Duke University
Durham, NC · Official website ↗
6%
Admission rate
6,442
Undergraduates
$72,795
Tuition / yr
$90,696
Cost of attendance / yr
$113,937
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
1500–1570
SAT, middle 50% (approx.)
34–35
ACT, middle 50%
International students should also budget for health insurance, visa and travel costs not shown here.
Reference only. Automatically checked against the college's official pages on 2026-11-10; maintained by Jordan Lee, editor. Colleges can change policies at any time — confirm on the official page before you apply. Spotted an error? Tell us.
Quick summary
| Cost per year | about $90,696 per year (tuition, housing, food, books — U.S. Department of Education figure) + flights and visa. Four years cost roughly four times this if prices stay the same; colleges usually raise prices every year. |
|---|---|
| Money from the college | Need-based aid: yes, but asking for it can affect the admission decision. Merit scholarships: international students can receive them. No named scholarship is confirmed open to international students yet. |
| Chances of admission | extremely selective: about 1 in 18 applicants is admitted. Middle half of admitted students scored SAT 1500–1570. English minimum: IELTS 7, TOEFL (1–6) 5, TOEFL 100, Duolingo 130. |
| Application deadlines | not yet determined |
| Where and how students live | Durham, NC · Large city · summer highs about 32°C, winter lows about 0°C · 19 km from RDU airport |
| Housing | not yet determined |
| Working while studying | not yet determined |
| After graduation | not yet determined |
Plain-language summary of the verified details below. Where it says “not yet determined”, we have not found it on an official page yet.
Financial aid & requirements for international students
| Aid & admission for international applicants | Need-aware for international applicants The college may consider an international applicant's ability to pay when deciding admission. Sources (1)“The admissions process for foreign citizens is more highly selective: the admit rate for foreign citizens seeking financial aid is usually less than half of the overall admit rate.”admissions.duke.edu ↗ · checked 2026-11-10 |
|---|---|
| Meets full financial need | Not yet determined — check the college site ↗ |
| Merit scholarships | Yes — international students can receive merit scholarshipsSources (1)“Duke offers a small number of merit scholarships for which all applicants to Duke are automatically considered.”admissions.duke.edu ↗ · checked 2026-11-10 |
| Forms for international aid applicants | Not yet determined — check the college site ↗ |
| Must request aid when applying? | Not yet determined — check the college site ↗ |
| SAT / ACT policy | Test-optional (SAT/ACT may be submitted)Sources (1)“Duke University is test-optional for both first-year and transfer applicants in the 2026-2027 admissions cycle.”admissions.duke.edu ↗ · checked 2026-11-10 |
| English proficiency | English test recommended (scores below are the minimums stated)
Sources (5)“If you are a non-native English speaker or if you are not currently studying in an English-medium curriculum, we recommend but do not require that you take an English proficiency test.”admissions.duke.edu ↗ · checked 2026-11-10“TOEFL
Test prior to January 21, 2026: Minimum score expected is 100
Test on or after January 21, 2026: Minimum score expected is 5.0”admissions.duke.edu ↗ · checked 2026-11-10“TOEFL
Test prior to January 21, 2026: Minimum score expected is 100”admissions.duke.edu ↗ · checked 2026-11-10“IELTS (Minimum band score expected is 7)”admissions.duke.edu ↗ · checked 2026-11-10“Duolingo (Minimum score expected is 130)”admissions.duke.edu ↗ · checked 2026-11-10 |
| Conditional admission / English pathway | Not yet determined — check the college site ↗ |
Scholarships for first-year students
Robertson Scholars Program
Amount not published
Sources (1)
“Duke offers a small number of merit scholarships for which all applicants to Duke are automatically considered. Applying for need-based aid does not have any negative effect on merit scholarship selection. For more information, please visit the Office of Undergraduate Scholars and Fellows and the Robertson Scholars Program.”admissions.duke.edu ↗ · checked 2026-11-10Deadlines (fall 2027 entry)
| Application deadlines | Not yet determined — check the college site ↗ |
|---|---|
| Financial aid deadline | Not yet determined — check the college site ↗ |
Dates as published by the college; check the official page for time zones and supporting-document deadlines.
Costs for international students
| Student health insurance | Not yet determined — check the college site ↗ |
|---|---|
| Proof of funds for the I-20 | Not yet determined — check the college site ↗ |
Earnings by field of study
| Field | After 1 year | After 4 years |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | $130,467 | $297,029 |
| Computer Science | $148,493 | $195,809 |
| Computer Engineering | $149,622 | $174,522 |
| Economics | $124,433 | $161,149 |
| Statistics | $131,046 | $152,782 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $88,721 | $120,991 |
| History | $53,104 | $112,377 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | — | $105,921 |
| Public Policy Analysis | $70,713 | $103,071 |
| Public Health | $51,770 | $101,771 |
| Political Science and Government | $66,320 | $88,459 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | $44,371 | $88,098 |
Median yearly earnings of graduates of this college's bachelor's programme in each field, 1 and 4 years after finishing. Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (retrieved 2026-11-11). Only graduates who received U.S. federal student aid are counted, so international students are not included.
Location
| City / state | Durham, NC |
|---|---|
| Setting | Large city |
| Nearest major airport | Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), about 19 km in a straight line |
| Map | View on OpenStreetMap ↗ |
Setting from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard); airport from OurAirports (public-domain data).
Climate
| Warmest month (Jul) | average high 32°C (90°F) |
|---|---|
| Coldest month (Jan) | average low 0°C (32°F) |
| Precipitation per year | 1,106 mm |
Month by month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 11° | 13° | 17° | 22° | 26° | 30° | 32° | 31° | 28° | 22° | 17° | 12° |
| Low °C | 0° | 1° | 4° | 9° | 14° | 18° | 21° | 20° | 17° | 10° | 4° | 1° |
| Rain mm | 86 | 70 | 100 | 90 | 88 | 111 | 105 | 97 | 112 | 81 | 81 | 85 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at the Chapel Hill Williams Ap, Nc Us weather station, about 14 km from campus. Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals.
Cost, admission rate, test-score ranges and earnings come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (retrieved 2026-11-11). SAT range adds the 25th/75th-percentile section scores, so it is approximate. Scorecard earnings are for federal-aid recipients.