One dominant destination.
Delaware's transfer market is tight.
Delaware has three four-year institutions absorbing transfers and no community colleges in the dataset. The University of Delaware takes in 70% of all transfer admits statewide — the decision here is less about which path to take and more about whether UDel is the right fit.
Delaware has 3 public and private 4-years and 0 community colleges in the dataset. University of Delaware admitted 654 of the state's 930 annual transfers at 71% acceptance, with $72,950 median 10-year earnings and an 83% 6-year graduation rate.
Three destinations, no CC pipeline — Delaware's transfer market is compact by design
Delaware is one of the smallest states in the country, and its transfer landscape reflects that. Three four-year institutions absorb roughly 930 transfer students annually, with no community colleges captured in the dataset. The University of Delaware dominates the picture: it admitted 654 transfers at a 71% overall acceptance rate and posts the strongest outcomes in the state — an 83% 6-year graduation rate and $72,950 in median 10-year earnings, with median debt of $24,572. Delaware State University takes in 189 transfers but shows a sharply different completion profile at 39%. Goldey-Beacom College, a private nonprofit in Wilmington, rounds out the set with 87 admits, a 57% graduation rate, and the lowest median debt at $18,900. There is no CC-to-university pipeline to speak of in this dataset — students entering the Delaware transfer market are choosing between a handful of institutions, not navigating a large system.
Delaware is a small state with a small transfer market. Three four-year institutions — the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware State University in Dover, and Goldey-Beacom College in Wilmington — collectively absorb roughly 930 transfers annually. There are no community colleges in the dataset. That is not a gap that gets papered over with vague system talk; it is the actual shape of transfer in Delaware.
The dominant institution in this picture is the University of Delaware, which admitted 654 transfers at a 71% overall acceptance rate and posts $72,950 in median 10-year earnings alongside an 83% 6-year graduation rate. That's the institution driving whatever transfer momentum exists in the state. The other two destinations — Delaware State and Goldey-Beacom — together account for fewer than 300 annual admits and show meaningfully different outcome profiles. For most students considering transfer in Delaware, the real question isn't how to navigate a broad system. It's whether the University of Delaware is the right destination and what a realistic path there looks like.
Delaware's transfer landscape by the numbers
With 930 total transfer admits spread across three institutions, Delaware is one of the most compact transfer markets in the country. These figures cover the public and private four-year institutions in the IPEDS dataset.
- ✓ University of Delaware posts an 83% 6-year graduation rate — one of the stronger outcomes for a public flagship in this dataset.
- ✓ University of Delaware's $72,950 median 10-year earnings leads all Delaware destinations by a wide margin.
- ✓ University of Delaware accepts 71% of applicants overall, admitting 654 transfers annually — a realistic target for prepared transfer students.
- ✓ Goldey-Beacom College carries the lowest median debt at graduation in the state at $18,900, with an 85% overall acceptance rate.
- ! Zero community colleges appear in Delaware's dataset — there is no in-state CC-to-4-year pipeline to work with.
- ! Delaware's total annual transfer intake is only 930 students across three institutions — one of the smallest transfer markets nationally.
- ! Delaware State University posts a 39% 6-year graduation rate and $49,307 median 10-year earnings — the weakest outcome combination in the state.
- ! Only three qualifying 4-year destinations exist in the dataset — Delaware students have almost no choice diversification compared to larger states.
Top transfer destinations
The University of Delaware is the clear anchor, admitting 654 transfers — more than two-thirds of total state volume — at a 71% overall acceptance rate and the strongest earnings outcome in the state.
| University | Transfers admitted | Accept rate | 6-yr grad rate | 10-yr earnings | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Delaware Newark | 654 | 71% | 83% | $72,950 | $24,572 |
| Delaware State University Dover | 189 | 47% | 39% | $49,307 | $26,000 |
| Goldey-Beacom College Wilmington | 87 | 85% | 57% | $59,892 | $18,900 |
University of Delaware takes in more transfers than the other two destinations combined — 654 admitted at a 71% overall acceptance rate. That's not a selective gateway: seven in ten applicants get in. And the outcome justifies the attention: $72,950 in median 10-year earnings is the strongest figure in the state, paired with an 83% 6-year graduation rate and median debt of $24,572. For a public flagship serving a small state, those are solid numbers.
