UofD is not cheap for OOS students. At about $45,000/year, that’s $180,000 for 4 years. Do people think it’s really worth it?
There are so many variables to take into consideration that it would take multiple pages to answer your question. If a students only goal in attending college is to obtain a bachelors degree the most economical way to do this would be to live at home, go to a local CC, then continue to live at home and transfer to a local state college/university to complete the bachelors degree. If you look at it from a return on investment (ROI) perspective then, in general, attending a highly ranked university will give a better long term return. Also there are major differences depending on a students major. STEM majors in general have a better ROI. Many of the higher quality majors at UD fall into this category. Obviously if a student is accepted to a highly ranked state university and is in-state then again, from a purely economical perspective, they should attend the in-state school. Attending higher ranked colleges in general tends to improve ones chances of being accepted to the top ranked professional/graduate schools. Another factor is what a student is looking for in their college “experience” beyond just the academics. IMHO I feel UD excels in this area with the many social and extracurricular activities that are available. If you compare UD’s costs to highly ranked private universities you probably will find UD’s costs to be cheaper and comparable to other Flagship State Universities for OOS students. So is it worth it to attend UD at full cost? Again depending on your perspective and a student’s subsequent career accomplishment some people would say yes, others might say no. Our D (OOS) graduated from UD in 2010, she completed grad school at a top ranked university, and is now working at a great job making well over 100K per year. The answer for me would be a resounding yes.
I agree with with Mwallenmd said and it’s all really what your options/perspective is… My D got a small scholarship to UD being OOS my son did not. However when we looked at the schools he applied to most were far more expensive than UD and offered him $14-19K a year in scholarship… guess what?? when it came down to it they all cost the same… UD included! I’m sure having my D there helped influence my son but his final decision came down to the fact that of all the schools he applied to UD was by far the most respected University he could get an education from. My D is only a Junior in the business school… she is extremely engaged and motivated towards her career, I can’t tell you the countless offers that have come to HER for jobs, internships, etc… mainly because she is a blue hen and plugged in to the appropriate outlets. It really depends on YOU… what your options are and how hard are you willing to work for it. IF you say YES you want to work hard and do your best then it’s worth every penny! If it’s not there yet for you, stay home do CC and work your way up the ladder to a 4 year school and save some money.
We’re asking ourselves the same question. Still no word about merit aid and it’s going on two weeks. UDel is my son’s first choice but we simply cannot afford the full OOS tuition. He’s been accepted into an excellent in-state school and the tuition is half of what we’d pay at UDel. The in-state doesn’t have his major, but he’d be taking the same classes as a freshman at either school anyway. He’s wondering if it’s possible to attend the in-state school for now and transfer to UDel as a sophomore. Does someone applying as a transfer have a better or worse shot at getting in if they were accepted previously and didn’t take the offer?
@momi1223 provided his grades are favorable they usually have a better chance of getting in as a transfer. When my D applied there were two girls that were rejected from UD and they were crushed. One went to Montclair State in NJ for a year and the other to West Chester… they both got in as transfers. I can’t imagine them not taking someone that was already accepted. There are many circumstances that can prevent a student from attending, finance, health, family obligations, etc… If that is his plan just be very sure the courses he is taking will transfer in. UD offers a course study matrix that shows the comparable courses in each univeristy… for example my son is taking Calc 1 this summer… the course approved by UD in the college he is studying at calls it something completely different. If he truly plans on transferring staying close to that UD course plan will reduce the chances of him having to take extra semesters and that will bring your costs back up. Also keep in mind that transfers are not offered academic merit… (someone correct me if I’m wrong) So even if he improves his grades it likely will still mean there is no additional merit down the road.
What is his major? some are more difficult to transfer into than others… speak to someone in admissions for sure and review your potential plan to discover any other pitfalls. I’d hate for him to go to a school he’s not crazy of for two years and then you have extra semesters of school to pay for… it may make it a wash in the end. Best of luck to you and your son!
Thanks for that info. I didn’t realize that there’s no merit at all for transfers. That would mean that even transferring in would not be affordable. Darn. 
We are asking ourselves the same question, as she did get in to our state flagship university which also has a strong reputation in her area of interest - but she totally doesn’t love it like she does U Del. Just hoping that financial aid letter comes soon, because it is hard to make any decisions not knowing what the offer even is.