Delaware State University (D.S.U.) was founded in 1891 as the State College for Colored Students, the first state-supported institution of higher learning for African Americans in Delaware. Located in Dover, Delaware, D.S.U. was established by an act of the General Assembly of Delaware and was originally under the auspices of the Office of Education of the State Board of Education. The school opened its doors to students on October 15, 1891 with a faculty of three and an initial enrollment of 12 students—all African American high school graduates from Kent and Sussex Counties in Delaware.
In 1947, DSU became a fully accredited college offering two-year associate degrees and four-year baccalaureate degrees; a year later, it received accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. In 1953, it became Delaware State College; at this time it also began to offer master’s degrees in education and public administration. In 1993, after achieving university status following several decades as a college, DSU changed its name to Delaware State University to reflect its expanded mission and scope of academic programs offered. Today, DSU is one of only three historically black universities that are members of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund; it is also one of only four HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges & Universities) located east of the Mississippi River that offer doctoral programs in education sciences or physical sciences.
Delaware State University, as one of the top colleges ranked by major educational institutions, has impressed us by its high selectivity and student friendly application process during admissions. The following tables detail 2018 class profile, including total applications received, average high school GPA, SAT scores/ACT scores, and acceptance rates of Delaware State University. To learn more about GPA, SAT and ACT scores information, please follow the links below. If you want to find even more about Delaware State University, such as tuition fees and scholarships, you can click the link after tables to visit the school’s official website.
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University acronym: https://www.abbreviationfinder.org/acronyms/dsu_delaware-state-university.html
Admissions Stats
Delaware State University is a public university located in Dover, Delaware. The university was founded in 1891 and is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. It is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The school offers over 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. As of the fall 2020 semester, Delaware State University had an enrollment of 5,908 students, with 2,929 undergraduate students and 2,979 graduate students. The student body consists of 60 percent female and 40 percent male students. Out-of-state applicants make up approximately 25 percent of total applicants to the university with most out-of-state applications coming from New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. In terms of acceptance rate, Delaware State University has an overall acceptance rate of 72%. This means that for every 100 students who apply to DSU, 72 are accepted. In addition to this overall percentage, DSU also has higher acceptance rates for certain groups including African American applicants at 78% and Hispanic/Latino applicants at 75%. Furthermore, the university has an average freshman retention rate of 70%, which indicates that most first year students return for their second year at DSU.
Fall 2022 Selectivity
| Selectivity | less selective |
| Fall 2022 acceptance rate | 41% |
| Early decision acceptance rate | N/A |
| Early action acceptance rate | N/A |
| Acceptance rate (excluding early action and early decision students) | 41% |
Fall 2022 Applications, Acceptances & Enrollments
| Applicants | 8,229 |
| Female applicants | 5,264 |
| Male applicants | 2,965 |
| Applicants accepted | 3,414 |
| Female applicants accepted | 2,340 |
| Male applicants accepted | 1,074 |
| Freshman enrollment | 906 |
| Female freshman enrollment | 569 |
| Male freshman enrollment | 337 |
| Early decision applicants | N/A |
| Early decision applicants accepted | N/A |
| Early decision applicants enrolled | N/A |
| Early action applicants | N/A |
| Early action applicants accepted | N/A |
| Early action applicants enrolled | N/A |
| Total enrolled incoming freshmen who were accepted under early acceptance or early action | N/A |
Fall 2022 Wait List
| School has a wait list | No |
| Applicants placed on wait list | N/A |
| Students accepting place on wait list | N/A |
| Students accepted from wait list | N/A |
Fall 2022 High School Rank
| Freshman students submitting high school class standing | 70% |
Fall 2022 High School GPA
| Freshman students submitting high school GPA | 98% |
| Average high school GPA | 2.9 |
| High school GPA 25th-75th percentile range | 2.5-3.2 |
Fall 2022 Freshman SAT Scores
| Freshman students submitting SAT scores | 94% |
| SAT Critical Reading average score | 438 |
| SAT Critical Reading 25th-75th percentile range | 400-470 |
| SAT Math average score | 441 |
| SAT Math 25th-75th percentile range: | 400-480 |
| SAT Writing average score | N/A |
| SAT Writing 25th-75th percentile range | 390-470 |
| SAT Essay 25th-75th percentile range | N/A |
Fall 2022 Freshman ACT Scores
| Freshman students submitting ACT scores | 12% |
| Average ACT Composite score | 17 |
| ACT Composite 25th-75th percentile range | 15-19 |
| ACT English 25th-75th percentile range | 14-19 |
| ACT Math 25th-75th percentile range | 15-19 |