DOVER, Del.- Delaware State University is kicking off Homecoming Week by projecting its fourth record-breaking enrollment year in five years—reaching one of the highest student counts in its 134-year history.
This year, more than 6,600 students attend the University, marking an increase of over 2 percent from last year, according to preliminary projections. According to the university, enrollment has surged by more than 30 percent since 2020, with final census numbers expected on Oct. 31.
Dr. Kareem McLemore, head of enrollment and international affairs, attributed the growth to a surge in applications and the continued success of the state-sponsored INSPIRE scholarship. “We saw a 300 percent spike in applications last year as we opened our enrollment funnel,” McLemore said. “More than 20,000 students applied to the University.”
The university says INSPIRE provides a full four-year tuition scholarship for Delaware high school seniors who maintain a minimum 2.75 GPA and commit to public service. Over 75 percent of incoming Delaware students at Delaware State University are INSPIRE scholars, with an average GPA of 3.57.
The University’s Early College School also continues to be another contributor to student enrollment, with nearly 60 percent of its graduates choosing to continue at Delaware State. The school, now in its 11th year, serves 600 students and recently expanded to include a 100-student pilot program in Jamaica, Queens.
University leaders say programs like the Braven learning accelerator — a required course for sophomores that focuses on professional and leadership development in partnership with LinkedIn — are helping students transition successfully from college to career. Braven Fellow Brandon Poplar said the experience “feels like a life raft thrown in the sea just for me.”
University President Tony Allen expressed that the University’s progress goes beyond numbers. “The real measure of success is how many students we can attract who were diamonds in the rough,” Allen said. “The Delaware State difference is about helping students dream and achieve.”