Delaware State University comes second with 189 admitted transfers, but the selectivity picture flips. DSU posts a 47% overall acceptance rate — the most selective destination in the state by this metric — while also showing the weakest outcomes: a 39% 6-year graduation rate and $49,307 in median 10-year earnings, with median debt of $26,000. That combination — harder to get into, lower graduation rate, lower earnings, higher debt — is a profile worth examining carefully before committing.
Goldey-Beacom College, a private nonprofit in Wilmington, rounds out the set with 87 transfer admits at an 85% overall acceptance rate. Its median debt at graduation is the lowest in the state at $18,900, and median 10-year earnings land at $59,892. The 57% graduation rate is middling. For a student whose target fits its business-focused curriculum, it's a viable third option — just a small one.
One honest note on the acceptance rates: these are overall institutional figures from IPEDS, not transfer-specific acceptance rates. The actual rate for transfer applicants at any of these schools may differ from what appears in the table.
6-year completion rates at top destinations
The graduation rates below are six-year overall rates for all enrolled students from IPEDS — not transfer-student-specific completion figures. The spread between the top and bottom destination is wide, at 44 percentage points.
University of Delaware leads the completion grid at 83% — a meaningful number. Roughly five out of six students who enroll finish within six years, which is above the performance of many regional public universities nationally. That figure matters for a transfer student who is counting on finishing a credential, not just enrolling.
The spread between the top and bottom of this grid is large. Delaware State University sits at 39% — a 44-percentage-point gap separating it from UDel. That is not a rounding error. Fewer than four in ten enrolled students finish within six years, which is a real input into any transfer decision toward DSU. Goldey-Beacom College lands in the middle at 57%.
The standard caveat applies: every number here is the institution's overall 6-year graduation rate for all entering students, drawn from IPEDS. Transfer-specific completion rates are not in this dataset. The completion figures serve as directional indicators — institutions with stronger overall completion tend to finish transfer students at higher rates too — but the numbers in this grid do not separate out what happens specifically to students who arrived as transfers.
What a bachelor's degree is worth here
The fastest-growing occupations in the state where a bachelor's degree is the typical entry credential — the jobs waiting on the other side of a completed transfer.
| Occupation | Projected growth | Avg openings / yr |
|---|---|---|
| Medical and Health Services Managers | +36.9% | 160 |
| Software Developers | +19.9% | 430 |
| Registered Nurses | +15.8% | 870 |
| Financial Managers | +14.6% | 220 |
| Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | +14.0% | 300 |
| Coaches and Scouts | +13.0% | 140 |
| Financial Specialists, All Other | +12.7% | 130 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | +11.5% | 150 |
With only three qualifying four-year destinations and no community colleges in the dataset, the transfer decision in Delaware is less about navigating a system and more about picking the right institution. On the data, the case for the University of Delaware is straightforward: 654 transfers admitted annually, a 71% overall acceptance rate, $72,950 in median 10-year earnings, and an 83% 6-year graduation rate. For a prepared transfer student, UDel is the dominant realistic target in the state. If the goal is a four-year credential in Delaware with the strongest available outcome profile, the choice is almost always UDel.
The recommendation shifts under two conditions. First, if a student's program needs are specifically aligned with Goldey-Beacom's business curriculum and minimizing debt is the priority — its $18,900 median debt is the lowest in the state — then Goldey-Beacom is a legitimate alternative, not a consolation prize. Second, avoid treating Delaware State University's lower overall acceptance rate as a sign of quality filtering: the 47% acceptance rate does not translate into stronger outcomes. Its 39% 6-year graduation rate and $49,307 median earnings are the weakest in the state on both dimensions. A student who cannot gain admission to UDel is better served researching out-of-state options with stronger completion profiles than defaulting to DSU on geography alone.
