How To Get Into Duke: Admissions Data And Strategies

With an acceptance rate solidly under 5%, the Duke acceptance rate is now slightly lower than that of Dartmouth, Tufts, or Rice. Their exclusivity is matched by their sheer popularity—Duke receives as many applications as Brown and Yale. While Duke has always been an academically competitive institution, gaining admission didn’t used to be THIS difficult. A quick march through recent admissions history reveals that, in 2004, the acceptance rate was 22%, four times higher than today’s figure. Given that the process of becoming a Blue Devil becomes increasingly challenging with each passing year, this blog is designed to provide you with everything you need to know in order to have a chance to get into Duke University.

To accomplish this goal, we will touch on the following topics:

• Duke acceptance rate (and how to predict your chances with our free admissions calculator)
• Duke ED acceptance rate – Class of 2028
• SAT, ACT, and class rank of accepted applicants
• Admissions trends from the Class of 2028
• The demographics of current Duke undergraduates
• Yield rate
• How Duke’s admissions officers evaluate candidates
• Tips for applying
• Duke supplemental essay tips
• How to assess whether applying to Duke is even worth the $85 application fee (for you)

Duke University – College Admissions Calculator

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Where is Duke University?

Duke is situated in Durham, North Carolina. The city of Durham is part of North Carolina’s famed Research Triangle. Its 720-acre campus is exceptionally beautiful and is a beloved home to about 6,500 undergraduate students.

Duke University Acceptance Rate – Class of 2029

With an eye-popping 58,698 total applicants, the overall Duke acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 hit an all-time low of 4.8%.

However, it is essential to take the acceptance rate of early vs. regular decision into account. With 51,698 applications submitted during the regular decision round, the regular decision acceptance rate was only 3.67%.

Recent historical (overall) Duke acceptance rates are as follows:

Applicants	Admits	Acceptance Rate
Class of 2028	54,194	2,926	5.4%
Class of 2027	49,476	3,117	6.3%
Class of 2026	50,008	3,126	6.3%
Class of 2025	49,523	2,911	5.9%

Duke Early Decision Acceptance Rate – Class of 2029

Just 849 of the 6,714 Early Decision applicants in the 2024-25 admission cycle were successful. This means that the Duke Early Decision acceptance rate was 12.6%, a figure that is over three times that of the regular round. The previous year (Class of 2028), the ED acceptance rate was 13%.

What GPA do you need to get into Duke?

Duke does not report average GPA, but based on class rank statistics, you should aim for a GPA in the 4.0 ballpark.

What class rank do you need to get accepted to Duke?

Among enrolled 2021-22 first-year students (most recent data available), an impressive 95% hailed from the top 10%, while 99% earned a place in the top 25%.

What is the minimum SAT or ACT score for Duke?

According to statistics for the Class of 2028, the mid-50% SAT range for accepted students was 1510-1560. The mid-50% ACT range was 34-35.

Admissions Trends & Notes — Class of 2027 & 2028

• Between 2024 and 2025, the overall acceptance rate dropped from 5.4% to 4.8%.
• The number of applications surged nearly 10% after staying steady for several years.
• Duke typically fills about 50% of the class via Early Decision/Early Deferral.
• 87% of students in the Class of 2028 were from the US while 13% were international.
• 12% of Class of 2028 students were the first in their family to attend college.
• In a recent year, 17% of student respondents were legacy students.

Who Actually Gets In?

Let’s look at the demographics of Duke undergraduates:

Historically, the greatest number of students hail from the following states:

• North Carolina
• California
• New York
• Florida
• Texas

Typically, between 13-16% of current students are N.C. residents and, as with all selective colleges, those from lower-populated, more remote areas of the country (e.g. Montana, South Dakota, Idaho) enjoy a boost to their acceptance rate.

Looking at ethnic identity, the breakdown of the Class of 2028 was as follows (some students identify as more than one race):

• Asian American: 29%
• Hispanic: 14%
• Black or African American: 13%
• White: 53%
• Native American: 1.3%

The breakdown by gender of all students offered a place in the Class of 2028 reveals more women than men, a commonality in today’s postsecondary landscape (outside of engineering-heavy schools).

• Male: 47%
• Female: 53%

The split by type of high school is as follows:

• Public: 60%
• Independent: 28%
• Outside of U.S.: 12%
• Other: 4%

Duke’s Yield Rate

Duke’s yield rate was about 59% for the Class of 2028. For comparison, schools like Stanford and Harvard were over 80%, and the University of Chicago, MIT, and Yale all sported 70%+ yield rates. Duke finished in the same ballpark as schools like Northwestern, Notre Dame, and Dartmouth in this category.

