What is the Commitment to Delawareans?

The goal of the UD Commitment to Delawareans is to prepare Delaware high school students for admission to the University of Delaware, and it includes academic, financial and rolling admissions components. The UD Commitment to Delawareans is an academic roadmap that shows you the courses you must complete and the level of performance you must achieve in them if you want to be confident of gaining admission onto the Newark campus of the University of Delaware. The University strongly encourages students and their parents and guardians to familiarize themselves with the roadmap starting in middle school and continuing yearly through high school. Think of it as an annual check-up.
Caesar Rodney students
Biology & Physical Science Students at
Caesar Rodney High School
Is this a guarantee of admission?

It is as close to a “guarantee” as we can make it. While no university can guarantee admission until a student has submitted a complete application, we can lay out what you need to do in middle school and grades 9 through 12 if you want to give yourself the best chance of being admitted. Our intention is to help Delaware students, parents, teachers and guidance counselors answer the question, “How can students best prepare themselves for admission into the University of Delaware?”
Ms. Hudson's Art Class at Beacon Middle SchoolBeaconMs. Hudson's Art Class at Beacon Middle School

WHAT ARE PRE-COLLEGIATE PROGRAMS

For many students, pre-collegiate programs - also known as pre-college or college prepartory programs - are doors to opportunity. The University sponsors a range of academic and enrichment programs for middle- and high-school students. Students who have set their sights on achieving a University of Delaware degree may want to engage early by participating in summer and after-school programs. Some of the many programs include Academic Challenge, the Governor's School for Excellence, UD's Summer College, Upward Bound, and 4-H enrichment camps.

What if the students strays from the roadmap?

Although the University strongly advises students to try their best to follow the roadmap outlined, it should be considered the ideal or recommended course selection for admission, rather than the minimum. Students who have not precisely followed the roadmap but who have strong grades in high-level academic coursework can still earn admission to a four-year degree program on the Newark campus and are encouraged to apply. If you do follow our recommended curriculum, however, there is another advantage: when you apply for admission, we will review your application on a rolling basis and you will get an admission decision much sooner (See "When will students know if they have been admitted?" below).
Does the University provide financial support to Delaware residents?

Our aim is to make a University of Delaware education affordable to all qualified residents of our state. A new and important part of the UD Commitment to Delawareans is that, beginning with the entering class of 2009-10, we pledge to meet the full demonstrated financial need up to the cost of in-state tuition, fees, on-campus room and board and books of all Delawareans who file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid by the deadline. Since we understand how important it is to leave college with as little indebtedness as possible, we further pledge to minimize your debt. Specifically, our goal is that no student will have loans in excess of 25% of the cost of a four-year education.