<p>Academics:
Both about equal; check to see how they rank in terms of your son’s major.</p>
<p>Honors college:
Penn State’s is very prestigious and hard to get into, but Delaware’s is also good.</p>
<p>Scholarships:
Penn State has virtually none. UD has some that are worth a lot, but they are VERY hard to get, and you basically need to be in the honors college if you want to even be considered for a scholarship.</p>
<p>Tuition:
Both expensive OOS. PSU is more expensive in-state than Delaware.</p>
<p>Dorms:
Same</p>
<p>Off-campus:
Locally, State College is a quintessential college town. Outside of that, it’s in the absolute middle of nowhere. Locally, Newark is an adorable college town with tons of restaurants and stores. But Newark has some really tough neighborhoods that are pretty close. Kids have brought knives to Newark High School, and the crime rate at UD is 7 times that of UPenn.</p>
<p>Local job opportunities:
Penn State is in the middle of nowhere, so there really isn’t anywhere to go for internships. UD has lots of places nearby, especially chemical/biotechnical companies like DuPont, Goretex, and AstraZeneca.</p>
<p>Alumni connections:
Penn State has the world’s largest alumni network. UD’s isn’t as good, but it’s very good on a local scale.</p>
<p>School spirit:
Penn State has legendary school spirit and an amazing football team. UD’s is also very good, and its football team is great for its division. But UD pales in comparison to Penn State.</p>
<p>Prestige:
Penn State is widely known. UD is a great school (I’d put it on the same tier as UVA) but is not very well known, so people don’t know how good it is.</p>
<p>In state/OOS:
Penn State is mostly in-state. Over half of UD is OOS. Delaware is a very small, weird, close-knit state, so chance are, the 40% of students that are Delawareans already will know each other, or at least have many mutual friends and things in common.</p>
<p>Exercise science:
I know people majoring in Exercise Science at both schools. Delaware has a great program and so does PSU.</p>