Duke University
2138 Campus Drive, Box 90586, Durham, NC 27708
Duke University is a private religious university in NC, founded in 1838 and offers Bachelor’s degrees for undergraduates and Master’s and Doctoral degrees for graduate students. The undergraduate enrollment is 6,543, and the graduate enrollment is 10,612. Duke University is a hyper-selective school, accepting only 7.0% of applicants. Duke University’s athletics teams compete at the intramural and varsity levels. Additionally, Duke University employs 1,026 full-time instructional staff and has a 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio.
Empowerly Score®
95
University Score
- School Performance
- Extracurriculars
- Standardized Tests
- Essays
Empowerly Score®
At Empowerly, we prioritize data to customize our approach to student counseling. College admissions is becoming more selective by the year, so it’s never been more important than now to prepare in advance and give yourself the best chance for success.
Take the Empowerly QuizESSAYS
Applicants applying to Duke University will apply through the Common Application, Coalition Application, or the QuestBridge Application (if qualified). Applicants will be required to write one personal statement based on a set of prompts within the application and will also be required to answer specific questions pertaining to the university.
Deadlines For Submitting Applications
Early Decision Application Deadline
November 1st
Regular Application Deadline
January 4th
ATTENDANCE FACTORS
- Extracurricular Activities - Very Important
- Character/Personal Qualities - Very Important
- Application Essay - Very Important
- Academic GPA - Very Important
- Rigor of Secondary School Record - Very Important
Average Acceptance Rate
7.00%
Empowerly Acceptance Rate
17.00%
STUDENT LIFE
Durham, NC, where the 8,693 acres of Duke University campus is located, has been the area’s cultural center for over 150 years. The campus is organized into four central zones: East, West, Central, and the Medical Center, accessible via a complimentary bus service. Life as a first-year student will primarily be on the East Campus or known as the freshman campus. Additionally, the semester-based academic calendar isn’t all dedicated to school. Students are encouraged to roam physically and intellectually to inspire their passion and take action. That could mean working on The Chronicle, the undergraduate daily newspaper published since 1905, cheering on the basketball team as a Cameron Crazy, or joining the over 400 student clubs and organizations on Duke’s campus.
Housing
- 85% of students live on campus
- Guaranteed housing for freshmen
- Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are required to live on campus
All undergraduates must live on campus for three years at Duke University. The school has made great efforts to design a residential program that cultivates a community feeling throughout the university. Its motto, “At home at Duke,” encourages students to discover connections with each other and the greater campus community. 85% of undergraduates live on campus, with first-year students housed in 14 residence halls on East Campus. These range from smaller houses with 50 students to newer residence halls with 250 students. Benches outside of each residence invite striking up conversations outside the dorm, along with other traditions like Midnight Breakfast and keggerskating.
Life as a Student
As a Duke University student, life is described as living in “the Gothic Wonderland,” as the campus’s omnipresent Gothic architecture has continued even in newer buildings. 80% of undergraduates are enrolled in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, with the remaining 20% going to the Pratt School of Engineering. While Duke is known for its excellent academics, the school likewise promotes life outside the classroom. It has established a robust campus life worth exploring, including several extracurriculars. Duke’s Blue Devils basketball team is its most prominent athletic team, with five national championship wins. The school hosts over 400 student organizations catering to a wide range of interests. It includes the Hoof ‘n’ Horn, a musical theatre group founded in 1936; Duke Diya, a student-run organization that promotes South Asian culture; and The Archive, an undergraduate literary magazine from 1887. For Duke students, no two days are ever the same.
TOP MAJORS
Computer Science
Economics
Public Policy Analysis
Biology
Nursing
Psychology
SERVICES
Health and Safety
- 24-hour trained security on campus
- Late night ride/safe escort service available
Student Services
- Health Center
- Legal Advice
- Psychological Counseling
- Women's Center
Athletics
Varsity
Varsity
Badminton
Baseball
Basketball
Crew
Equestrian Sports
Fencing
Field Hockey
Football
Golf
Ice Hockey
Lacrosse
Racquetball
Rugby
Sailing
Skiing (Downhill)
Soccer
Softball
Squash
Swimming and Diving
Tennis
Track and Field
Table Tennis
Ultimate Frisbee
Volleyball
Water Polo
Wrestling
Cross-Country Running
Skiing (Cross-Country)
Badminton
Basketball
Crew
Equestrian Sports
Fencing
Field Hockey
Football
Golf
Ice Hockey
Lacrosse
Racquetball
Rugby
Sailing
Skiing (Downhill)
Soccer
Softball
Squash
Swimming and Diving
Tennis
Track and Field
Table Tennis
Ultimate Frisbee
Volleyball
Water Polo
Cross-Country Running
Skiing (Cross-Country)
Intramural
Intramural
Badminton
Baseball
Basketball
Football
Golf
Soccer
Softball
Squash
Swimming and Diving
Tennis
Table Tennis
Volleyball
Badminton
Baseball
Basketball
Golf
Soccer
Softball
Squash
Swimming and Diving
Tennis
Table Tennis
Volleyball
FINANCIAL AID INFORMATION
Duke pledges to meet 100% of a student’s financial need by providing support for the costs not covered by the calculated family contribution and admission at Duke University is need-blind.
*All costs below are estimates and may differ depending on your circumstances.
- Tuition and Fees - $60,594
- Room - $9,164
- Board - $8,320
- Books, Supplies, and Personal Expenses - $3,410
- Transportation - Dependent Upon Location of Home
- Total Estimated Cost of Attendance - $81,488
CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP / AFFILIATES
HISTORY
Duke University was founded in 1838 as Brown’s Schoolhouse in Randolph County, North Carolina (the city of Trinity today). Obtaining a charter from NC in 1851, a group of Methodists and Quakers (called the Union Institute Society) renamed the school the Union Institute Academy. After receiving financial support from the Methodist Church, they again changed its name to Trinity College in 1859. To further attract more students, the college moved to the urban setting of Durham, NC, in 1892. Trinity then met its most crucial benefactor in Washington Duke in 1897, whose first request was that the school “open its doors to women, placing them on an equal footing with men.”
Although Trinity College fared successfully in Durham, where it remains today, James B. Duke, Washington Duke’s son, established a $40 million trust fund for Trinity and other philanthropic institutions in 1924. It prompted the trustees to rename the college Duke University to honor the family’s contributions and separate it from the numerous educational institutions named “Trinity.” Thanks to the endowment, the school expanded quickly. Duke University promptly went from a tiny college to a multifaceted university with the opening of its School of Medicine and hospital in 1930, the School of Nursing in 1931, its reorganized Law School in 1930, and the Pratt School of Engineering in 1939. In athletics, the Blue Devils of Duke University faced (but lost to) the University of Southern California in the 1938 Rose Bowl.
Today, Duke University is ranked #9 in National Universities by U.S. News Best Colleges. With a total undergraduate enrollment of 6,717 and graduate enrollment of 9,924, Duke has a competitive 7.0% admissions rate. Its semester-based academic calendar offers unique opportunities for academic achievement, athletic accomplishment, and community engagement. The university comprises ten schools and colleges, many of which are available to undergraduate and graduate students. The Duke Blue Devils athletic team has 27 varsity teams competing at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level. The school includes 15 Nobel laureates and 3 Turing Award winners as associates of the university, either as alumni or faculty. Notable Duke alumni include Melinda Gates, co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist William Styron, and U.S. President Richard Nixon.