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Cost & financial aid brief

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# University of Delaware Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/university-of-delaware/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/university-of-delaware/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/university-of-delaware/admissions/)[Majors](/school/university-of-delaware/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/university-of-delaware/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does University of Delaware cost after financial aid?

At University of Delaware, aid reduces the listed cost, but the average aid recipient pays more than at comparable institutions. The published cost of attendance is $30,952, an average across living arrangements.

In-state tuition and fees are $16,810. Out-of-state tuition and fees are $41,400, while room and board are $15,386.

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $17,799. Aid offsets $13,153 on average, covering about 42% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $15,634, leaving the university $2,165 above it. Azimuth ranks University of Delaware #744 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The above-peer average net price and the affordability ranking point in the same direction.

The published cost of attendance at University of Delaware is $30,952 (an average across living arrangements), but the average aid recipient pays $17,799 after grants and scholarships. That is $2,165 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by income band run from $10,901 for families earning under $30,000 to $25,580 for those earning over $110,000. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, the median debt is $24,572, $4,496 above the median for comparable institutions.

Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 47th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Prices vary across family-income bands. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $10,901 in the lowest band, $10,099 in the next band, $13,225 in the middle band, $17,401 in the next-highest band, and $25,580 in the highest band.

Pell Grants reach 16.1% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,679.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$10,901

**$30–48K**
$10,099

**$48–75K**
$13,225

**$75–110K**
$17,401

**$110K+**
$25,580

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$17,799**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

The aid pattern is most favorable at lower family incomes, although the average recipient still faces a substantial published cost. Aid covers about 42% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, leaving an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $17,799 after an average offset of $13,153.

Across the income bands, average net prices are lowest in the two lower-income bands, increase through the middle bands, and reach their highest level for the top-income band. The $14,679 spread between the lowest and highest bands is a difference of averages rather than a charge for any one family.

This pattern shows larger average discounts in the lower-income bands, alongside higher prices for families in the upper bands.

The published cost of attendance at University of Delaware is $30,952 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #744 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, aid recipients in the lowest family-income band (under $30,000) average $10,901, those in the middle band ($48,001–$75,000) average $13,225, and those in the highest band (over $110,000) average $25,580. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,679.

Aid covers about 42% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) across all bands to $17,799. That figure is $2,165 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $24,572 in federal student loans, $4,496 above the peer median of $20,076. 93.3% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $43,000 in [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans. If repaid over ten years, the median student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $279 a month.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Debt at University of Delaware runs higher than at comparable institutions, and federal borrowing is widespread. 93.3% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

Among federal-loan borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $24,572. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $20,076, placing Delaware above that figure by $4,496.

For the separate population of [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) parent borrowers, median borrowing is $43,000.

At University of Delaware, the investment picture pairs high earnings four years after completion with lower-than-expected modeled earnings and debt above comparable schools. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $77,675 four years after completion.

That earnings level falls in the 86th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $6,463 less than the model expects for similar students.

[Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, falls in the 30th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings scenarios place the downside at $56,878, the typical case at $77,675, and the upside at $103,390.

For borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $24,572, which is $4,496 above the $20,076 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $279 a month if repaid over ten years. High earnings sit alongside a below-model result and borrowing above peers.

Family borrowing can include a separate parent loan: median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $43,000 for parent borrowers. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $279 a month if repaid over ten years.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$43,000

**Estimated parent payment**
$546/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Caution |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$24,572

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$43,000

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$279/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$546/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$825/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $77,675, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**6.1%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  High risk Over 20%

How this estimate works

These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=university-of-delaware#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).

**Net price and borrowing.** The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.