University of Delaware

School mission (as provided by the school):

The University of Delaware is a state-assisted institution of higher learning with a private charter. Our private characteristics--smaller classes, an endowment over $1 billion, breathtaking campus and students from every state in the nation and 100 countries--at an affordable price are some of the many qualities that make UD unique. Among our distinguished faculty are internationally known authors, scientists and artists, including Nobel Laureates, Guggenheim and Fulbright Fellows and members of the National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Sciences, and American Association for the Advancement of Science. With more than 125 majors and 100 minors in seven colleges, UD is focused on an enriched undergraduate education from start to finish, including the First Year Seminar. Led by faculty working closely with upper-level undergraduate peer mentors, these seminars emphasize class discussion and assist students as they adjust to college life. Prior to graduation, all students will also have discovered a greater depth of learning through one of UD's signature academic programs. The University Honors Program, one of the nation's oldest, attracts many of our best students with thoughtful advising, private music instruction, a writing fellows program, a living and learning community and Honors degrees. Our nationally acclaimed Undergraduate Research Program enables students to work with faculty as research assistants, conduct independent research and publish or present findings. The Medical Scholars Program allows a select number of academically competitive students to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies from UD and an M.D. degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. The first Study Abroad in the world was founded at the University of Delaware in 1923 and now includes hundreds of courses across a spectrum of disciplines on all seven continents, including Antarctica. Each year, some 1,400 UD students study abroad, giving UD one of the highest university rates of student participation in the nation. In addition, Service Learning experiences, combined with academic studies, improve and strengthen the world in which we live, while simultaneously creating a greater sense of civic responsibility that students will take with them into the future. UD's commitment to our students is evident in our programming and facilities (including new residence halls that opened in 2005, 2006 and 2008) and in the number of scholars we produce each year--Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Goldwater and more, not to mention nationally ranked student-athletes. The future--with successes unique to each of our graduates--is something that UD takes seriously.