How Duke Rates Applicants

There are eight factors that Duke ranks as being “very important” to their admissions process: rigor of secondary school record, class rank, GPA, standardized test scores, application essays, recommendations, extracurricular activities, talent/ability, and character/personal qualities. While no factors are rated as “important,” Duke does “consider”: interviews, first-generation status, legacy status, geographical residence, state residency, religious affiliation, racial/ethnic status, volunteer experience, work experience, and the level of an applicant’s interest.

In seeking to put together a “collaborative community of intellectual explorers,” the university is looking for individuals with a broad array of talents inside and outside of the classroom. Christoph Guttentag, the former dean of admissions, stated that applicants who stand out from the pack have both “talent and the inclination to use it.” Duke believes in reading an applicant’s extracurricular activities and essays prior to sizing up their grades, recommendations, and test scores. The most valuable component of a student’s extracurriculars is evidence that they made a genuine difference—where they do so can be in any arena, from volunteering to athletics to academic competitions. This is definitely something to remember when you’re looking at Duke’s acceptance rate.

Moreover, Duke rates applicants using a numerical system. Historically, they have assigned point values of 1-5 to the following categories: essays, standardized test scores, rigor of curriculum, academics, recommendations, and extracurriculars. The scores for each of the six categories were then totaled, and each student received a score out of 30. However, starting with last year’s admissions cycle, Duke no longer assigns a point value to standardized testing or essays. Guttentag stated the following: “Essays are very much part of our understanding of the applicant. We’re just no longer assuming that the essay is an accurate reflection of the student’s actual writing ability.” This is due to the rise of AI-generated work and essay ghostwriters.

Finally, it definitely helps if you are recruited as an athlete to join one of Duke’s 27 Division I sports teams. In a recent year, approximately 5% of incoming students were designated as “recruited athletes.”

Tips for Applying

If you plan on joining the 58,000+ Blue Devil hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:

• Duke’s test-optional policy remains in place for the 2025-26 admissions round (Class of 2030).
• Duke does not accept resumes, so give your full time and attention to the Activities section of the Common Application.
• Duke offers optional alumni interviews as part of the admissions process. However, no applicant is guaranteed an interview, and Duke prioritizes students who they feel they need more information about. If selected, you will be contacted by an alumni interviewer after submitting your application to set up a 30 to 60-minute virtual interview. Alternatively, you can upload a 60-90-second introductory video via GLIMPSE. For advice on what types of questions you should be prepared to answer/ask, visit our blog — College Interview Tips.
• Duke does consider “demonstrated interest,” so it is important to make contact with the admissions office, connect through social media, and visit campus or meet Duke reps at college fairs near you. Just knowing Duke’s acceptance rate isn’t enough.
• Make sure to dedicate sufficient time and effort to the supplemental essays required by Duke. Now that essays are no longer factored into Duke’s points system, they are viewed more holistically. Accordingly, Duke values essays that provide “insight into who the unique person is whose application we’re reading” and that “content and insight matter more than style.” In the 2025-26 cycle, the essay prompts were as follows:

Duke Essays

Required Duke Supplemental Essay

1) 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 word limit)

Optional Essays – Select 0-2 from the following list (250-word limit for each)

1) 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.

2) Tell us about an experience in the past year or two that reflects your imagination, creativity, or intellect.

3) We believe there is benefit in sharing and sometimes questioning our beliefs or values; who do you agree with on the big important things, or who do you have your most interesting disagreements with? What are you agreeing or disagreeing about?

4) We recognize that “fitting in” in all the contexts we live in can sometimes be difficult. Duke values all kinds of differences and believes they make our community better. Feel free to tell us any ways in which you’re different, and how that has affected you or what it means to you.

5) We recognize that not fully “fitting in” a community or place can sometimes be difficult. Duke values the effort, resilience, and independence that may require. Feel free to share with us circumstances where something about you is different and how that’s influenced your experiences or identity.

For detailed advice on how to write these essays, check out our blog: Duke University Supplemental Essay Prompts and Tips.

Should I apply to Duke?

If you possess anything shy of a 1500+ SAT score, near-perfect GPA, and the most rigorous curriculum possible at your high school, you’ll need to bring some other compelling aspects to the table—whether it’s athletic prowess or being a member of an underrepresented group. Even applicants with such credentials are not assured admission, as Duke rejects many students with excellent credentials each year.

Duke Acceptance Rate 2025 — Final Thoughts

All college-bound teens need to make sure that they formulate an appropriate college list, containing a complement of “target” and “safety” schools. You’ll definitely want to do this in conjunction with an admissions professional (including your own high school counselor).

Ready to start crafting your college applications? Consider checking out the following:

• Should You Start College Applications in the Summer?
• What is Demonstrated Interest?
• Do Colleges Look at Social Media?
• College Fair Advice for High School Students
• How to Complete the Common App Activities List
• Common App Essay Prompts
• 25 Inspiring College Essay Topic Ideas