Tuition Change FAQ

Graduate tuition rates are listed with each program on the Graduate College website. Find specific program pages via the program search tool on the Graduate Programs page.

New graduate tuition rates become effective for the fall 2021 semester. 

Note: Physical Therapy employs a cohort-based tuition model with rates tied to cohort start dates. In this special case, the new rates begin for cohorts starting after summer 2021.

In order to strengthen, diversify and grow the pool of applicants to our graduate programs, we redesigned our graduate tuition rate structure so we are more competitive, especially with our peer institutions. The University of Delaware offers exceptional graduate education opportunities, and slightly more than half of our graduate population consists of students who pay their own tuition. Studies show that most self-paying graduate students will apply to just one graduate program.  

Quality is our principal strength, and to compete on quality, we must first be affordable and accessible. The previous $1,898 base rate was not competitive, and the complex rate structure was difficult to navigate by prospective students shopping for graduate education. Since many UD graduate programs offered various scholarships and discounted rates, the previous $1,898 base rate was not indicative of the actual rates paid by many students and placed UD graduate programs at a competitive disadvantage in terms of cost when compared to other universities. Our peer institutions offer simpler rate structures and more affordable base rates. Our graduate tuition rates were changed as a result of a fee study conducted by the Graduate College along with an independent corroborative analysis by the UD Budget Office.

While 90% of our graduate programs are classified at the new lower base rate, some have higher or lower rates based on various factors, including competitive market research and demonstrated success at their existing price point. As such, there are a number of graduate programs that attract students at rates above the base, and they remain at or near their existing rates. Likewise, some tuition rates for programs originally priced higher than the base rate have been reduced so they are more competitive with peer institutions.

Graduate tuition rates are set separately from undergraduate rates. Until recently, UD charged a single undergraduate tuition rate, but graduate tuition rates have evolved over decades with some programs proposing rate adjustments and offering various scholarships and discounted rates for a variety of reasons. With the formation of the Graduate College in 2019, UD administrators have worked to streamline graduate study operations and to make graduate education more accessible and more affordable.

The old rate structure put us at a competitive disadvantage, which added to our financial challenges. UD’s financial stresses created an incentive to adjust our graduate tuition rate structure to make graduate education more accessible and affordable.

No. The doctoral sustaining fee remains $1,096, and the master’s sustaining fee remains $726.