What Kind of School It Is and Where It Stands
Delaware Valley University is a private, nonprofit, four-year university. The government classifies it as a master’s university with smaller programs and records doctoral degrees as the highest level it reports offering. That does not mean your child’s major connects undergraduate and graduate study or that it exists at the doctoral level: this is institutional information, not a program map. If the plan includes graduate school, verify the exact pathway.
It is in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, in Bucks County, within the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metropolitan area, although that does not mean it is in the center of that city. The census code places it in a suburb, within the urbanized area but outside the principal city. If your child is considering living at home, the only way to know whether that is feasible is to drive the route on a weekday at the time of their classes. The map does not tell the truth; traffic does.
The federal classification describes it as a highly residential school: at least half of degree-seeking undergraduate students lived, at the latest available reporting point, in housing owned, controlled, or affiliated with the institution, and at least 8 out of every 10 attended full time. That matters because the cost of living on campus almost never appears alongside tuition in the brochure. Ask for it separately, including the meal plan, before comparing this school with any other.
In its admissions profile, Carnegie places it in its inclusive category, a label that groups schools that did not report admissions scores with schools whose scores showed broad access opportunities. The classification does not distinguish which of the two applies here.
One note worth mentioning and then quickly putting aside: Delaware Valley University has none of these three federal designations—it is not a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Those are three separate answers, not three names for the same thing. Not having those designations says nothing about which communities it serves or how your child will feel there. Ask directly: what cultural centers and student organizations exist today?
The Size of the Community and Who Shares the Classroom
Delaware Valley University had 2,189 enrolled students in the most recent official count: 1,759 undergraduates and 430 graduate students. Above all, it is a career-focused school, and in size it falls right in the middle of the distribution compared with similar selective private universities: neither among the large schools nor the small ones.
Among those undergraduates, there are more women than men: 62 out of every 100. Students ages 25 to 64 are few, just 5 out of every 100: it is mostly a community of young, full-time students.
And here is a number that deserves a direct look: 9 out of every 100 undergraduate students are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority, and compared with similar selective private schools, it ranks below the midpoint of the group. That neither removes the school from the list nor puts it on the list. It only describes who is enrolled today. If your child will be one of the few, the question is not rhetorical: what student group, what cultural center, who in the admissions office speaks Spanish? And talk with a Latino student who is already there before deciding; the number is for the entire school, and your child’s major may feel different.
The school did not report where entering students came from—which states or which countries—in the most recent cycle. That information simply is not available.
How the Academic Year Works and How Flexible the School Is About What Your Child Already Knows
The year is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. It is the most common calendar, with consistent dates for everyone.
The school reported that it accepts credit for AP exams and also what IPEDS calls “credit for life experiences”—independent study, work experience, portfolios, licenses, and military training. It also enrolls high school students in college courses for credit through a formal dual-enrollment program.
Here is the part that truly matters: the school’s reporting of these pathways does not mean your child’s credits will automatically be recognized. It does not say what AP scores are required or how many credits are awarded. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not count the savings until you have it in hand.
What Students Study There and What Support They Receive
In a recent year, Delaware Valley University awarded 344 bachelor’s degrees. And here is something that strongly defines the character of this school: 123 of those 344 degrees—36 out of every 100—were in agriculture and agricultural sciences. That is an unusual concentration: nationwide, only 237 institutions award bachelor’s degrees in that family of fields. If your child is interested in that area, this school has a particular strength there that few universities have. If your child’s interest lies elsewhere, it is worth asking directly what the exact program is like, how many students graduate from it, and how long they take.
As for the relationship between students and faculty, the official ratio is 14 students per full-time-equivalent faculty member. That sounds low when viewed in isolation. But compared with similar selective private schools, it is in the quarter of that group with the highest ratios. Both things are true at the same time: the number looks small in a vacuum, and for its type of school, it is on the high side among its peers. This figure also does not tell you the actual size of a class; it is an institutional ratio, not a count of people in a classroom.
The institution also reports additional structured pathways: study abroad, a complete program that can be taken exclusively during evenings or weekends, and preparation for teacher certification, including preparation in certain areas of specialization.
Getting In: What It Requires, How Likely Admission Is, and What Happens Next
Delaware Valley University does not have open admissions. It reviews specific components before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, it marks five as required: the high school transcript, grade point average, completion of the required college-preparatory curriculum, the personal essay, and an English proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. Put plainly, gathering documents is not enough here. The essay is required. Your child has to write.
Other components are not required but are considered if submitted: class rank, letters of recommendation, work experience, and whether a family member attended the school. That last factor is something your child cannot change. If it does not apply, do not spend energy on it. Spend it on what is within your child’s control. The published application fee, incidentally, is $0.
And here comes a figure that changes the conversation: out of every 100 students who applied for admission in the most recent cycle, 92 received an offer of admission. The school is highly accessible in its admissions, on the high side compared with other selective private universities: seven out of ten schools in that group admitted an equal or lower percentage. Being likely to get in does not make what comes next easy. That number is for the entire school and a single cycle; it does not say how much attendance will cost, how many students finish, or whether the specific major your child wants has its own screening process. Ask those three questions separately.
Now, here is something many families do not know how to interpret: out of every 100 admitted students, only 22 ultimately enrolled. The other 78 had a place here and did not take it. Do not read that as a mark against the school—the record does not say why each person made that decision—but do not ignore it either: what others decided does not tell you what the school will offer you. Wait for your letter showing the net price—what the year would actually cost your family—before deciding whether this school stays on your list.
As for standardized tests, the SAT and ACT are not required here. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application remains equally valid. Among those who did submit SAT scores—only 18 out of every 100 enrolled students—the middle half scored between 550 and 650 in reading and writing and between 520 and 620 in math. Those numbers apply only to students who enrolled and submitted scores. They are neither a minimum nor a guarantee, and they do not prove that a score determined an admission decision.
