University of Delaware hike boosts yearly in-state tuition, room and board costs past $26,000

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The University Delaware will hike undergraduate tuition and fees for the 2018-19 academic year by $520 for Delawareans (to $13,680) and by $1,160 for nonresidents (to $34,310).

The Student Comprehensive Fee is increasing by $140 to $738. Room and board increases for the coming year are 4.5 percent and 4 percent, respectively.

Total annual cost for most undergraduates living on campus (including tuition, mandatory fees, room and board) will be $26,544 for Delawareans (an increase of $1,052) and $47,174 for nonresidents (an increase of $1,692). Campus housing and dining options vary, and the standard housing and dining options can total  $12,864, according to the university’s UDaily site.

A one-time New Student Orientation fee charged to incoming new students is increased from $145 to $230. This increase, the first since the addition of the online math placement process in 2012, will support enhanced orientation programming for new students,

UD announced earlier this year that it is instituting a  differential charge  for undergraduate students in three areas: the Lerner College of Business and Economics, the College of Engineering and the School of Nursing.

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This charge will help align resources with the cost of instruction for these areas, which is higher than in other UD programs. For 2018-19, the annual differential charge for full-time students in these areas will be $1,000, UD stated.

Part-time students will be assessed $500 per year. For students who were already enrolled in these programs as of the spring 2018 semester, the differential charge will be discounted over the next few years as it is being implemented.

Full-time tuition and fees for students in the University’s Associate in Arts Program, located on the Wilmington, Dover and Georgetown campuses of Delaware Technical Community College, will increase by $63 (to $2,034) for Delaware residents and by $157 (to $5,077) for out-of-state students.

The base graduate tuition per-credit hour rate for 2018-19 will increase by 3.2 percent (up $57 to $1,827 per credit hour).

“Offering our students the best possible education at a reasonable cost is a top priority for us as a University,” Provost Robin W. Morgan said. “To that end, we continue to assist our students with the financial and scholarship support they need to complete their degrees, which is the first step toward their successful careers and the opportunity to make a positive difference for communities in Delaware and around the world.”

The university has long claimed that its educational quality pays off for graduates in terms of future salaries. Others claim that universities are one of the few areas that have raised tuition, even when inflation was running 2 percent or less each year. 

In the 2017-18 academic year, UD students received more than $121 million in grants and scholarships administered by the University; an increase of more than 60 percent since 2012-13. The  university-funded scholarships and grants supported more than 4,600 students from the state of Delaware.

The university also pointed to removing  a   limit on the number of credit hours covered by full tuition each semester. 

Previously, students could take 12 to 17 credits per semester for the same cost, but would pay extra for any credit hours beyond that.

Now, students will be able to take 18 or more credit hours, if needed, without paying more. This will make a significant difference for students who need a sixth course, according to UD.

The limit had long been seen as a way for students and parents to pay for an extra session or two in working toward a degree.

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