Duke University admissions for international applicants: 6% acceptance rate, $90,000 cost, Karsh Scholarship, Trinity College, Pratt Engineering. Full guide.
Duke University — A Southern Ivy in the Heart of North Carolina
Duke University is one of those institutions that, outside the United States, is sometimes overshadowed by Harvard or Stanford in name recognition, but inside the US it is consistently spoken of in the same breath as the world’s elite universities. Founded in 1838 in Durham, North Carolina, Duke regularly occupies positions 6 to 10 in the US News & World Report National Universities ranking and offers a distinctive combination of academic rigor, athletic culture, and community engagement. If you’re weighing the cost of US studies and looking for a university that pairs Ivy-level prestige with the warmth of the American South, Duke deserves a top spot on your shortlist.
What kind of university is Duke and why does it matter?
Duke University is a private research university that grew out of Trinity College — a small Methodist school founded in 1838. In 1924, thanks to a transformative endowment from the Duke family (tobacco and energy magnates), the school was reorganized and adopted its current name. Today Duke educates more than 16,000 students across 10 schools and colleges, with an annual research budget exceeding USD 1.2 billion (roughly EUR 1.1 billion).
What sets Duke apart from other elite institutions?
- Location in the Research Triangle: Durham, Chapel Hill, and Raleigh form one of the most dynamic technology and research hubs in the United States, anchored by Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, and NC State.
- Collaborative culture: Duke students often describe the atmosphere as more collegial and less cutthroat than typical Ivy League campuses.
- Legendary basketball: Duke is an NCAA powerhouse, and games at Cameron Indoor Stadium are a cultural experience that binds the entire community.
- Interdisciplinary programs: Initiatives like Bass Connections and DukeEngage push students to combine academic learning with real-world impact.
Duke routinely lands in the top 10 of US national universities and the top 30 worldwide (QS World University Rankings, Times Higher Education). The 2025-2026 US News ranking placed Duke at #6 among National Universities — one of the strongest results in its history.
Which programs and majors are strongest at Duke?
Duke offers more than 50 undergraduate majors across two main undergraduate schools: Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and Pratt School of Engineering. The following programs stand out:
Public Policy (Sanford School)
The Sanford School of Public Policy is one of the strongest public policy programs in the country. Undergraduates can pursue public policy as a major or minor, while the school also offers highly regarded MPP and MPP/JD graduate programs. If you’re drawn to politics, diplomacy, government, or international organizations, Sanford provides exceptional preparation.
Business and Economics
Duke does not offer a traditional undergraduate business major, but its Fuqua School of Business (graduate MBA) consistently ranks in the global top 10. Undergraduates instead pursue Economics or Markets and Management Studies — pathways that lead directly into finance, consulting, and entrepreneurship and provide strong preparation for an MBA later.
Engineering (Pratt School of Engineering)
Pratt is smaller than engineering programs at MIT or Stanford, and that is precisely its strength: an 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio means undergraduates have genuine access to faculty conducting cutting-edge research. Standout programs include biomedical engineering (ranked #3 in the US), computer science, and electrical and computer engineering.
Life Sciences and Pre-Med
Duke University Medical Center is one of the leading hospitals and biomedical research centers in the United States. Undergraduates have access to state-of-the-art labs and can join research teams from their first year. Biology, chemistry, and neuroscience are popular majors for students on a pre-med track.
Computer Science
Duke’s CS program has expanded rapidly with major investments in faculty and infrastructure. Proximity to the Research Triangle Park — the largest research park in the US — opens doors to internships at Google, IBM, Cisco, Fidelity, and hundreds of startups operating just minutes from campus.
Trinity Liberal Arts
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences is the heart of Duke’s undergraduate experience. The program emphasizes broad intellectual exploration: literature, history, philosophy, mathematics, and the arts sit alongside interdisciplinary certificates in Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Markets and Management, and Documentary Studies.
What are DukeEngage, Bass Connections, and the Focus Program?
Duke offers several flagship programs that you won’t find at any other university — and that can become powerful arguments in your “Why Duke?” essay.
DukeEngage is Duke’s signature service-immersion program. Students spend a summer working on community projects around the world — from education in Kenya to environmental conservation in Brazil to public health initiatives in the United States. The program is fully funded by the university (travel, housing, food). It’s an outstanding addition to the profile of an applicant who values extracurricular activities with measurable impact.
