Photo: Brett A, Pexels
Delaware requires everyone under 18 to pass a Department of Education approved driver education course before the DMV will issue a learner’s permit. Passing earns the Driver Education Certificate, usually called the Blue Certificate (sometimes the White Certificate). The course is at least 44 class hours. Students at Delaware public and nonpublic schools get it free once. This guide covers who offers it, what it includes, the 50-hour practice certification and how out-of-state courses are handled.
Key facts (Delaware Department of Education and DMV, checked November 2026)
- Required for all permit applicants under 18. For students with an active IEP, the GDL program runs to age 22.
- Minimum course: 44 class hours. That’s 30 hours in the classroom, 7 hours behind the wheel and 7 hours observing in the car.
- Each class hour is at least 45 minutes.
- Free one time for Delaware resident students at public or nonpublic schools, including private schools and homeschools.
- Public and private high schools with 25 or more 10th graders must offer driver education.
- The driver education teacher gives your written and road tests and certifies you as qualified.
- After 6 months on the permit, 50 practice hours (10 at night) are certified to the approved program.
What is the Delaware Blue Certificate?
It’s the Driver Education Certificate you get for passing a Department of Education approved driver education course. It must meet all Department of Education criteria to be valid. You take it to the DMV, with your sponsor and your identity and residency documents, to apply for the GDL Level One Learner’s Permit. Without it, the DMV can’t license anyone under 18.
What’s in the Delaware driver education course?
| Part | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Classroom instruction | 30 class hours (at least 1,350 minutes) |
| Behind-the-wheel instruction | 7 class hours (at least 315 minutes) |
| Observation in the car | 7 hours |
| Total | 44 class hours |
- Simulators: can replace up to 3 hours of behind-the-wheel time, at 4 simulator hours for each hour replaced.
- Off-street driving ranges: can replace up to 3 hours, at 2 range hours for each hour replaced.
- Limit: together, simulator and range time can’t replace more than half of the 7 behind-the-wheel hours, and can’t cut classroom time.
- Curriculum: teachers use the statewide Department of Education curriculum.
- Grading: pass or fail. Schools may award a quarter credit toward graduation as an elective.
Where to take driver’s ed in Delaware
| Program | Who it’s for | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| High school driver education | Public and private high schools with 25+ 10th graders must offer it | Free, one time, for Delaware resident students |
| Summer driver education (June 10 to August 31) | Delaware residents at out-of-state schools as 10th graders; students at small private schools; homeschooled students; other cases the Secretary approves | Free, but each request needs Department of Education approval |
| Adult driver education | Anyone, through a local school district in each county, including students who failed their first course | Fee set by the Department of Education |
Districts tell public and nonpublic high schools where the nearest summer program is by May 1 each year. Ask your school counselor or district office about dates and how to sign up.
Students with an IEP
- The IEP team, working with the driver education teacher, can adapt the course. Options include multiple attempts, waiting until 11th or 12th grade, splitting the course across two semesters, and specialized instruction.
- The regulation gives IEP students until age 21 to complete driver education certification.
- IEP students who retake the course after failing don’t pay a fee.
- Students who need specialized evaluation, training or equipment are identified by the driver education teacher and tested by the DMV.
Testing through driver education
Under Delaware law, a teen applying for the Level One permit must pass a written test and a road skills test. These are given by the DMV or by a driver education teacher, and the teacher then certifies you as qualified. The DMV’s GDL handout says teens pass all written and road tests with their driver education teacher. So when you arrive at the DMV with your Blue Certificate, you mainly need the eye screening and your documents. The skills you’ll be tested on match the DMV list in the Delaware road test guide, and the written content matches the Delaware knowledge test.
The 50-hour sponsor certification
- For the first 6 months on the Level One permit you must always be supervised.
- Your parent or guardian certifies 50 hours of driving, including 10 at night.
- The signed form goes to the Department of Education approved program at the end of the 6 months.
- Only after that can you drive unsupervised between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Full stage rules: Delaware graduated driver license rules for teens.
Took driver’s ed in another state?
The Delaware Department of Education must approve an out-of-state course before the DMV accepts it. The manual tells you to send your certificate to the Department of Education, Education Associate Driver Education and Private School Services, Collette Education Resource Center, 35 Commerce Way, Suite 1, Dover, DE 19904 (telephone 302-857-3320). Delaware law also asks for a certified copy of your high school transcript showing the course. Moving with a license already? See transferring an out-of-state license to Delaware.
Common questions
Is driver’s ed mandatory in Delaware?
Yes, for anyone under 18. Adults 18 and older can test at the DMV without it.
How many hours is driver’s ed in Delaware?
At least 44 class hours: 30 classroom, 7 behind the wheel and 7 observation.
Is driver’s ed free in Delaware?
Yes, once, for Delaware resident students at public or nonpublic schools, including homeschool. Adult programs and retakes after a failed course charge a fee (IEP students excepted).
What if I lose my Blue Certificate?
The Department of Education keeps final grades for seven years. Contact the Department of Education driver education office about a replacement before your DMV visit.
Can I take driver’s ed online in Delaware?
The regulation requires classroom hours and in-car instruction from a driver education teacher using the statewide curriculum. It doesn’t describe an online-only option. Check with the Department of Education before paying for any online course.
Do homeschooled students get free driver’s ed?
Yes. Nonpublic students, including homeschoolers, are entitled to free driver education once, and homeschoolers are listed for the free summer program.
Back to the Delaware learner driver guide.
Sources
- Delaware Department of Education, “14 DE Admin. Code 540 Driver Education” (regulations.delaware.gov)
- Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles, “Delaware Driver Manual (July 2026)” (dmv.de.gov)
- Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles, “Graduated Driver License” (dmv.de.gov)
- Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles, “Graduated Driver Licensing handout” (services.dmv.de.gov)
- Delaware General Assembly, “Delaware Code Title 21, Section 2710” (delcode.delaware.gov)
- Delaware Office of Highway Safety, “How Do Teens Get a License in Delaware?” (ohs.delaware.gov)