Best General Studies Associate Degrees in Delaware, Ranked (2026)

General Studies Associate Degrees in Delaware

General studies associate degrees in Delaware are three programs, two of them ranked, and the two ranked ones award almost the same number of degrees a year at prices more than three times apart. The University of Delaware in Newark awarded 178 general studies associate degrees in the latest year and Delaware Technical Community College's Terry campus in Dover awarded 176. Goldey-Beacom College in Wilmington, a private nonprofit, awarded 2, below the national threshold, so it's listed without a score. Three colleges, three programs, all taught on campus.

The University of Delaware's associate degree is the state's top-scoring general studies program at any level, at 65.5, 70th in the national associate degree ranking. It scores well because the university graduates 81% of its first-time, full-time students, a rate most two-year programs can't approach, and because it awards degrees in volume. What holds the score down is price: $16,080 a year in resident tuition and required fees for 2023-24. Delaware Tech's Terry campus scores 42.6 and ranks 294th, with the same volume of graduates, a 22% graduation rate and tuition and fees of $4,965.

So Delaware gives you the trade-off in its purest form. Same degree, same-sized graduating class, and a choice between a university that costs $16,080 and finishes four students in five, or a community college that costs $4,965 and finishes one in five. Delaware's SEED program, which can wipe out tuition at both, changes that arithmetic for residents who qualify, and it's covered below.

The 2 Best General Studies Associate Degrees in Delaware

The best general studies associate degrees in Delaware are ranked below by their national score, from the national associate degree ranking. The number on each card is the program's place in Delaware. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.

1. 1

   University of Delaware

   Delaware

   65.5

   • Public

   College graduation rate

   81%

   In-state tuition and fees

   $16,080 a year

   Degrees awarded, latest year

   178

   • College graduation rate percentile 99 / 100
   • In-state tuition and fees percentile 8 / 100
   • Degrees awarded, latest year percentile 73 / 100

   About the Program

   Some 24,412 students attend University of Delaware, a public university in Newark, Delaware. During the most recent year on record it awarded 178 associate's degrees, a count at the 73rd percentile for size. Of the students who start at University of Delaware, 81% graduate, and that beats 99 in every 100 institutions on this measure. Residents pay $16,080 a year in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay $39,720. About 71% of applicants are admitted, so an application is not a formality. On the graduation rate of its college it does best, reaching the 99th percentile.

2. 2

   Delaware Technical Community College-Terry

   Delaware

   42.6

   • Public

   College graduation rate

   22%

   In-state tuition and fees

   $4,965 a year

   Degrees awarded, latest year

   176

   • College graduation rate percentile 13 / 100
   • In-state tuition and fees percentile 62 / 100
   • Degrees awarded, latest year percentile 72 / 100

   About the Program

   Some 13,337 students attend Delaware Technical Community College-Terry, a public college in Dover, Delaware. It conferred 176 associate's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 72% of the associate's programs ranked at this level. Of the students who start at Delaware Technical Community College-Terry, 22% graduate, and that beats 13 in every 100 institutions on this measure. Tuition and fees are $4,965 a year for residents and $11,828 for students from out of state, which makes it cheaper than 62% of programs at this level. Its strongest mark is the number of degrees it awards, at the 72nd percentile.

Other General Studies Associate Degrees in Delaware

The other general studies associate degrees in Delaware awarded fewer than 10 degrees in the latest year or did not report a figure the ranking uses, so they are listed here without a score. That says something about size and nothing on its own about quality.

Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Graduation rate is the college's, for first-time, full-time students.

How Much Does a General Studies Associate Degree Cost in Delaware?

A general studies associate degree in Delaware costs a median of $13,440 a year in tuition and required fees for 2023-24, with the three programs at $4,965 at Delaware Tech's Terry campus, $13,440 at Goldey-Beacom College and $16,080 at the University of Delaware. Non-residents pay $11,828 at Delaware Tech and $39,720 at the University of Delaware, while Goldey-Beacom charges everyone $13,440.

Delaware's Student Excellence Equals Degree program, SEED, is written for exactly this level. Under the statute, qualified, college-bound state resident students are relieved of the burden of paying undergraduate tuition at Delaware Technical and Community College, or the University of Delaware, Associate in Arts Program, and the payments under this program shall be grants, not loans. The law defines an adult student as an individual 25 years of age or older at the time of enrollment, and an adult must have been a Delaware resident for not less than 5 consecutive years prior to the date of enrollment. SEED pays tuition, not fees or books. The need-based Scholarship Incentive Program adds money for some, but scholarships shall be awarded only to persons who will enroll as full-time students in degree programs.

Will a General Studies Associate Degree Transfer in Delaware?

A general studies associate degree transfers in Delaware under agreements the two public colleges run themselves, and the strongest one is a guarantee of admission rather than a promise about individual credits. Delaware Tech's Connected Degrees program says that community college students who have completed an associate degree with Delaware Tech and meet a specified cumulative GPA, and enter a guaranteed agreement institution are guaranteed admission into that partner institution. Three conditions, then: finish the degree, hit the GPA the agreement names, and choose a university on the partner list. Ask the Terry campus which universities hold a guaranteed agreement for its general studies degree and what GPA each one sets.

The University of Delaware's associate degree is built as a feeder for its own campus. The university's Associate in Arts Program page says that after earning their Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degree, most students transition to UD's Newark campus to pursue their four-year bachelor's degree. You're moving within one institution rather than between two, which is why its 81% graduation rate carries so much weight here.

Goldey-Beacom's associate degree sits outside both arrangements, as does credit you bring in from another state. Those transcripts get a course-by-course evaluation, so ask for the result in writing before you register and ask how many credits land inside the degree rather than as electives.

What Do Jobs With a General Studies Associate Degree Pay in Delaware?

Jobs open to a general studies associate degree in Delaware pay the state medians below, from the May 2025 federal wage survey, with the national median beside each for comparison. Each row links to the salary guide for that job.

How to Choose a General Studies Associate Degree Program in Delaware

To choose a general studies associate degree program in Delaware, work out first whether SEED will pay your tuition, because that single answer decides whether the University of Delaware's $16,080 program and Delaware Tech's $4,965 program cost you the same thing. If it does, you're comparing an 81% graduation rate in Newark against 22% in Dover with the price taken out of the question. If it doesn't, you're asking whether $11,115 a year more is worth the university's completion rate and its direct path onto the Newark campus.

There's no online option at any of the three programs, so the campus you can reach matters: Newark, Dover or Wilmington. Goldey-Beacom's program is tiny, 2 graduates in the latest year, at $13,440, with a 57% graduation rate. Ask Delaware Tech which four-year partners hold a guaranteed Connected Degrees agreement for general studies and what GPA they want. Ask the University of Delaware which Newark bachelor's majors its associate graduates move into and whether any need prerequisites the two-year degree skips. And if you're 25 or older, check that you've had the five consecutive years of Delaware residency SEED requires of an adult student before you plan around the grant.