Bass Connections brings together interdisciplinary research teams in which undergraduates collaborate with faculty and graduate students on real-world challenges — from health policy to artificial intelligence ethics. Projects typically run for an academic year and culminate in a published report or peer-reviewed paper.
The Focus Program is designed for first-year students who want to dive immediately into an interdisciplinary topic. Instead of the standard mix of introductory courses, Focus students spend their first semester in small clusters (12-18 students) exploring themes like “Uncertainty, Risk, and Ambiguity” or “The Art of Transformation”. It’s a fantastic way to build close relationships with faculty and peers from day one.
What are the campus and life in Durham like?
The Duke campus is one of the most beautiful at any American university. Duke Chapel, the Gothic chapel completed in 1932, dominates West Campus and serves as the symbol of the entire institution. The Collegiate Gothic architecture (stone buildings, soaring arches, stained-glass windows) recalls Oxford or Cambridge, but is set against the subtropical greenery of North Carolina rather than English drizzle.
The campus spans more than 8,600 acres (about 35 km²), including Duke Forest — 7,000 acres of woodland used for ecological research and recreation. That’s more land than any other private university in America.
Durham itself has undergone an extraordinary transformation in recent years. Once a post-industrial tobacco town, it now pulses with new energy:
- Research Triangle Park: the largest research park in the US, hosting IBM, Cisco, Fidelity, and hundreds of startups.
- American Tobacco Campus: revitalized tobacco factories now housing restaurants, galleries, and offices.
- Durham Bulls Athletic Park: home of the minor league baseball team made famous by the film “Bull Durham”.
- A growing food scene: Durham is regularly listed among the best food cities in America.
The climate features mild winters and warm (sometimes hot) summers — a different atmosphere altogether from Boston, New York, or Chicago.
Why is Duke basketball legendary?
You can’t talk about Duke without talking about basketball. The men’s basketball program, the Duke Blue Devils, is one of the most storied in NCAA history — five national championships, dozens of NBA stars, and the legendary “Cameron Crazies” student section that has become a cultural phenomenon in American sport.
For 42 years (1980-2022), the program was led by Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski), a coaching legend with more than 1,200 career wins. Since 2022 the head coach has been Jon Scheyer, his protégé. Game day at Cameron Indoor Stadium (capacity just 9,314) is described as one of the most intense atmospheres in American sports.
Duke is more than basketball, of course. The university competes in NCAA Division I within the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) across 27 sports — from lacrosse to soccer. Every student, even non-athletes, has access to outstanding recreational facilities, intramurals, and club teams.
How much does Duke cost and what financial aid is available?
The cost of studying at Duke for the 2025-2026 academic year breaks down as follows:
| Category | Annual amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition | USD 66,200 (~EUR 60,900) |
| Housing and food | USD 19,300 (~EUR 17,800) |
| Mandatory fees | USD 2,100 (~EUR 1,900) |
| Books and materials | USD 1,200 (~EUR 1,100) |
| Personal expenses and transport | USD 3,200 (~EUR 2,950) |
| Total estimated cost of attendance | ~USD 91,000 (~EUR 83,700) |
That’s a significant figure, but Duke offers highly generous financial aid:
- Duke commits to meeting 100% of demonstrated financial need for every admitted student.
- About 50% of undergraduates receive need-based aid.
- The average grant (non-repayable aid) exceeds USD 57,000 per year.
- For families with annual incomes below USD 80,000, Duke typically covers the full cost of attendance.
Crucial for international applicants: Duke is need-blind for US citizens and permanent residents, but need-aware for international students. This means your financial situation may influence the admission decision. However, if you are admitted, Duke commits to meeting 100% of your demonstrated need.
The Karsh International Scholarship
The crown jewel of Duke’s international financial aid is the Karsh International Scholarship — a flagship merit-based award that covers the full cost of attendance (tuition, room, board, and a stipend for personal expenses) for the most distinguished international admits. Karsh Scholars also receive funding for two summer enrichment experiences, including international research, study abroad, or service work. Approximately 5-10 international students per class are named Karsh Scholars — making it one of the most prestigious full-ride packages available at any US university.
For more information on funding your studies, see our scholarships for studying in the US guide and our article on studying in the US for free.
How does Duke admission work?
