Updated February 12, 2025

Duke University – Acceptance Rate and Statistics

What is attending Duke University like?

Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke University is famous for its incredible academics and its phenomenal men’s basketball team — consistently one of the best college teams in the country. If you’ve got school spirit and love both sports and academics, Duke may be the school for you.

Duke has two undergraduate colleges: the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and the Pratt School of Engineering. The Trinity College of Arts & Sciences offers over 44 majors and emphasizes interdisciplinary learning, while the Pratt School of Engineering focuses on six engineering majors and the partnerships between faculty and students.

A medium-sized private university, Duke has an undergraduate enrollment of around 6,600, and a large campus at 8,693 acres. It’s well-suited to those students who want a social school where you can study and attend games with your peers.

At Duke, there are two undergraduate colleges you can enroll in: the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and the Pratt School of Engineering.

Duke University 2023-2024 Admissions Data

Duke University Admissions Statistics

As one of the most competitive schools in the country, Duke’s admissions rate has hovered around 6% for the last three years. If you’re looking to apply, Duke offers both an early decision and regular decision admissions cycle, outlined on their site. Both are competitive processes. However, if you know you’d like to go to Duke, applying early will give you time to consider alternate options if you don’t receive an offer.

Duke’s early admission cycle is binding, meaning that if you apply early and are accepted, you’ll be required to attend Duke University. 

2023-2024 Duke University (Class of 2028) Acceptance Rate

Admission CycleNumber of applicantsNumber admittedAcceptance rate
Early Decision6,24080612.9%
Regular Decision47,9511,9844.1%
All Applicants54,1912,7905.2%

Duke University Acceptance Rate History

YearNumber of applicantsNumber admittedAcceptance rate
2023-2024 (Class of 2028)54,1912,7905.15%
2022-2023 (Class of 2027)50,0163,1746.3%
2021-2022 (Class of 2026)49,7032,9275.9%
2020-2021 (Class of 2025)39,6393,0687.7%
2019-2020 (Class of 2024)41,9473,1877.6%

What is Duke looking for?

According to Duke’s admissions site, they’re looking for students who will make the most out of the opportunities Duke offers them. In particular, they want students who will “respond to those opportunities intelligently, creatively, and enthusiastically.” They also state they’re looking for these traits: ambition, curiosity, talent, persistence, energy and humanity.

Application decisions are guided by these five categories:

  • The rigor of a candidate’s academic program
  • Academic performance as measured by grades in academic courses
  • Letters of recommendation from two teachers and a counselor
  • Extracurricular activities
  • The quality of thought and expression in the application essay

Duke Class of 2027 Middle 50% score range of admitted students (25th and 75th percentiles)*

SAT Overall1520-1570

*What does this mean? The middle 50% score range refers to students from the 25th to the 75th percentile of admitted students. So if 100 students were admitted and we ranked their SAT scores from lowest to highest, we’d be looking at 50 students’ stats (from student 25 through student 75).

Other colleges you may be interested in:

College NameNumber of applicants (Class of 2028)Number admitted (Class of 2028)Acceptance rate (Class of 2028)
University of Pennsylvania65,2353,5085.38%
Harvard University54,0081,9373.6%
Vanderbilt University47,1712,4015.09%

PrepMaven can help you in the admissions process

Wondering how to get into Duke University? PrepMaven can help you along the way. Whether you’re looking to boost your test scores, write a killer personal statement, or improve your GPA, we can be a helpful resource. With tutors who are graduates of top universities, valedictorians, National Merit Finalists, and National AP Scholars, we’re here to help you no matter what step you’re at in the admissions process.

Give us a call at 609-945-2264 or fill out our website form to learn how our flexible packages can work for you.

Alexis

Alexis is a tutor, writer, and producer. She graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. As a tutor, she loves to help students explore their unique stories and share their personal journeys through impactful essay writing.

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