# Duke University

Private nonprofit college in Durham, NC. IPEDS ID 198419.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/duke-university · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/duke-university.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 6% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $29,612 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 97%; beats 98% of NC colleges and 99% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $97,800; beats 100% of NC colleges and 98% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $12,000

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $735 |
| 30-48k | $0 |
| 48-75k | $5,706 |
| 75-110k | $17,100 |
| 110k+ | $54,230 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.09 years on average (88% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $97,800 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NC (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $735 | $3,006 | under 1 year |
| 30-48k | $0 | $0 | under 1 year |
| 48-75k | $5,706 | $23,338 | under 1 year |
| 75-110k | $17,100 | $69,939 | 1.1 years |
| 110k+ | $54,230 | $221,801 | 3.5 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $87,072
- Tuition and fees: $68,758
- Housing and meals: $17,458; books: $1,602

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 740–770; SAT math: 760–800; ACT: 34–35 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 46,365 applicants, 3,145 admitted, 1,742 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 6%, ACT 34–35 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 7%, ACT 34–35 (IPEDS Admissions)

### Common Data Set 2025-26 (Fall 2025)
- Very important: rigor, gpa, recommendations, extracurriculars, talent, character; important: class rank, essay; considered: test scores, interview, first generation, alumni relation, geography, state residency, volunteer, work experience, interest
- Early decision: yes; early action: not reported; waitlist: yes
- Source: https://ir.provost.duke.edu/sites/default/files/CDS_PDF_2025-2026-20260622-website-published-version.pdf

## Majors (64 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | $121,088 | $297,029 | $13,000 |
| Computer Science | $133,356 | $195,809 | $13,500 |
| Computer Engineering | $111,145 | $174,522 | $14,500 |
| Economics | $98,649 | $161,149 | $13,437 |
| Statistics | $97,197 | $152,782 | $13,500 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $89,938 | $120,991 | $10,000 |
| History | $60,750 | $112,377 | $13,000 |
| Biomedical Engineering | $69,873 | $105,921 | $13,894 |
| Public Policy Analysis | $60,501 | $103,071 | $10,500 |
| Public Health | $45,921 | $101,771 | $12,500 |
| Political Science | $54,970 | $88,459 | $14,016 |
| Linguistics | not reported | $88,098 | not reported |
| Nursing | $77,288 | $87,763 | $29,000 |
| Biology | $30,939 | $83,192 | $12,500 |
| Anthropology | $43,924 | $81,120 | not reported |
| International and Comparative Education | $40,723 | $79,640 | $8,000 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | $28,121 | $73,435 | $11,875 |
| Psychology | $33,559 | $73,359 | $15,415 |
| Neuroscience | $37,208 | $73,140 | $12,645 |
| Sociology | $45,551 | $61,425 | not reported |
| Area Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Journalism | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Public Relations and Advertising | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Software and Media Applications | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Civil Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Electrical Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Environmental Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Environmental Control Technologies / Technicians | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| German | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Classics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| English | $20,483 | not reported | $15,362 |
| Literature | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biochemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Cell / Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | $30,154 | not reported | $12,000 |
| Physiology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Mathematics and Computer Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Medieval and Renaissance Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Behavioral Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Natural Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Cognitive Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computational Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Philosophy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Religious Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemistry | $29,748 | not reported | $8,457 |
| Geology / Earth Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Psychology (Research) | $39,359 | not reported | $12,125 |
| Psychology, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Visual and Performing Arts | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Dance | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Theatre | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Studio Art | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Music | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Visual and Performing Arts, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Nursing → Registered nurse: median wage not reported (Durham-Chapel Hill, NC), $84,350 (NC), $97,550 (U.S.)
- Computer Science → Software developer: median wage $135,620 (Durham-Chapel Hill, NC), $134,710 (NC), $135,980 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).