Getting into Duke is no small feat. In the 2024-2025 cycle the overall acceptance rate was just ~6%, placing Duke among the most selective universities in the United States — comparable to many Ivy League schools.
Profile of the admitted student
- SAT middle 50%: 1510-1570
- ACT middle 50%: 34-36
- Grades: the vast majority of admits ranked in the top 10% of their class
- Strong extracurriculars: Duke seeks students with genuine passion and demonstrated impact, not “checklist resumes”
Application deadlines
- Early Decision (ED): deadline November 1, decision mid-December. ED is binding — if admitted, you must enroll. The ED acceptance rate is significantly higher (~15-17%) than Regular Decision.
- Regular Decision (RD): deadline January 2, decision late March.
Required documents
The application is submitted through the Common Application. In addition to the standard components (transcripts, SAT or ACT scores, recommendation letters), Duke requires:
- Two supplemental essays, including the signature “Why Duke?” question, where you must demonstrate that you understand what makes Duke distinct and why it fits you specifically.
- One optional short essay — useful for surfacing identity, experience, or perspective not captured elsewhere in the application.
- A profile of extracurricular activities: Duke especially values leadership and community engagement.
International students must additionally submit TOEFL or IELTS scores. The minimum required TOEFL score is 100 iBT (110+ is competitive); IELTS minimum is 7.0 (7.5+ competitive).
For a step-by-step view of the full process, see our complete guide to the US application process. Plan early — quality applications take 12-18 months to prepare.
If you need help preparing your Duke application, College Council specializes in guiding international applicants through the admissions process to the world’s top universities. Our study abroad timeline walks you through every milestone.
How does Duke compare with the Ivy League?
Duke does not formally belong to the Ivy League (an athletic conference of eight northeastern US schools), but in terms of prestige, selectivity, and educational quality, Duke stands shoulder-to-shoulder with universities like Penn, Cornell, and Dartmouth. Many in admissions circles refer to Duke as a “Southern Ivy” alongside Vanderbilt, Rice, and Emory.
Why do many applicants who get into both an Ivy and Duke choose Duke?
- School spirit and community: Duke has one of the strongest “campus cultures” in the United States. Basketball games, student traditions, a deep sense of belonging — qualities that some Ivy League campuses are perceived to lack.
- Location: a warm climate, the booming Research Triangle, and a lower cost of living than New York or Boston.
- Interdisciplinary character: programs like Bass Connections and the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Certificate combine STEM and humanities in ways that traditional Ivy League schools rarely match.
- The Duke Lemur Center: home to the world’s largest population of lemurs outside Madagascar — yes, really. It’s one of the most distinctive research facilities at any US university.
For a wider comparison of America’s top universities, see our article on Harvard vs MIT vs Stanford — which is the best?.
What career opportunities does a Duke degree open?
A Duke degree opens doors to careers at the highest level. Duke alumni work at McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, Google, Apple, Meta, and across politics and culture. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, holds an MBA from Fuqua School of Business. Melinda French Gates, philanthropist and co-founder of the Gates Foundation, earned her undergraduate degree at Duke. The alumni network exceeds 180,000 members worldwide.
Key Duke career outcomes:
- 95% of graduates secure employment or enter graduate school within six months of graduation.
- The median starting salary for new graduates exceeds USD 75,000 per year.
- The Duke Career Center provides comprehensive support — from one-on-one advising to recruitment events with major employers.
- Strong recruitment pipelines into finance (Wall Street firms like Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley), consulting (the Big Three: McKinsey, BCG, Bain), tech (Google, Meta, Apple, Amazon), and the public sector.
Duke’s global footprint
Duke is increasingly international:
- Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore — a joint venture with the National University of Singapore offering one of the strongest physician-scientist programs in Asia.
- Duke Kunshan University in China — a degree-granting partnership with Wuhan University offering a unique liberal arts experience for both Chinese and international students.
- Duke Global Health Institute — research and field programs across more than 40 countries.
Preparing for the SAT or TOEFL? Try our TOEFL preparation app — the College Council platform built for the new TOEFL 2026 format that helps you reach a competitive score for Duke applicants.
Have questions about US student visas? Read our US student visa guide.
Want to sharpen your English with AI-powered practice? Try our SAT preparation app — a tool designed to prepare international students for top US universities.
What is student life at Duke really like?
