Delaware State University Downtown

Wesley College is a private liberal arts institution in Delaware founded in 1873. It is linked to the United Methodist Church and named after John Wesley, the founder of Methodism.

Wesley is based in the centre of Dover, the state’s capital city and its second largest, named after the English town, and also part of a county called Kent. The state is one of the most prosperous in the US. Around five miles inland from Delaware Bay, Wesley is 70 miles south of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and 80 miles east of Baltimore, Maryland. Only Rhode Island is a smaller state than Delaware, but the latter is blessed with miles of sandy coastline.

The oldest private institution in the state, Wesley was initially known as Wilmington Conference Academy, and later Wesley College Institute. It has awarded four-year degrees since 1978. An undergraduate institution for much of its history, Wesley began postgraduate courses in the 1990s. Students at Wesley can choose from more than 30 academic programmes in total.

The university prides itself on its affordability compared to many colleges in the region, and almost all of its students receive a form of financial support to help with tuition and living costs. More than half live in college accommodation. 

A large proportion of Wesley graduates are politicians, including former Maryland congressmen William Noble Andrews and Wayne Gilchrest, both Republicans, and ex-Delaware attorney general Charles M. Oberly III, a Democrat.