Get into Duke

Everything you need to know about Duke University Admissions.

About Duke University

Duke is a private research university located in Durham, NC. More than just the home of the Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball team, Duke is consistently ranked among the top 10 national universities according to U.S. News and World Report. There are 6,417 undergraduates enrolled in Duke’s two undergraduate colleges and 10,423 students enrolled in Duke’s robust graduate programs. Duke’s West Campus, the heart of the university, was designed in the Gothic style and includes the Duke Chapel, one of the university’s landmarks. The East Campus, just over a mile away, houses all first-year students on 172 acres. This campus includes residence halls, research labs, tennis courts, a dining hall, café, convenience store, library, theater, and gym. In addition to this separate residential home, Duke offers a number of first-year programs to aid in the transition from high school to college. First-year students take a writing course and a seminar that build critical thinking and help form community.

Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

Every Duke undergraduate student takes classes in Trinity College, the liberal arts core of the university where 80% of undergraduates are enrolled. Within Trinity College there are 44 departments and programs, 137 areas of study, and 668 faculty members. Students are encouraged to combine academic pathways and explore diverse disciplines through the flexible liberal arts curriculum. In addition to its 53 majors and 52 minors, Duke students can pursue one of 23 interdisciplinary certificates in topics like “Civic Engagement & Societal Chance,” “Human Rights,” or “Innovation & Entrepreneurship.” Students can also design their own major through “Program II,” an individualized degree program. Incoming Trinity College students may apply to the Focus Program (FOCUS), an interdisciplinary learning experience centered on a common theme or topic within a cluster. First-semester students in each cluster live in the same residence hall and work closely with faculty. The unique Focus Program admits about 20-25% of the incoming first-year Duke class.

Duke students have many opportunities to engage in service-learning courses or study abroad during their four years, including 41 “Duke-In” programs on six continents. These programs are taught by Duke faculty and allow students to earn in-residence Duke credits while exploring a particular topic in depth off campus. For example, the “Duke in London” program focuses on drama and performance through coursework and live performances in central London. The “Duke in Sri Lanka” program examines health and health disparities in a global context.

College Acceptance Results for Top Tier Admissions

Top Tier’s students had GREAT results in both the early and regular rounds. Check out our successes!

Pratt School of Engineering

Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering was ranked #22 among U.S. Undergraduate Engineering Programs (U.S. News & World Report) and was listed in the Top 10 Best School for Engineering Majors by Salary Potential ($103,100 median pay with 0-5 years of work experience) by Payscale.com. Students can major in one of five engineering disciplines: Biomedical engineering, civil engineering, environmental engineering, electrical and computer engineering, or mechanical engineering. Throughout the program, students are exposed to hands-on design, data science, research, and entrepreneurship as they pursue their degree. Students may also pursue a 4+1 degree option to earn their Master of Engineering (MEng), Master of Science (MS), or Master of Engineering Management (MEM).

Applying to Duke

Prospective students can apply to Duke using either the Common Application or Coalition Application. Admitted first-year students are also eligible to apply to the Duke Gap Year Program, which offers students between $5,000 and $15,000 to facilitate their gap year, depending on their plans and financial need.

Both the Common Application and the Coalition Application include a one-page personal essay as well as short essay questions specific to Duke.

The following essay question is mandatory:

What is your sense of Duke as a university and a community, and why do you consider it a good match for you? If there’s something in particular about our offerings that attracts you, feel free to share that as well. (250 words maximum)

The following questions are optional for all applicants to Duke University:

We believe a wide range of personal perspectives, beliefs, and lived experiences are essential to making Duke a vibrant and meaningful living and learning community. Feel free to share with us anything in this context that might help us better understand you and what you might bring to our community.
Tell us about an intellectual experience in the past two years that you found absolutely fascinating.

Admissions Wrap Up for Duke

Class of 2028
Duke accepted 2,790 from a pool of 54,191 to the Class of 2028. The overall rate is 5.1 percent. 1,592 were accepted into Trinity College, while the other 392 were admitted to the Pratt School of Engineering. Duke received 6,240 ED applicants, which represents a 28 percent increase from last year. They accepted 806 students for a rate of 12.9 percent.

Top Tier Admissions Can Help You Get Into Duke University:

We are thrilled to inform you that H has been accepted to Duke University and will be joining his brother K there this fall. We were admittedly a little nervous when Application Boot Camp (understandably) went virtual, but we should not have worried as H came away super-prepared for application season. We really appreciate all of the frank advice and counsel we have received from everyone at Top Tier over the last few years as our sons have journeyed through this process.

W.R.

Application Boot Camp parent

MASSIVE thanks to you for all you did to shepherd us through this nerve-racking process! You are the rock, the hub, and the heart of TTA. H is so extraordinarily fortunate to have had you supporting, guiding, and believing in her.
I saw her grow right before my eyes during Bootcamp (which was phenomenally well run, due to your effort and skill). I still marvel at how much she accomplished in such a condensed period of time but I am most grateful for how you nurtured her spirit and confidence. Empowering her in that way has made all the difference this year.
I know everyone must say “we couldn’t have done it without you” but that sentiment is true beyond words. You have given her a gift that will keep giving for the rest of her life and you have changed us for good AND for the better.

R.C.

Application Boot Camp parent

I wanted to share the good news that J was accepted to Duke early admission. Thank you for your support!

S.D.

Application Boot Camp student

I just wanted to let you all know that I was accepted into Northwestern! Thanks for all your help!

R.G.

