2026 Best Value Early Childhood Education Schools in Delaware

[Early Childhood Education](/majors/education/teacher-education-development-levels-methods/early-childhood-education/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
College Factual analyzed 5 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value early childhood education schools.
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2026 Best Value Early Childhood Education Schools in Delaware
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the early childhood education degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Early Childhood Education Schools
Delaware Technical Community College Terry earned the #1 spot for value among early childhood education schools in Delaware. Delaware Technical Community College Terry is a large public school located in the city of Dover. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $2,332, with out-of-state students paying around $5,763. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $8,450. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $25,289. That is a strong return on a $8,450 median debt.
A rank of #2 makes Wilmington University one of the best values for early childhood education. Located in the suburb of New Castle, Wilmington University is a large private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $12,630 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $24,500 to complete the early childhood education program here. Early Childhood Education graduates of Wilmington University earn a median of $51,335 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $24,500 median debt.
A rank of #3 makes Delaware State University one of the best values for early childhood education. Delaware State University is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Dover. In-state tuition and fees average $10,670, while out-of-state students pay about $20,634. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $25,651. Soon after graduation, early childhood education degree recipients from Delaware State University generally make around $41,572. Set against $25,651 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 47% of applicants are accepted.
University Of Delaware is a great value for students pursuing a degree in early childhood education, landing the #4 spot this year. University Of Delaware is a very large public school located in the suburb of Newark. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $16,810, compared with $41,400 for out-of-state students. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $26,000 in student loans. Early Childhood Education graduates of University Of Delaware earn a median of $48,587 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $26,000 median debt. University Of Delaware admits about 71% of applicants.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 5 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 4 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.