Duke University Early Admissions
Duke reported that 6,159 students applied through its Early Decision program and that 847 were admitted to the Class of 2030, for an admission rate of 13.75%. Last year, Duke received 6,627 Early Decision applications and admitted 849 students to the Class of 2029. According to its Common Data Set, Duke received 6,013 Early Decision applications for the Class of 2028 and admitted 1,042 students.
| Overall Applications Accepted | Overall Applications Received | Overall Admissions Acceptance Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2029 | 2,818 | 58,698 | 4.80% |
| 2028 | 2,950 | 54,194 | 5.44% |
| 2027 | 2,948 | 49,476 | 5.96% |
| 2026 | 3,085 | 50,002 | 6.17% |
| 2025 | 2,854 | 49,517 | 5.76% |
| 2024 | 3,057 | 39,783 | 7.68% |
| 2023 | 3,064 | 41,613 | 7.36% |
| 2022 | 3,097 | 37,302 | 8.30% |
| 2021 | 3,116 | 34,406 | 9.06% |
| 2020 | 3,314 | 31,150 | 10.64% |
| 2019 | 3,534 | 31,150 | 11.35% |
| 2018 | 3,494 | 32,506 | 10.75% |
Record Low Accepted RD
More than 54,000 students applied for admission this year—the highest number ever received— with 47,951 applying Regular Decision. Of these applicants, only 1,984 students (4.1 percent) were accepted—making it as selective in the RD pool as its Ivy League competitors, such as Brown (3.8 percent) and Dartmouth (3.4 percent).
New Initiatives for Duke
Students students are eligible to apply for funding to support a gap year. The Duke Gap Year Program offers between $5,000 and $15,000 to successful applicants who wish to participate in a year of service between high school and college.
Additionally, Duke is among the few institutions nationally committed to a need-blind admissions policy. In the coming years, Duke plans to invest $175 million in university funds to support undergraduate financial aid, which includes support for study abroad, summer programs, etc. in addition to tuition. Around half of all Duke students receive some form of financial assistance from the university each year. In spite of these renewed efforts, 19 percent of enrolled Duke students still come from the top 1 percent (families who make about $630,000 or more per year).
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