No four-year school in Delaware requires the SAT or ACT for 2026-27. UD, Delaware State, and Goldey-Beacom are all test-optional (scores are considered if submitted), and Wilmington University has an open-admission policy and does not use test scores at all. Published score ranges describe a cohort; they are not admission cutoffs.
The table covers 4 colleges Delaware families apply to most, from the most selective to the large public universities. Read each cohort note before comparing numbers. The bottom rows show the score-based money Delaware families can earn: B. Bradford Barnes Memorial Scholarship (University of Delaware) and Herman M. Holloway Sr. Memorial Scholarship (Delaware State University).
| School | SAT profile / cohort | ACT | Acceptance rate | Testing, fall 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Delaware | 1220-1370 · enrolled, fall 2024, CDS 2024-25 | 28-32 | 69.2% · fall 2024, CDS 2024-25 | Test-optional for 2026-27 |
| Delaware State University | Not published (official Common Data Set lists SAT Composite as 'Not reported'; section scores only: EBRW 450-560, Math 420-530) · enrolled, fall 2025 (34% of the class submitted a score) | 18-23 | 31.3% · fall 2025 | Test-optional for 2026-27 (scores 'considered' if submitted, not required) |
| Goldey-Beacom College | Not published | 15-17 | 55.2% · BigFuture profile, year not stated (652 applicants, 360 admitted) | Test-optional (scores considered if submitted) |
| Wilmington University | Not published (open admission; no test-score data collected) | Not published (open admission; no test-score data collected) | Open admission policy | Not required (open admission) |
| B. Bradford Barnes Memorial Scholarship (University of Delaware) | 1290 | See program rules | Full tuition, fees, room, board, and books for 4 years over 4 years | Full cost of attendance at UD for a Delaware high school senior with a 1290 SAT (or ACT equivalent) and a 3.0 unweighted cumulative GPA; renewable up to 3 additional years with a 3.0 college GPA; requires FAFSA and full-time UD enrollment |
| Herman M. Holloway Sr. Memorial Scholarship (Delaware State University) | 1000 | See program rules | Full tuition, fees, room, board, and books for 4 years over 4 years | Full cost of attendance at Delaware State University for a Delaware high school senior with a 1000 SAT (or ACT equivalent) and a 3.0 unweighted cumulative GPA; renewable up to 3 additional years with a 3.0 college GPA; requires FAFSA and full-time DSU enrollment |
Cohort notes: UD: Delaware's land-grant public flagship in Newark; a 1290 SAT (or ACT equivalent) plus a 3.0 unweighted GPA earns a full-ride state scholarship here (see money section). Delaware State: Delaware's public HBCU in Dover; a 1000 SAT (or ACT equivalent) plus a 3.0 unweighted GPA earns a full-ride state scholarship here (see money section). Application volume has grown sharply in recent cycles. Goldey-Beacom: A small private business-focused college in Wilmington; SAT/ACT scores are optional but can help increase a merit scholarship award. Wilmington University: A large private university based in New Castle with an open-admission policy; NCES College Navigator reports no selective-admissions metrics (applicant/admit counts, SAT or ACT ranges) because the school does not use them. These are not interchangeable measures.
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Find my teen's target scoreUD reports a 1220 to 1370 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, fall 2024, CDS 2024-25). It admitted 69.2% of 39,742 applicants (fall 2024, CDS 2024-25). The matching ACT range is 28-32. Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional for 2026-27. Delaware's land-grant public flagship in Newark; a 1290 SAT (or ACT equivalent) plus a 3.0 unweighted GPA earns a full-ride state scholarship here (see money section).
Delaware State does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. It admitted 31.3% of 21,209 applicants (fall 2025). The matching ACT range is 18-23. Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional for 2026-27 (scores 'considered' if submitted, not required). Delaware's public HBCU in Dover; a 1000 SAT (or ACT equivalent) plus a 3.0 unweighted GPA earns a full-ride state scholarship here (see money section). Application volume has grown sharply in recent cycles.
Goldey-Beacom does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. It admitted 55.2% of 652 applicants (BigFuture profile, year not stated (652 applicants, 360 admitted)). The matching ACT range is 15-17. Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional (scores considered if submitted). A small private business-focused college in Wilmington; SAT/ACT scores are optional but can help increase a merit scholarship award.
