The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public research university located in Newark, Delaware. The University of Delaware is the largest university in Delaware. UD currently offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 master's programs (with 13 joint degrees) and 55 doctoral programs across its eight colleges. The main campus is in Newark, with satellite campuses in Dover, Wilmington, Lewes, and Georgetown. It is considered a large institution with approximately 18,500 undergraduate and 4,500 graduate students. UD is a privately governed university which receives public funding for being a land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant state-supported research institution.

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UD is classified as a Doctoral University-Very High Research Activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. UD is one of the top 100 public institutions for federal obligations[clarification needed] in science and engineering and interdisciplinary initiatives in energy science and policy, the environment, and in human health.

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UD is recognized with the Community Engagement Classification by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

It is one of only four schools in North America with a major in art conservation. In 1923, UD was the first American university to offer a study-abroad program. The school from which the university grew was founded in 1743, making it one of the oldest in the nation. Its original class of ten students included George Read, Thomas McKean, and James Smith, all three of whom would go on to sign the Declaration of Independence; Read also signed the U.S. Constitution. UD, however, was not chartered as an institution of higher learning until 1833.