How we built Delaware's transfer picture
Destination universities are Delaware's 4-year institutions ranked by IPEDS transfer-in volume; we filter out community colleges that IPEDS files under the 4-year sector because they run bachelor's-pilot programs but remain open-admission. Community college spotlights are ranked by IPEDS undergraduate enrollment. 10-year median earnings and median debt at graduation come from College Scorecard; graduation rates come from IPEDS 6-year overall cohorts. Phase 1 deliberately leaves out transfer-specific completion rates (NSC), structured articulation-agreement data (ASSIST, ADT, TAG, FLVC, etc.), and state-funding context — all Phase 2.
Common questions
Is it worth starting at a community college and transferring to the University of Delaware?
The honest answer is complicated by geography. No Delaware community colleges appear in this dataset, which means there is no documented in-state CC-to-UDel pipeline to point to. If you are considering a CC-first path, you would likely need to attend an institution in a neighboring state. The University of Delaware admitted 654 transfers at a 71% overall acceptance rate, so the door is open. Its $72,950 median 10-year earnings and 83% 6-year graduation rate make it the strongest outcome in the state. Whether the cost savings from community college outweigh the complications of crossing state lines is a calculation that depends on your specific situation — residency, financial aid eligibility, and program availability.
Which Delaware university accepts the most transfer students?
The University of Delaware is not close to having competition here. It admitted 654 of Delaware's approximately 930 annual transfer students — roughly 70% of total state transfer volume. Delaware State University comes second with 189 admits, and Goldey-Beacom College rounds out the list with 87. If volume of access and a clear transfer path matter, UDel is the answer for Delaware. Delaware State's 47% overall acceptance rate also makes it the most selective destination in the state, which may surprise students who assume the smaller school is easier to get into.
How does the University of Delaware compare to Delaware State University for transfer students?
On the metrics in this dataset, the gap is substantial. University of Delaware posts an 83% 6-year graduation rate and $72,950 in median 10-year earnings. Delaware State University shows a 39% 6-year graduation rate and $49,307 in median 10-year earnings — a 44-percentage-point completion gap and a $23,643 earnings gap between the two public institutions. UDel also has a higher overall acceptance rate at 71% versus Delaware State's 47%. Median debt is close at UDel ($24,572 vs. $26,000 at Delaware State). These are overall institutional rates, not transfer-specific figures, but the directional gap is large enough that it should factor into any Delaware transfer decision.
What is Goldey-Beacom College and is it a viable transfer destination?
Goldey-Beacom is a private nonprofit in Wilmington focused primarily on business programs. In this dataset, it admits 87 transfers at an 85% overall acceptance rate — the most accessible destination by acceptance rate in Delaware. Its $59,892 median 10-year earnings falls between UDel and Delaware State, and it carries the lowest median debt at graduation in the state at $18,900. The 57% 6-year graduation rate is middling. For a student whose target major aligns with its business-focused curriculum and who wants to minimize debt load, Goldey-Beacom is a legitimate option — though its small transfer class means less flexibility in timing and program selection.
How small is Delaware's transfer market compared to other states?
Delaware's transfer market is among the smallest in the country. Only three four-year institutions appear in the dataset, absorbing a combined 930 transfer students annually. For comparison, a single mid-sized state university in California or Texas can admit more transfers in a year than Delaware's entire three-institution market. There are also no community colleges in the Delaware dataset, which means the CC-to-4-year pipeline that drives transfer volume in larger states does not exist here in the same form. Students who need broad destination options, strong program variety, or in-state CC pathways will find Delaware's transfer landscape genuinely constrained.
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