First-year students live on East Campus, a self-contained residential area about a mile from the main West Campus and dedicated entirely to first-years. This creates an unusually strong first-year community — every freshman shares the same physical space, leading to bonds that often last all four years.
From sophomore year onward, students move to West Campus with its iconic Gothic architecture and proximity to academic buildings, the chapel, and athletic facilities. Many sophomores join one of Duke’s selective living-learning communities — including the prestigious Selective Living Groups (SLGs) that build identity around shared interests, from arts to social impact to STEM.
Beyond academics, Duke supports more than 400 student organizations:
- The Chronicle, an award-winning student newspaper covering campus and global news.
- Duke University Improv and the Hoof ‘n’ Horn musical theater society.
- Cultural and identity-based groups including the International Association, Mi Gente, and the Asian Students Association.
- Pre-professional clubs in finance, consulting, technology, and medicine that drive Duke’s exceptional placement outcomes.
The signature traditions — K-ville tenting (camping out for weeks before the UNC basketball game), Last Day of Classes, and the annual Carolina-Duke rivalry weekend — give Duke a sense of school spirit that’s hard to match anywhere else.
What is Duke’s history and how did it become a top-10 university?
Duke’s history is one of the most dramatic transformations in American higher education. The institution traces its origins to 1838, when a small group of Methodist and Quaker farmers in rural Randolph County, North Carolina, founded a subscription school called Brown’s Schoolhouse. By 1859 the school had been chartered as Trinity College, named after the small town in which it was located.
The pivotal moment came in 1924, when James Buchanan Duke — a Durham-based industrialist who had built fortunes in tobacco (American Tobacco Company) and electricity (Duke Energy) — established the Duke Endowment with a USD 40 million gift (worth more than USD 700 million today). One of the conditions of the endowment was that Trinity College reorganize and rename itself Duke University in memory of his father, Washington Duke.
Within a decade, Duke had built the iconic West Campus from scratch, recruited star faculty from across the country, and transformed itself into a research university capable of competing with the established institutions of the Northeast. The Gothic stone for the West Campus was quarried at Hillsborough, North Carolina — its distinctive amber color is unique to Duke.
Today the university is consistently ranked among the world’s top 30 institutions. More than 16 Nobel laureates, multiple Pulitzer Prize winners, MacArthur “genius grant” recipients, and Turing Award winners are affiliated with Duke. Its medical center, founded in 1930, has pioneered breakthroughs from the first reported successful surgical correction of congenital heart defects to advances in cancer immunotherapy and gene editing.
The arc from rural Methodist schoolhouse to global research university in less than a century is the kind of transformation that simply doesn’t happen elsewhere — and it shapes how Duke thinks of itself today: ambitious, entrepreneurial, and unburdened by tradition for tradition’s sake.
How does Duke’s research ecosystem work?
Duke’s USD 1.2 billion research budget is one of the largest in higher education, but the more compelling story is how research happens at Duke. Three features distinguish the Duke research model:
Undergraduate research is a first principle, not an exception. Through the Undergraduate Research Support Office, every undergraduate has access to research grants, conference travel funding, and direct placement on faculty research teams. Bass Connections alone places more than 400 undergraduates per year on interdisciplinary research projects with faculty. Roughly 53% of Duke undergraduates engage in formal research before graduating — one of the highest rates in the country.
Interdisciplinary institutes drive the agenda. Duke is built around major interdisciplinary research centers that cut across departments:
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences (DIBS) — neuroscience, cognitive science, and computational approaches to mind and behavior.
- Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI) — public health research and field programs in more than 40 countries.
- Rhodes Information Initiative at Duke — data science, artificial intelligence, and computational research.
- Duke Center for Genomic and Computational Biology — pioneering work in genomics, bioinformatics, and personalized medicine.
- Energy Initiative — clean energy policy, technology, and economics.
Research Triangle integration. Duke faculty regularly collaborate with researchers at UNC Chapel Hill (just 12 miles away) and NC State (25 miles), and with the more than 300 companies headquartered in Research Triangle Park. This means Duke students working on, say, a biomedical engineering capstone might find themselves co-advised by a Duke professor and a Pfizer scientist, with an internship at IBM Watson Health to follow.
For international applicants, this research density translates into a tangible career advantage: by graduation, Duke students have typically published, presented at conferences, or completed substantial industry projects — credentials that make them highly competitive for graduate school admissions and tech sector recruitment.
