Tuition increases coming to UD, GBC and WilmU

Goldey-Beacom College is one of three colleges in Delaware raising tuition rates this year. | DBT PHOTO BY JACOB OWENS

NEWARK —Three of Delaware’s universities and colleges have raised tuition for students this year, mirroring a national trend of rising tuition increases across the country.

Earlier this summer, the University of Delaware announced it would raise tuition by 3% next year. In-state tuition will rise by $390 to $13,370 while out-of-state tuition will increase by $1,050 to $35,890.

UD cited “rising expenses and record inflation” behind the decision, although the university is expected to see a record-setting number of first-year students enroll in the fall. UD is expected to enroll between 4,500 and 4,650 freshmen, UD President Assassins told the Board of Trustees in May.

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Wilmington University also increased its tuition next year by 2.34%, which raises undergraduates by $162 to $7,182 and graduates up by $144 to $6,144.

Goldey-Beacom College also raised its tuition 2.4% across the board. Undergraduate tuition moves from $12,750 to $13,050. GBC had cut its tuition in half the previous year as a measure to aid students during the financial uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Delaware State University, the only historically Black college in Delaware, will not raise tuition for the next school year, according to DSU spokesman Carlos Holmes.

In the first year of the pandemic, higher education institutions across Delaware struggled retaining students, as many classes were pushed online as a way to slow the spread. That caused some financial fallout, in 2020, but some universities like UD were able to shrink a projected multi-million shortfall with cost-cutting measures and a rebound in enrollment.

Others like DSU, were able to tap into federal funding through the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan Act, while also growing enrollment and leveraging partnerships and financial contributions.

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Annual trends reports from the College Board showed that college tuition rates rose at low levels in the first two years of the pandemic. 

After adjusting for inflation, average tuition across the country increased by 1.6%, or $10,740 for in-state students at public, four-year institutions, according to the report. At private, nonprofit four-year institutions, average tuition increased by 2.1% to $38,070. Data is not yet available for nationwide trends for the 2022-2023 year.

The average in-state tuition and fee rate in Delaware four-year universities was $13,901 as of most recent data, which is 29% more than the national average of $10,740. Over the last five years, tuition in Delaware has gone up about 4%, according to the College Board.

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