Application Boot Camp student

We are enormously grateful for your nurturing presence in our lives and we can’t thank you enough for the gift of your extraordinary experience and expert advice during this nerve-racking process. I still can’t get over the collective brain power in the “room” at ABC.

You might be surprised at what I heard H say yesterday but it’s such a tribute to how hard he worked, how much support he received, and the connections he made. After his 3-hour nap on Friday, a celebratory dinner, and a great night’s, he got up on Saturday and said, “Mom, I want to go back to Bootcamp!” True story. I’m not sure how you do it with the pace and intensity of ABC but T felt truly seen, deeply respected, pushed in the best way possible, and overjoyed about the results. We appreciate your help more than words can express.

H.B.

Application Boot Camp parent

Michele, I know E has already written you but I wanted to reach out and say thank you to you and R as well as the rest of the Top Tier Team. E is over the moon and being able to enjoy the rest of the year without the stress of college decisions is priceless. We all appreciate what you and your team were able to do to help guide the process as well as make the essay writing much smoother that it would have been otherwise.

C.B.

Application Boot Camp parent

I wanted to share with you the great news that I was accepted to Tulane ED yesterday! Thank you both so much for your advice and help along the way. I can’t imagine how hard it would have been without it. I am so excited and looking forward to the fall. Thank you!!

E.R.

Application Boot Camp student

Without ABC I would have had a strictly mediocre application.

R.V.

Application Boot Camp student

I KNOW that YOU were beyond instrumental in this process and I wanted to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for your efforts from August in Boston onward. You were always available and such a massive help for K with her supplements.

H.T.

Application Boot Camp and Essay Guidance parent

I just wanted to let you guys know I’ve officially been admitted to Williams. I am SO excited and so grateful for all of your help along the way. Thank you so much. Woohoo!

E.A.

Application Boot Camp student

I wanted to share the good news that I was accepted to Wharton ED last night!! Thanks again to you and ABC for all the support.

W.P.

Application Boot Camp student

I just wanted to share with you the very exciting news that I was accepted into the University of Miami!!! Thank you so much for all your help and support during this process. All the team from Top Tier really made a difference and were extremely supportive.

L.W.

Application Boot Camp student

We want to share the good news that P was admitted ED to Williams yesterday! Thank you!

W.B.

Application Boot Camp parents

I hope you are enjoying some extremely well-deserved R&R after the intensity of Bootcamp! We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for offering R and I your warmth, encouragement, expertise, and seasoned insight. R was so very lucky to have the chance to work with you. We now count you as part of our beloved extended family! ABC was certainly rigorous but it was wonderful to see R’s pride and relief when she came home on Friday.

C.W.

Application Boot Camp parent

While H awaits his early round decisions, I wanted to give you an update on R. He just finished his first semester at Occidental and he has been crushing it. He loves the school and he is motivated, curious and working so hard. It has been an ideal place for him.

We cannot thank you enough for all of your help and truly wonderful advice. We are so grateful!

T.C.

Application Boot Camp parents

She’s IN at Stanford! Thank you for all your support and hard work, and to the others at TTA who worked over her application. You are very much appreciated. K is a great kid and I trust her to do good in the world.

E.W.

Application Boot Camp parent

I just got my Brown Early Decision back and I wanted to let you all know that I got in!!!! Thank you, guys, so much for all the help with my application and my essays. I couldn’t have done it without your help! I am so happy that I got into my first-choice school!!! Once again, I can’t thank you all enough for all the help and guidance

C.A.

Application Boot Camp student

We wanted to let you know that L was accepted at Tufts – his first choice and ED app! Thanks again for all of your help!

G.Y.

Application Boot Camp parent

I wanted to share that M GOT INTO PRINCETON! We are so happy for her. She worked super hard. She couldn’t have done the application questions and created a niche without all of your support. Thank you so much for everything. We will forever be in gratitude.

D.J.

Application Boot Camp parent

I’m not in complete TTA withdrawal after ABC, thanks to you continuing to keep us on track! My heartfelt gratitude for all you have done for the K family. Your care and calm have meant the world to us. So much appreciation for being our rock and guiding light!

P.L.

Application Boot Camp parent

Trust The Process. Those words are etched in my brain forever. We were so happy and excited to watch our daughter find out she had been accepted early into Notre Dame last night.
I felt like a millstone that had been hanging around my neck was taken off immediately.
Thank you for your patience and for your expertise in guiding our daughter. Her friends from ND are coming home this weekend and she is so happy and proud to be able to wear a ND sweatshirt she had been keeping in her closet since she picked it up at ND last June.
The Boot Camp was really awesome in teaching her how to write essays for the supplemental questions. I would say it also boosted her confidence, knowing that experts such as yourselves taught her the pearls of wisdom in writing college applications.
From South Dakota to South Bend… it was a journey uphill but our daughter is finally home… Thank you!

O.P.

Application Boot Camp parents

I can’t thank you enough for all your guidance and encouragement during ABC! I’m still exhausted but also really happy about my essays. It’s a huge relief to have my common app in such good shape. I’ll never forget how much you and the rest of the amazing TTA team helped me.

K.R.

Application Boot Camp student

I got into Brown University! I’m so excited to attend!! Thank you for all your guidance and support during the whole process. I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome, and Top Tier was critical in this result.

M.R.

Application Boot Camp student

I’m already envious of the red carpet you are rolling out for ABC; these kiddos are so fortunate to be in such caring and attentive hands! T is very excited for Bootcamp and that is a gift in and of itself. A million thank yous for creating an application experience that generates more enthusiasm than panic.

E.A.

Application Boot Camp parent