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Dover DelawarePhoto: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 2.5
Colleges in and near Dover

Dover is a college town: 15 of every 100 residents are students

Delaware Technical Community College-Terry (10,288 students on campus) and Delaware State University (5,203) are inside the city. Across Delaware, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town15% of residents are studentsDelaware State UniversityDelaware Technical Community College-Terry

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Dover. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
2
15,491 students on campus
Nearest college
2.1 mi
Delaware State
Residents in college
15%
Above DE (6%)
Nearest community college
3.3 mi
Delaware Technical Community College-Terry · $5,445 tuition
Nearest public university
2.1 mi
Delaware State · $10,670 in-state
Students on campus in Dover
15,491
next to 40,592 residents

What stands out about college in Dover

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town15 of every 100 Dover residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Delaware.Two colleges within 3.3 milesDelaware State University admits 47% of applicants. Together they have 15,491 students on campus.In-state price at Delaware StateLiving in Delaware, Delaware State University charges $10,670 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $20,634. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.A community college 3.3 miles awayDelaware Technical Community College-Terry in Dover: tuition and fees $5,445 a year for Delaware residents.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Dover

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

15 of every 100 Dover residents are in college (DE: 6).

15,491students on campus at Dover’s 2 colleges, next to 40,592 residents (dorm students count as residents)
2,768college students live in Dover households rather than dorms
34.7median age · DE 41.6
55%of residents are women · DE 52% (±1.6 points)
53%of homes rented · DE 27%
$1,344median rent · 4% below the state
DoverDover, DE
Cost of living$1,344/mo median rentCSafetyCrime reported to the FBID−HealthCDC estimatesC−Jobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundC−HandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Dover’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income C−

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 14.9% of Dover residents are below the poverty line, 15.0% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 3 points either way). 14% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living C

The Cost grade counts the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent, leaving it out only where students are a quarter of residents or more. Here they are 15%, so student incomes still weigh on that figure.

Health C−

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Dover’s median age is 34.7 (Delaware 41.6), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety D−

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Dover

Both are public. Every other college is more than 15 miles from Dover.

5 mi10 mi15 miDelaware Technical Community College-TerryDelaware StateDover
University or collegeCommunity college
Delaware State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · 5,203 on campus · In Dover47%admitted$14knet price39%graduate$49kearningsDelaware Technical Community College-TerryCommunity college · Public · 10,288 on campus · In Dover$12knet price22%graduate$41kearningsTuition and fees: $5,445 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $48–75k, where Dover’s median household income ($60,199) falls.

Delaware Technical Community College-TerryIn Dover · sticker $17,232 · tuition $5,445$12,317a year
Delaware State UniversityIn Dover · sticker $27,939$15,701a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Dover: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Delaware StateDelaware Technical Community College-Terry
Delaware Technical Community College-Terry22% graduate$41k earnings$10k typical debt
Delaware State University39% graduate$49k earnings$26k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.

Majors

What students study in Dover

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field across Dover’s 2 colleges, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Health professions 28%Business 13%Liberal arts 10%Education 6%Computer science 5%Public administration 3%Everything else 35%

Biggest programs

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingDelaware Technical Community College-Terry · 127 graduates a year
$90k4 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingDelaware State University · 66 graduates a year
$95k4 yrs out
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessDelaware State University · 57 graduates a year
$49k4 yrs out
Communication and Media StudiesDelaware State University · 55 graduates a year
$46k4 yrs out
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesDelaware State University · 50 graduates a year
$56k4 yrs out
Psychology, GeneralDelaware State University · 45 graduates a year
$49k4 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and OperationsDelaware State University · 45 graduates a year
$60k4 yrs out
CriminologyDelaware State University · 42 graduates a year
$53k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Dover

Is Dover a college town?

Yes. 15 of every 100 Dover residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across Delaware. Delaware Technical Community College-Terry has 10,288 students on campus, next to 40,592 residents.

What colleges are in Dover?

Delaware Technical Community College-Terry and Delaware State University are inside the city.

What is the closest community college to Dover, and what does it cost?

Delaware Technical Community College-Terry in Dover, 3.3 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,445 a year for Delaware residents; the federal net price, $11,578, counts housing and food at full cost.

Neighbors talk college

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

Town Square →
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Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Dover. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →