Delaware Colleges & Universities
Top college and university libraries in Delaware
These college and university libraries stand out for their collections, special collections and archives. Public access varies, so each entry says how visitors can use the library.
Morris LibraryUniversity of Delaware
The University of Delaware's main library sits in the heart of campus on the Green, with branch libraries for chemistry, physics and marine studies. The Library, Museums and Press also runs four gallery spaces with rotating exhibitions that are free and open to the public: the Special Collections Gallery in Morris, Mechanical Hall Gallery, Old College Gallery and the Mineralogical Museum in Penny Hall, founded on Irénée du Pont's 1964 gift of his mineral collection.
Special Collections, University of DelawareUniversity of Delaware
UD's Special Collections welcomes the university community, researchers and the interested public to use its archival collections and rare books in its reading room in Morris Library. Materials do not circulate, and appointments are made through the department's staff. The reading room and Special Collections Gallery are open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and exhibitions and events are free and open to all.
William C. Jason LibraryDelaware State University
The main library of Delaware State University, a historically Black university in Dover, keeps an African-American collection on its first floor and government documents on the fifth. It also houses the University Archives, which hold DSU history, a Delaware collection and DSU dissertations. Anyone can use the archives, by appointment, and DSU has been sharing archival photographs through Getty Images' HBCU Photo Archive Grants Program.
The most beautiful college library in Delaware
Morris LibraryUniversity of Delaware
Morris anchors the University of Delaware's Green. Besides study space and research help, it houses the Special Collections Gallery, with rotating exhibitions free to the public, the Special Collections reading room, and the editorial offices of the University of Delaware Press.
Last verified: November 2, 2026. Visitor rules, hours and borrowing policies change, so check the library's website before you go.
About colleges and universities in Delaware
Despite having a population of just under 1 million people, Delaware still has a large concentration of higher education institutions within the state. Currently there are eight degree-granting colleges and universities in Delaware, ranging from large research institutions to intimate art schools.
The largest college in Delaware is the University of Delaware, which boasts an enrollment of more than 16,000 students across its campuses. The main UD campus is located in Newark, but there are several other extension campuses located in Georgetown, Wilmington, Dover and Lewes. It is a unique educational institution given the fact that it is both privately chartered and also publicly funded as a research university. While the University of Delaware has many outstanding programs to offer its students, it takes particular pride in the fact that it is only one out of four universities in the United States that offers a bachelor degree program in art conservation. Another fact about UD is that it launched the first study abroad program in the United States. These programs have been adopted by many other colleges throughout the country. The University of Delaware was founded in 1743, but it was not chartered until 1833.
On the other end of the spectrum, the smallest college in Delaware is the Delaware College of Art and Design, also referred to as DCAD. This tiny fine arts college is a two-year degree granting institution that has just more than 200 degree-seeking students enrolled. In addition to the students who are in the degree program, there are about 250 lifelong learning students that take classes at DCAD. It is the only professional art and design school in the state of Delaware, and most students who graduate with their associate's degree go on to pursue of a Bachelor's of Fine Arts degree from another institution. DCAD was founded in 1997, so it is a relatively new addition to the higher education scene in Delaware.
There are many accomplished and well-known people who spent their university years in Delaware. For starters, three people who signed the Declaration of Independence went to the University of Delaware - Thomas McKean, George Read and James Smith. Other notable people who attended school in Delaware include UBS Investment Bank CEO John P. Costas, NFL Player Mike Adams and former Delaware Governor and politician J. Caleb Boggs.
Other degree-granting institutions in Delaware include Delaware State University, Widener University, Wesley College, Goldey-Beacom College, Delaware Tech and Community College and Wilmington University.