5:09 p.m., July 1, 2008--The University of Delaware announced that annual tuition for undergraduate and graduate students will increase $440 (6 percent) for in-state students to $7,780, and will increase $1,673 (9 percent) for out-of-state students to $20,260. The increases will begin with the fall semester.

“The value of a University of Delaware education cannot be overestimated,” said Patrick Harker, UD president. “Our graduates and their employers tell us that we offer an exceptional product. The tuition increase is necessary to offset increasing costs and maintain our tradition of providing a quality education. However, one of our goals remains accessibility. Starting in 2009-10, we are putting student loan caps in place for in-state undergraduate students to ensure that a UD education does not become a financial burden.”

Tuition increases for the 2008-09 academic year reflect several factors, including soaring costs of energy and commodities and limitations on state support given the depth of the current economic turndown, according to Scott Douglass, UD executive vice president, noting that the University will continue to work to contain costs through efficient stewardship of available resources.

Funding generated by the increase also will be used to support programs vital to the University's mission as it undertakes Path to Prominence™ initiatives and builds on key research in such areas as alternative energy and the life sciences.

Full-time graduate tuition will be the same as that for undergraduates, with the exception of those in-state students pursuing the master's degree in the Lerner College of Business and Economics. The new tuition rate for full-time Delaware resident graduate students in the Lerner College will increase by 6 percent to $9,530.

UD tuition increases are well within the bounds of similar increases being enacted at institutions of higher education in other states across the nation, according to Douglass.

At its semiannual meeting in May, the University's Board of Trustees approved average increases of 4.7 percent for dining rates and 8 percent for residence hall rates, also effective in the fall.

The University of Delaware is extending its “Commitment to Delawareans” with an additional commitment that, beginning with the entering class of 2009-2010, UD will meet the demonstrated financial need of Delawareans up to the cost of tuition, fees, room, board and books while placing affordable limits on the requirement for student borrowing.

Beginning in 2009-2010, financial aid will be packaged so that the student loan component for incoming resident undergraduate students will not exceed an affordable level over four years for all in-state undergraduates, and efforts will be made to keep student loan amounts modest for out-of-state residents. The in-state loan cap is part of UD's Commitment to Delawareans that student loans will be limited by supplementing the cost of attending UD with grants and/or work-study positions based on need.

“The Commitment to Delawareans is a roadmap for Delaware students to prepare for college that includes the commitment that if this roadmap is followed and the students do well in the prescribed courses, there will be a place for them at UD. It is a commitment that Delawareans will continue to come first in UD admissions and it stipulates what is required for admission to the University of Delaware,” said Dan Rich, UD provost.

The University of Delaware is one of the country's most popular universities, with more than 25,000 freshman applicants for the 2008-09 academic year in a pool described as the strongest in the history of the institution. The incoming freshman class totals 3,562.

Article by John Brennan