Notable Duke alumni and their impact
The Duke alumni network is small relative to its public-university peers (Duke graduates roughly 1,750 undergraduates per year), but its influence is outsized. A small selection of alumni who have shaped the modern world:
- Tim Cook (Fuqua MBA ‘88) — CEO of Apple, leading the world’s most valuable company.
- Melinda French Gates (Trinity ‘86, Fuqua MBA ‘87) — co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the most influential philanthropists of the 21st century.
- Charlie Rose (Trinity ‘64) — broadcast journalist whose interview programs shaped American intellectual culture for decades.
- Tony Award winners including playwright Robert Schenkkan and director Christopher Ashley.
- William Styron (Trinity ‘47) — Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist (Sophie’s Choice).
- Reggie Love (Trinity ‘05) — former personal aide to President Barack Obama and former Duke basketball player.
- Grant Hill (Trinity ‘94) — NBA Hall of Famer, current Atlanta Hawks co-owner, Duke basketball legend.
- Mike Krzyzewski (“Coach K”) — though not a Duke alumnus, his 42-year tenure made him synonymous with Duke basketball.
- Pulitzer-winning journalists at the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal.
The pattern across Duke alumni is striking: they tend to combine technical or analytical excellence with strong communication skills and a willingness to lead at scale. Duke’s emphasis on interdisciplinary thinking, public engagement, and “outrageous ambitions paired with deep humility” (a phrase often used by university leadership) shows up in graduates who don’t fit neatly into a single industry or field.
How does Duke compare to other top US universities?
A frequent question from international applicants: how does Duke stack up against other elite American universities? Here’s a candid comparison:
Duke vs. Harvard, Yale, Princeton (HYP): HYP win on raw name recognition, especially internationally. Duke wins on school spirit, athletic culture, and (arguably) a more collaborative student culture. Academic rigor is comparable; alumni networks differ in flavor more than in strength.
Duke vs. Stanford and MIT: Stanford and MIT are stronger in pure STEM and entrepreneurship volume. Duke holds its own in biomedical engineering, computer science, and global health, while offering substantially more emphasis on public policy, humanities, and athletic life. Stanford and MIT are need-blind for internationals; Duke is need-aware.
Duke vs. UPenn, Columbia, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth: Among Ivy League peers, Duke compares most directly to UPenn (similarly research-intensive, with strong professional schools) and Dartmouth (similar undergraduate focus and school spirit). Duke is significantly larger than Dartmouth but smaller than UPenn or Columbia.
Duke vs. Vanderbilt, Rice, Emory (Southern Ivy peers): Duke is the most research-intensive of the “Southern Ivies”, with the strongest medical and engineering programs. Vanderbilt offers slightly stronger merit aid for top admits; Rice offers a smaller, more intimate experience; Emory has stronger pre-med placement rates but a weaker campus culture.
For international applicants, Duke’s particular advantage is the combination of academic excellence, school spirit, and weather. Few other top-10 US universities can match all three.
Recommendations for international applicants
Duke is a competitive admit for any applicant. Here’s how international students stand out:
- Start preparing early — at least 18 months before your application deadline. Standardized tests (SAT/ACT, TOEFL/IELTS), essay drafting, and recommendation cultivation all take significant time. Use tools like our TOEFL preparation app to plan a structured study schedule.
- Commit to top-tier academics: Duke wants top 5-10% of class with rigorous coursework — IB Higher Levels, A-Level Further Maths, AP Calculus BC, advanced national curriculum equivalents.
- Build a focused extracurricular profile: Duke favors depth over breadth. Two or three areas of substantial impact beat ten superficial activities.
- Master the “Why Duke?” essay: This is the single most important supplemental essay in your application. Reference specific programs, professors, courses, traditions, or initiatives that matter to you — and explain why they matter through your personal narrative.
- Choose recommendations strategically: pick teachers from junior or senior year who can speak in detail about your intellectual character, not those who simply gave you the highest grade.
- Consider Early Decision if Duke is your clear first choice and you don’t need to compare financial aid offers — the acceptance rate is materially higher.
- Cultivate a global perspective: Duke values students who bring international experience and viewpoints. Your background as an international applicant is an asset — show how it shapes your thinking and what you’ll contribute to campus discussions.