Wilmington University does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. It admitted Open admission policy (latest cycle). Testing for fall 2027: Not required (open admission). A large private university based in New Castle with an open-admission policy; NCES College Navigator reports no selective-admissions metrics (applicant/admit counts, SAT or ACT ranges) because the school does not use them.
Delaware runs one of the few remaining state scholarship systems built around an exact SAT cutoff: a 1290 SAT (or ACT equivalent) with a 3.0 unweighted GPA covers full cost of attendance at the University of Delaware, and a 1000 SAT (or ACT equivalent) with the same GPA covers full cost of attendance at Delaware State University.
B. Bradford Barnes Memorial Scholarship (University of Delaware): 1290 SAT. Full cost of attendance at UD for a Delaware high school senior with a 1290 SAT (or ACT equivalent) and a 3.0 unweighted cumulative GPA; renewable up to 3 additional years with a 3.0 college GPA; requires FAFSA and full-time UD enrollment.
Herman M. Holloway Sr. Memorial Scholarship (Delaware State University): 1000 SAT. Full cost of attendance at Delaware State University for a Delaware high school senior with a 1000 SAT (or ACT equivalent) and a 3.0 unweighted cumulative GPA; renewable up to 3 additional years with a 3.0 college GPA; requires FAFSA and full-time DSU enrollment.
The GPA used is the Delaware Higher Education Office's own unweighted, core-curriculum-only recalculation, which can differ from the GPA on a student's transcript. Applications open December 1 and are due by February 26 for a fall award; one award per year is given for each scholarship, both are one-time competitive awards (not guaranteed to every student who clears the bar), and both require a completed FAFSA. The related Hebner Memorial Scholarship uses the same 1290 SAT/3.0 GPA threshold but pays $1,250/year toward any accredited undergraduate program, not full cost of attendance.
UD, Delaware State and Goldey-Beacom are test optional for fall 2027, so many families assume the score is irrelevant. The ranges above come from the students who chose to send one, and they sit well above the overall class. And B. Bradford Barnes Memorial Scholarship (University of Delaware) and Herman M. Holloway Sr. Memorial Scholarship (Delaware State University) are awarded on the SAT or ACT whatever the admissions policy.
It depends which public university. The B. Bradford Barnes Memorial Scholarship covers full cost of attendance (tuition, fees, room, board, books) at the University of Delaware for a 1290 SAT (or ACT equivalent) with a 3.0 unweighted GPA. The Herman M. Holloway Sr. Memorial Scholarship does the same at Delaware State University for a 1000 SAT (or ACT equivalent) with a 3.0 unweighted GPA. A third award, the Hebner Memorial Scholarship, pays $1,250/year toward any accredited college at the same 1290 SAT bar.
No, UD is test-optional for 2026-27. Among the roughly 19% of UD's fall 2024 enrolled class who chose to submit a score, the middle-50% SAT Composite range was 1220 to 1370, with a median of 1300.
Yes. Delaware administers the SAT free to essentially all public high school juniors statewide during the school day, as part of the state's assessment program run by the Delaware Department of Education.
Delaware State is test-optional and admitted 31.3% of its 21,209 fall 2025 applicants. Among the 34% of enrolled students who submitted a score, the middle-50% ACT Composite was 18 to 23; DSU's own Common Data Set lists the SAT Composite as 'not reported,' though SAT section scores (Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 450-560, Math 420-530) were published.
Delaware's state-funded Barnes and Holloway scholarships predate the test-optional movement and were never updated to drop their SAT requirement, even though neither UD nor Delaware State requires the SAT for admission itself. A student can be admitted to either school without submitting a score, but still needs that score on file (1290 for UD's Barnes award, 1000 for DSU's Holloway award) to qualify for the state's full-ride money.
No. A middle 50% describes the central half of the reported group, not an admission cutoff. Some rows describe enrolled students or score submitters only, as labeled. A position within a range does not guarantee admission or merit aid.
University and state sources: UD, Delaware State, Goldey-Beacom, Wilmington University, B. Bradford Barnes Memorial Scholarship (University of Delaware). Reviewed October 9, 2026. Cohorts and entry terms differ; confirm current requirements with each admissions office.
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