One more point, uncomfortable but necessary: among the bachelor’s-degree-seeking cohort that entered in 2017, 31 out of every 100 transferred to another school without completing here. That is a high proportion compared with similar selective private universities. The report does not say why each person left. But there is something worth keeping in mind: a student who transfers and completes a degree elsewhere does not count as a Delaware Valley University graduate. Hold on to that idea; you will need it when we get to graduation rates.
The Sticker Price and What Families Actually Pay
At Delaware Valley University, among 61 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $20,575. Among 62 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $24,035; among 165 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $31,988. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (61 students) and the highest-income band (165 students) is $11,413. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $28,401.
Even after grants and scholarships were deducted, the average net price for the lowest-income families was $20,575 in academic year 2022-23. If that number does not fit your budget, it is better to see it today than in August.
An average does not show how different the individual cases within that band were; these data do not establish that some families were far below or above the published figure. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships.
Grants, Federal Aid, and Debt: Where the Decision Is Made
95 out of every 100 degree-seeking students received some grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. Receiving something here is the norm, not the exception. The average among recipients was $28,609 for the year. That is real money, but it is not a price: that average includes people who received much more and people who received much less. What determines the decision is not the size of the discount but the number left afterward: the net price you saw above.
The Pell Grant—federal aid for low-income families—reached 32 out of every 100 students.
And regarding loans: 74 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan in the most recently reported year. That is the majority, and compared with similar selective private universities, it is on the high side: financing an education with debt is common here. Among borrowers, each borrowed an average of $6,901 that year. If your child borrowed a similar amount in each of the four years in the plan, the total would be around $27,604, excluding interest, loans that parents sometimes take out separately, and any other debt. That calculation should be made before the first signature, not at the end.
The institution also reports a tuition payment plan that allows payments in installments as a way to manage the cost.
The Campus, Daily Life, and Available Support
Delaware Valley University has institution-owned housing and meal plans, although it does not require all first-time students to live there. Its reported maximum housing capacity is 1,150 students. The existence of housing does not guarantee that a bed will be available for your child: request the annual rate, the deadline, and whether the school guarantees a place or puts students on a waiting list, all in writing.
As for ROTC, the school did not mark any opportunity in its most recent report—not the general option or any of the three branches. Among the four-year institutions in this guide, 926 out of 1,786 did mark it; this school was not among them. If your child’s plan depends on that scholarship, ask admissions directly before crossing the school off the list: this field says what was reported, not everything that exists.
The school does compete in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported membership in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. That is institutional affiliation, not a promise to your child: if athletics matters, write directly to the coach and ask about a roster spot, division, and athletic scholarship, in writing.
It offers distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, although very few—2 out of every 100 undergraduate students—take all their classes that way; the rest take at least one course in person.
The library operates with paid staff, and its annual expenditures exceed the $100,000 threshold recorded by the government; it has physical and digital collections and participates in interlibrary lending. That is the baseline, not a guarantee that specific databases for your child’s major are available: ask about those by the name of the major.
Reported services include combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services after program completion, participation in Yellow Ribbon, a point of contact for veterans and military service members, and a disability services website.
How Many Stay and How Many Finish
Here we reach the part that carries the most weight when thinking about the future. Of the cohort that entered in fall 2022, 66 out of every 100 met the official retention criterion: they were still enrolled or had already graduated one year later. Compared with similar selective private universities, this school ranks in the lower part of that group. The remainder—148 out of 436 students—does not appear in that count. That does not mean they gave up: the data do not explain their destinations, only the retention outcome.
As for graduation, among the bachelor’s-degree-seeking students who entered in 2017, 52 out of every 100 had graduated from this school six years later. At four years, the figure drops to 41 out of every 100. It is essentially an even split: nearly as many finished here as did not finish here within that period. Compared with similar selective private schools, it ranks below the midpoint of the group.
And remember what we saw earlier: a student who transfers and completes a degree at another institution does not appear as a graduate here. This rate counts outcomes, not reasons. Before deciding, the useful question is not “Is this rate good or bad?” but rather: what specific support does the school offer, and how long does it actually take to complete the particular major your child is interested in?
One final view, at eight years and with a broader cohort—including full-time and part-time students, first-time students, and those who already had prior college experience—shows that 57 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure drops to 49 out of every 100, twelve points below the figure for those who did not receive one. If your family would qualify for Pell today, that difference warrants a direct question to admissions: what counseling is available, what emergency aid is offered, and whether the institutional grant or scholarship is renewed from year to year. Ask for the answer in writing.
What You Already Know and What Is Still Yours to Decide
You now know one part of the map precisely: who Delaware Valley University is in its own numbers—its size, its community, how it admits students, what it costs at list price and what other families similar to yours have actually paid, how many students stay, and how many finish. None of this tells you whether it is the right school for your child. It cannot, because that answer also depends on what your child wants to study, what your child has built so far, and what your family can and is willing to pay.
It is your child’s responsibility to write the essay, explore whether that strong concentration in agriculture and agricultural sciences is appealing, and decide whether your child can see living there for four years. It is your responsibility to examine the real number after the financial aid letter and the deadlines, and to provide support without carrying the entire map alone. Neither of those responsibilities is the other.
With this piece in hand, you can now ask the question that truly matters: how does Delaware Valley University fit with what your child wants and what your family can afford? A plan comes from that combination, not from a single number.
Source note: The information in this article comes from data reported by the institution to IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and the United States Department of Education, primarily from the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Delaware Valley University or any government entity; this article is for informational purposes.