely popular.

The dating scene isn’t terribly diverse; expect lots of Abercrombie and Fitch on both guys and gals. Hey, it could be worse!

What's Good

“The teachers really do care about your progress and make sure you know they are there for you.”

“People here are really, really friendly, both in the town and on campus.”

“The campus is great and really peaceful; you can easily find a quiet spot when you need it.”

What's Bad

“The dorms are really overcrowded, and you feel like a sardine in a can.”

“There isn’t a whole lot of diversity here. A lot of wealthy white kids basically.”

“The frats are really obnoxious and if you don’t like big parties, there’s not much to do.”

Let the Penn Group help you apply to college.

• View our services
• Send a request now
• Read articles about applying to college