Delaware
Student Access & Success
Delaware’s four-year institutions rank very high in both completion and retention rates, though the state has the lowest-ranked percentage of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants. Delaware’s two-year institutions receive a very low mark with below average performance for credentials produced per 100 full-time equivalent undergraduates, completion rate, retention rate, and the percentage of Pell recipients.
Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness
Delaware gets below average marks in this area. While Delaware’s four-year institutions have a cost per completion ($94,654) that ranks near the bottom nationally, the state and local funding per completion ($36,914) ranks close to the top third. Delaware’s two-year institutions perform as poorly with a cost per completion ($65,805) and state and local funding per completion ($48,885) hovering near the bottom nationally.
Meeting Labor Market Demand
The median wage of a Delaware bachelor’s degree holder is approximately $19,600 (or 58%) more than the median wage of a high school graduate; the overall unemployment rate for a bachelor’s degree holder is about 4 points lower. The median wage of an associate’s degree holder is approximately $9,000 (or 27%) more than the median wage of a high school graduate; the overall unemployment rate is about 2 points lower.
Transparency & Accountability
Delaware’s consumer information site and public accountability report do not contain information on student outcomes. The state does not measure student learning outcomes or track graduate performance in the labor market.
Policy Environment
Delaware does not have a set of state goals for its higher education institutions. The state neither has an outcomes-based funding policy, nor does it have a statewide articulation and credit transfer policy. Innovation Delaware receives a very low grade in support for online learning, with no central clearinghouse for online courses and no state goal to advance online learning. Some courses are available via the Southern Regional Education Board’s E-campus, but the state itself has few resources. Delaware is not likely to assert regulatory jurisdiction over new providers and has a minimal financial burden, though providers that trigger the approval process must undergo a fairly onerous approval process.
Report Card
Compare with
Four-Year Institutions
DE Nat'l| Student Access & Success | B |
|---|
| Percentage of Pell Grant Recipients | 16.7 | 30.8 |
|---|---|---|
| Retention Rate | 86.0 | 77.9 |
| Completion Rate | 70.5 | 54.5 |
| Completions per 100 FTE Students | 20.5 | 19.7 |
| Risk-Adjusted Completion Points (5-point Scale) | 4 | |
| Complete College America |
| Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness | D |
|---|
| Cost Per Completion | $94,654 | $68,140 |
|---|---|---|
| State and Local Funding Per Completion | $36,914 | $41,198 |
| State, Local, and Tuition Funding Per Completion | $93,488 | $76,932 |
| Cost Per Completion and Public Funding Combined Measure (5-point scale) | 2 |
| Meeting Labor Market Demand | B |
|---|
| BA vs. HS Wage Gap (Overall) | $19,648 | $17,881 |
|---|---|---|
| BA vs. HS Wage Ratio (Overall) | 157.7 | 156.0 |
| BA vs. HS Wage Gap (25–34) | $15,668 | $12,703 |
| BA vs. HS Wage Ratio (25–34) | 159.5 | 149.9 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (Overall) | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (Overall) | 2.2 | 2.1 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (25–34) | 8.0 | 7.1 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (25–34) | 3.7 | 2.9 |
| Transparency & Accountability | F |
|---|
| Transparency—Public Accountability (5-point Scale) | 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency—Consumer Information (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Report Labor Market Outcomes? | false | |
| Labor Market Outcomes (4-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Report Student Learning Outcomes? | false | |
| Student Learning Outcomes (3-point Scale) | 0 |
Two-Year Institutions
DE Nat'l| Student Access & Success | F |
|---|
| Percentage of Pell Grant Recipients | 39.5 | 46.9 |
|---|---|---|
| Retention Rate | 56.6 | 58.6 |
| Completion Rate | 10.5 | 20.5 |
| Completions Per 100 FTE Undergraduates | 14.9 | 16.8 |
| Risk-Adjusted Completion Points (5-point Scale) | 1 |
| Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness | D |
|---|
| Cost Per Completion | $65,805 | $57,210 |
|---|---|---|
| State and Local Funding Per Completion | $48,885 | $35,476 |
| State, Local, and Tuition Funding Per Completion | $72,763 | $52,512 |
| Cost Per Completion and Public Funding Combined MeasureCombined Measure (5-point Scale) | 2 |
| Meeting Labor Market Demand | C |
|---|
| AA vs. HS Wage Gap (Overall) | $9,013 | $8,545 |
|---|---|---|
| AA vs. HS Wage Ratio (Overall) | 126.5 | 126.1 |
| AA vs. HS Wage Gap (25–34) | $9,116 | $6,595 |
| AA vs. HS Wage Ratio (25–34) | 134.6 | 125.0 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (Overall) | 2.1 | 2.7 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (Overall) | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (25–34) | 4.5 | 4.9 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (25–34) | 1.71 | 1.84 |
| Transparency & Accountability | F |
|---|
| Transparency—Public Accountability (5-point Scale) | 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency—Consumer Information (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Report Labor Market Outcomes? | false | |
| Labor Market Outcomes (4-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Report Student Learning Outcomes? | false | |
| Student Learning Outcomes (3-point Scale) | 0 |
State
DE Nat'l| Policy Environment | F |
|---|
| State Goals (6-point Scale) | 0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Does the State Have Outcomes-Based Funding? | false | |
| Four-Year Outcomes-Based Funding (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Two-Years Outcomes-Based Funding (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Have a Credit Transfer Policy? | false | |
| Credit Transfer Policy (5-point Scale) | 0 |
| Innovation: Openness to Providers | B |
|---|
| Numerical Openness to New Providers Grade | 87% | |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory Jurisdiction | 100% | |
| Financial Burden | 100% | |
| Approval Process Burden | 60% |
| Innovation: Online Learning | F |
|---|
| Numerical Online Learning Grade | 14.3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Online Learning Score (7-point Scale) | 1 |
State Facts at a Glance
- Number of Public Four-Year Institutions 2
- Number of Public Two-Year Institutions 3
- Number of Students Served by Public Four-Year Institutions 20,959
- Number of Students Served by Public Two-Year Institutions 11,351