Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
The Delaware State Police requirements call for 60 semester credits from an accredited college or university, or 30 credits plus two years of active-duty military service. Officers also need 60 credits to compete for Sergeant and a bachelor's degree for Lieutenant and above. UPI Study courses count only via a college transcript, so ask DSP recruiting in writing first.
Under the Delaware State Police hiring qualifications, a trooper applicant needs 60 semester credits (or 90 quarter credits) from an accredited college or university, or 30 college credits with two years of active-duty military service; 60 credits are needed to compete for Sergeant and a bachelor's degree for Lieutenant and above.
The rule asks for 60 semester credits, or 30 with 2 years of active-duty military service. The legal source is Delaware State Police hiring qualifications.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Standard education route | High school diploma or GED plus 60 semester or 90 quarter credits from an accredited college or university | [1] |
| Military route | 30 college credits plus two years of active-duty military service | [1] |
| Accelerated Academy | 30 credits plus two years as a Delaware-certified officer or an out-of-state trooper | [1] |
| Age | 21 by the end of the Academy; not over 39 on day one | [1] |
| Sergeant | 60 college credits to compete | [1] |
| Lieutenant and above | Bachelor's degree to compete | [1] |
Delaware State Police, Recruiting Unit decides how this rule applies to you. We read its published rule and the pages below; each was checked on 15 Nov 2026.
Each course below is ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended for college credit. Whether it counts here is the decision of the college and of Delaware State Police, Recruiting Unit.
The subject officers ask about first; 3 recommended credits.
Self-paced online Introduction to Criminology course (Criminology 150). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Useful for crisis and de-escalation work; a common general education course.
Self-paced online Introduction to Psychology course (Psychology 110). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Community and group behaviour; a common general education course.
Self-paced online Introduction to Sociology course (Sociology 110). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Report writing starts here; nearly every degree needs it.
Self-paced online English Composition 1 course (ENG 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Ethics questions come up in every police career.
Self-paced online Ethics in the Social Sciences course (Social Science 110). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Clear incident and case reports.
Self-paced online Advanced Technical Writing course (English 120). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit; check their own transfer pages, then ask DSP recruiting whether it would count that college's transcript.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
| Option | Price | For this rule | Price checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPI Study PRO | $99 a month, every course | $99 for each month you are subscribed; take as many courses as you finish in that time | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Delaware Technical Community College (in-state) | $156.75 per credit hour plus $10 per credit technology fee | About $5,003 for 30 credits, or $10,005 for 60, before the student service fee | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Sophia Learning | $99 a month | General education courses for $99 a month, then a college transcript step | 15 Nov 2026 |
Delaware Tech credits sit on a Delaware Tech transcript with no extra step. Outside credit costs less per course but needs a college to post it first.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
Ask the Delaware State Police Recruiting Unit in writing whether credits posted on a partner college's transcript would count toward its 60- or 30-credit requirement before you enrol.
The Delaware State Police qualifications page sets the education bar for trooper applicants. You need a high school diploma or GED and at least 60 semester credits, or 90 quarter credits, from an accredited college or university.
There is one shorter route. An applicant with 30 college credits can qualify with two years of active-duty military service. An applicant with 30 credits and two years as a full-time Delaware-certified police officer, or two years as a state trooper in another state after a live-in academy, can qualify for an accelerated Academy curriculum.
The page sets a number, not a subject. Credits in any field count toward the total, as long as they appear on a transcript from an accredited college or university.
Education is one line on a longer list. Applicants must be US citizens, reach 21 before finishing the Academy, and be no older than 39 on the Academy's first day. They need a valid driver's license with at least a year of driving experience, and DSP reviews driving history, including any alcohol-related driving arrests.
College credits do not replace any of these. Plan your credits alongside the fitness training and the application steps, not instead of them.
The credit rule does not stop at the Academy. DSP says 60 college credits are required to compete for Sergeant, and a bachelor's degree is required to compete for Lieutenant and above. A trooper who joined on the 30-credit military route needs 30 more credits before the Sergeant process.
That makes the choice of courses matter. Credits that also build toward an associate or bachelor's degree serve both the hiring rule and later promotion.
The Delaware State Police asks for 60 semester credits, or 90 quarter credits, from an accredited college or university. An applicant with two years of active-duty military service can qualify with 30 college credits. The credits can be in any subject.
Applicants must be US citizens, turn 21 before finishing the Academy and be no older than 39 on the first day. They need a valid driver's license with at least a year of driving experience, and DSP reviews driving history. A high school diploma or GED is also required.
Partly. DSP accepts 30 college credits plus two years of active-duty military service in place of the full 60 credits. You still need the 30 credits on a college transcript, so check whether your military training credits already appear on one.
DSP asks for credits from an accredited college or university and does not say how the course was taught. Online credits on such a transcript fit that wording. Credit from UPI Study would first need to be posted by a college, so ask DSP recruiting in writing before you enrol.
DSP says 60 college credits are required to compete for the rank of Sergeant, and a bachelor's degree is required to compete for Lieutenant and above. Troopers hired on the 30-credit route need more credits before the Sergeant process.
At Delaware Tech's 2026-2027 in-state rate of $156.75 per credit hour plus a $10 per credit technology fee, 30 credits cost about $5,003. UPI Study PRO is $99 a month for every course, plus the step of having a college post the credit.
Ask DSP recruiting in writing first, then start with Criminology, Psychology and English Composition.