Summary
Duke University combines academic excellence with extraordinary school spirit, world-class research with a genuinely warm campus community, and Ivy-level prestige with a setting outside the dense northeastern corridor. For international students seeking a top US education with strong financial aid possibilities, Duke offers compelling advantages — particularly through programs like the Karsh International Scholarship.
Yes, the application process is highly competitive. Yes, the costs are substantial. But for the right student — one with strong academics, focused passions, and a clear vision of how Duke fits into their future — Duke offers an experience that few institutions can match. The combination of Trinity College’s intellectual breadth, Pratt’s engineering rigor, Sanford’s policy focus, and the unparalleled school spirit that emanates from Cameron Indoor Stadium creates a campus culture that alumni speak of with genuine reverence decades after graduating.
If you’re serious about pursuing Duke, start now. Plan your testing, draft your essays, build your profile, and use every available resource — including College Council’s expert guidance and our TOEFL preparation app — to position yourself among the 6% who receive that life-changing letter from Durham.
Further reading
- The complete US application process for international students
- Ivy League — the elite American university conference
- Top 50 technology universities in the USA
- Stanford University — everything you need to know about admissions
- Cornell University — a complete guide
Frequently Asked Questions
What SAT score do I need to get into Duke?
The middle 50% of admitted Duke students score between 1510 and 1570 (out of 1600). Roughly 25% of admits scored below 1510, and 25% scored above 1570. Duke evaluates applicants holistically, so the SAT is one element among many — but scores below 1500 significantly reduce admission chances.
How much does Duke University cost?
The total estimated cost for the 2025-2026 academic year is approximately USD 91,000 per year (~EUR 83,700), including tuition, housing, food, and personal expenses. About 50% of students receive financial aid, and the average grant exceeds USD 57,000 per year.
Does Duke offer financial aid to international students?
Yes, with caveats. Duke is need-aware for international applicants — your financial situation may influence the admission decision. However, if you are admitted, Duke commits to meeting 100% of your demonstrated financial need. The Karsh International Scholarship offers full-ride packages for top international admits.
What is Early Decision at Duke and is it worth applying?
Early Decision at Duke is a binding application round with a November 1 deadline. If admitted, you must enroll at Duke and withdraw applications elsewhere. The ED acceptance rate is significantly higher (~15-17%) than Regular Decision (~4-5%). If Duke is your clear first choice and you don’t need to compare aid offers across schools, ED is a strategically sound move.
What is student life like at Duke?
Duke combines intense academics with a strong campus culture. First-years live on East Campus; from sophomore year, students move to West Campus. Sports culture is pervasive (basketball tickets are nearly impossible to obtain). Beyond athletics, students access more than 400 organizations, programs like DukeEngage and Bass Connections, and the proximity of the Research Triangle for internships and research.
Is Duke better than the Ivy League?
It depends on your priorities. Duke is not formally Ivy League, but in terms of rankings, selectivity, and educational quality it sits at the same level as Penn, Cornell, or Dartmouth. In some areas (public policy, biomedical engineering, basketball culture) it surpasses many Ivy League schools. Duke also offers a warmer climate, a stronger campus culture, and a location in the rapidly growing Research Triangle.
What essays does Duke require?
Duke requires two supplemental essays through the Common Application. The most important is the “Why Duke?” essay, where you must demonstrate specific knowledge of the university and explain why Duke fits you specifically. There is also one optional short essay where you can highlight identity or experiences not visible elsewhere in the application.
Are international qualifications accepted at Duke?
Yes. Duke accepts national qualifications (A-Levels, IB, Abitur, Bac, Maturità, EBAU, Gaokao, etc.) and evaluates results in the context of each educational system. International applicants must additionally submit SAT or ACT scores along with TOEFL (minimum 100 iBT) or IELTS (minimum 7.0). Strong applicants typically score 110+ TOEFL or 7.5+ IELTS.
Sources and methodology
- Duke University Office of Undergraduate Admissions — admissions.duke.edu — admission requirements, statistics, deadlines
- Duke Karsh Office of International Services — Karsh Scholarship information
- US News & World Report 2025-2026 — National Universities ranking
- QS World University Rankings 2025 — TopUniversities.com
- Times Higher Education World Rankings — THE
- Common Application — commonapp.org — application platform
- College Council — internal database of international applicant cases (2023-2026)
- Exchange rates — as of April 2026, USD/EUR ≈ 0.92
