Private nonprofit · University

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina · Large city

#1 most selective in North Carolina#1 for grad earnings in North Carolina#1 graduation rate in North Carolina
5.7%
Admit rate
$29,612
Avg net price
97%
Graduation rate
$97,800
Median earnings

Duke University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Durham, North Carolina (large city setting), enrolling 6,442 undergraduates. It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 6,442 undergradsLarge cityHighly selective · 6% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Atlantic Coast ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Duke University's admitted students.

Admit rate
5.7%
SAT (mid 50%)
1500–1570
Avg GPA (est.)
4.00

Enter a test score to see where you land against Duke University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Duke University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Durham, North Carolina

Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The Eno and the Occoneechi, related to the Sioux and the Shakori, lived in the area and may have established a village named Adshusheer (or Ajusher) in the area which became Durham. The Occaneechi Path, a corridor of trading roads and trails, went through the area. Durham is the venue for the annual Bull Durham Blues Festival and the OUTsouth Queer Film Festival, the 2nd largest LGBTQ+ film festival in the Southeast. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
2 miles to Durham, NC
To the ocean
111 miles
Nearest airport
12 miles to Raleigh-Durham (RDU) · major hub

How Duke University compares

Selectivity5.7%

More selective than 99% · #1 most selective of 53 in North Carolina

SAT average1548

Higher than 99%

Graduation rate97%

Higher than 99% · #1 of 56 in North Carolina

First-year retention98%

Higher than 96%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$97,800

Higher than 98% · #1 of 57 in North Carolina

Average net price$29,612

Cheaper than 16% · #53 cheapest of 57 in North Carolina

Median debt at graduation$13,000

Lower than 94%

Student–faculty ratio5 : 1

Lower than 96%

Undergraduate enrollment6,442

Larger than 82%

Percentiles compare Duke University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in North Carolina.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

17,418students
  • Undergraduate6,44237%
  • Graduate10,97663%

Undergraduates by gender

6,442undergrads
  • Women3,52155%
  • Men2,92145%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White35%
  • Black8.7%
  • Hispanic11%
  • Asian22%
  • Other or multiracial24%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
6,442
Graduate enrollment
10,976
Student–faculty ratio
5 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
14%
First-generation students
13%
Students over 25
0%
Median family income
$61,560
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$171,009
Endowment
$11,889,994,000

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
5.7%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1500–1570
SAT average
1548
SAT reading
740–770
SAT math
760–800
ACT composite
34–35
Average GPA (estimated)
4.00

Cost

In-state tuition
$68,758
Room & board
$18,128
Books & supplies
$536
Total cost of attendance
$87,072
Average net price
$29,612

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
97%
Graduated on time (4 years)
87%
First-year retention
98%
Transferred to another college
1%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$85,792
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$97,800
Median debt at graduation
$13,000
Students with federal loans
14%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
88%

About 10% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
87%
Low-income (Pell)
92%
First-generation
92%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
5,775
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
90%
Housing charge (year)
$9,884
Meal plan (year)
$7,475
Application fee
$85
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
Varsity athletes
877 (492 men · 385 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (15)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)261
Football121
Lacrosse88
Soccer58
Swimming and Diving (combined)54
Rowing46
Baseball43
Fencing42
Basketball32
Field Hockey27
Wrestling27
Tennis22
Softball20
Volleyball19
Golf17

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
4.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
59
Property offenses (2022–2024)
171

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (17,499 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

77reported offenses a year
20 violent a year57 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
29
Burglary
27
Fondling
9.3
Aggravated assault
5.0
Rape
4.3
Arson
1.3
Robbery
1.0

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$735
$30–48k
-$361
$48–75k
$5,706
$75–110k
$17,100
$110k+
$54,230

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$23,693

$5,706/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

41%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$56,922
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 41% — get grant money from Duke University itself, averaging $56,922, which softens the sticker price.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,745 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$97,800
Typical debt at graduation
$13,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
13%
Out-earn a HS grad
87%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.3 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$92,322
Men
$105,745

Men out-earn women by $13,423 (15%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
87°F
Winter low
28°F
Annual rain
48.6″
Annual snow
2.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Durham, NC US station (3.2 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Duke University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Duke University side by side →

Colleges near Duke University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.