ACADEMIC COMMON MARKET PROVIDES ELIGIBLE DELAWARE STUDENTS IN-STATE TUITION AT OUT-OF-STATE COLLEGES

This year 123 Delaware students are attending out-of-state colleges and universities at in-state tuition rates thanks to the state’s participation in the Academic Common Market (ACM).

More than 100 southern public colleges provide in-state tuition to eligible Delaware residents pursuing majors not offered at the University of Delaware or Delaware State University through the ACM.

The ACM is a tuition-savings agreement among 15 states that are members of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). Public colleges in SREB states that elect to participate in the ACM select the baccalaureate and graduate-level degree programs they will offer. About 15 new programs were added this year. Professional degree programs such as pharmacy, law, dentistry and medicine are not part of the program.

Since Delaware joined SREB in 1998, the state has certified more than 1,100 students at more than 70 colleges to major in baccalaureate programs such as acting, architecture, dance, dental hygiene, filmmaking, fire protection engineering, forest resource management, hearing and speech sciences, industrial engineering and interior design. Master’s degree programs have included architecture, education of the deaf and hard of hearing, journalism, library and information science, occupational therapy and public health. Doctoral students have been certified for the ACM in programs such as anthropology, audiology, occupational therapy and theatre design/arts administration programs.

Delaware residents may apply for the ACM after they have been accepted into an eligible degree program. Students and families with questions about the ACM should contact the Delaware Department of Education’s Higher Education Office at (302) 735-4120 or (800) 292-7935. More information, including eligible programs and the application, is available online here.