Duke University
Durham, North Carolina · Private, a large city · 6,442 undergraduates
Affiliated with United Methodist.
Counsellors: add notes to this page for a student
Is it hard to get into Duke?
The middle half of admitted students scored in these ranges: a quarter scored lower, a quarter higher. Fall 2024 admissions, from the College Scorecard.
Acceptance rate
5.7%
46,365 applied
SAT, middle half
1500 to 1570
Reading plus math, out of 1600
ACT, middle half
34 to 35
Composite, out of 36
Test scores this year
Optional: considered if sent
55% of admitted students enrolled
- What they look at
- High school GPARequired
- Courses takenRequired
- College-prep programRequired
- RecommendationsRequired
- EssayRequired
How much does Duke cost?
Sticker prices and what students actually paid after grants, by family income. A year means tuition, fees, room, board, books and other costs.
Tuition and fees
$72,795
A full year, sticker price
$90,696
Living on campus
Average price after grants
$23,706
Students who got federal aid
What a year cost, by family income
| Family income | Average paid after grants |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $6,652 |
| $30,001 to $48,000 | Not published |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $4,608 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $16,813 |
| Over $110,000 | $48,954 |
- Room and board on campus
- $19,247 a year
- Books and supplies
- $536 a year
- The school's own grants
- 41% of full-time first-years get one, averaging $56,922
Tuition over the years
Tuition and fees for a year, as reported to the federal government.
How much do Duke students borrow?
Federal student loans only, for students who borrowed.
Typical debt at graduation
$13,000
About $148 a month over ten years
Students who borrow
13.5%
Get a Pell Grant
18.7%
Federal grant for lower-income families
Over 25 when they start
0.3%
What do Duke graduates earn?
Typical yearly pay of everyone who started here with federal aid, whatever they studied and whether or not they finished.
Six years after starting
$95,364
Ten years after starting
$113,937
Middle half: $73,626 to $189,682
Best-paid program, five years out
$195,598
Computer Science
Lowest-paid program, five years out
$63,801
Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences
Do Duke students finish?
Of the students who started full time, first time.
Back for second year
97.9%
Graduate in six years
96.1%
The four-year figure is for a later, smaller group, so it is not shown
After eight years
96% graduated
1% transferred, 0% still enrolled
Who goes to Duke?
Women
53.7%
First in their family at college
13.5%
Part-time
0.4%
Students per teacher
5
- Background
- White 35%, Hispanic 11%, Black 9%, Asian 22%, Two or more 7%, International 11%
- Housing
- Campus housing, 5,775 beds
What do Duke graduates earn, by program?
Every bachelor's program the school awards, with what its graduates earn and owe. The government hides pay for small programs, so some rows have no figure.
Computer science
| Program | Graduates | Pay, one year out | Pay, five years out | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 0 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Computer Science | 831 | $148,493 | $195,598 | $12,000 |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | 1 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
Engineering
| Program | Graduates | Pay, one year out | Pay, five years out | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 191 | Hidden | $124,275 | $14,125 |
| Civil Engineering | 31 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Computer Engineering | 210 | $149,622 | $193,134 | $12,000 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 0 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Engineering, Other | 10 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians | 0 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering | 7 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Mechanical Engineering | 148 | $88,721 | $133,628 | $13,250 |
Nursing
| Program | Graduates | Pay, one year out | Pay, five years out | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 430 | $87,034 | $93,559 | $15,000 |
Health sciences and kinesiology
| Program | Graduates | Pay, one year out | Pay, five years out | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Health | 33 | $51,770 | $94,424 | $15,000 |
Life sciences
| Program | Graduates | Pay, one year out | Pay, five years out | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 10 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Biology, General | 340 | $39,214 | $86,424 | $14,196 |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | 33 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | 43 | Hidden | $63,801 | Hidden |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | 8 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 98 | $46,081 | $75,730 | $12,703 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | 184 | $39,386 | $73,243 | $13,000 |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences | 8 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
Math and physical sciences
| Program | Graduates | Pay, one year out | Pay, five years out | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemistry | 53 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 12 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Mathematics | 165 | $130,467 | Hidden | $13,875 |
| Physics | 34 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Statistics | 143 | $131,046 | Hidden | $13,500 |
Arts and humanities
| Program | Graduates | Pay, one year out | Pay, five years out | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 2 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| English Language and Literature, General | 59 | $52,808 | Hidden | Hidden |
| Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 10 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| History | 62 | $53,104 | Hidden | Hidden |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 45 | $44,371 | Hidden | Hidden |
| Literature | 22 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Philosophy | 32 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Religion/Religious Studies | 8 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 39 | Hidden | $100,970 | Hidden |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 7 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
Education (teaching)
| Program | Graduates | Pay, one year out | Pay, five years out | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International and Comparative Education | 41 | $55,225 | $104,179 | Hidden |
Fine and performing arts
| Program | Graduates | Pay, one year out | Pay, five years out | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dance | 3 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 10 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 13 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Music | 6 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General | 10 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Visual and Performing Arts, Other | 37 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
General arts and science (major chosen later)
| Program | Graduates | Pay, one year out | Pay, five years out | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Behavioral Sciences | 4 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 3 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Cognitive Science | 2 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Computational Science | 2 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Mathematics and Computer Science | 10 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Medieval and Renaissance Studies | 0 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General | 33 | $61,032 | Hidden | Hidden |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 540 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Natural Sciences | 4 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
Compare Duke with other universities
Side by side: acceptance rates, scores, costs and pay.
Where these numbers come from
College Scorecard release 10152026, Most Recent Cohorts files, fetched 2026-10-20. Test policy: the school's page (opens in a new tab). Tuition history, housing and the school's own grants: the federal IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) survey.
How every figure in this part of the site is sourced, and the check of every link.
Careerhelp is not affiliated with Duke University. Figures describe past students; check the school's own pages before you apply.
Social sciences