Colleges / Duke University
College · Private nonprofit · Durham, NC · City
Duke

Duke University

Durham, NC

Religious affiliation
Address103 Allen Bldg, Durham, NC 27708
Websitewww.duke.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate6%
6-yr median pay$86k
Net price / yr$30k
Undergrad size6,442
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $30k/yr for a shot at a $86k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 6% means this is a reach for most people, even strong applicants. Admitted students average SAT 1548 · ACT 34.

If you get in

6,442 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $87k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $30k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$348k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$118k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$230k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.4x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$68.8k
Room & board
$18.1k
Books & supplies
$536

How students pay for it.

Pell grants14%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans14%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$13k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $6k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention97%
Very high — students stay.
Graduation · 6 yr97%
Most finish on time.
6-yr median pay$86k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$98k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out1%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Private nonprofit
Undergrad size
6,442
Location
Durham, NC
Region
Southeast (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)
Carnegie class
Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity (R1)
Size & setting
Four-year · large · highly residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, more selective, lower transfer-in
Accreditor
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Identity
Religious affiliation
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White35%
  • Asian22%
  • Hispanic11%
  • International11%
  • Black9%
  • Two or more races7%
  • Unknown5%
First-gen students13%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time0%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$62k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 64

What you can study.

Colleges / Duke University
College · Private nonprofit · Durham, NC · City
Duke

Duke University

Durham, NC

Religious affiliation
Address103 Allen Bldg, Durham, NC 27708
Websitewww.duke.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate6%
6-yr median pay$86k
Net price / yr$30k
Undergrad size6,442
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $30k/yr for a shot at a $86k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 6% means this is a reach for most people, even strong applicants. Admitted students average SAT 1548 · ACT 34.

If you get in

6,442 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $87k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $30k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$348k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$118k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$230k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.4x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$68.8k
Room & board
$18.1k
Books & supplies
$536

How students pay for it.

Pell grants14%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans14%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$13k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $6k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention97%
Very high — students stay.
Graduation · 6 yr97%
Most finish on time.
6-yr median pay$86k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$98k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out1%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Private nonprofit
Undergrad size
6,442
Location
Durham, NC
Region
Southeast (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)
Carnegie class
Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity (R1)
Size & setting
Four-year · large · highly residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, more selective, lower transfer-in
Accreditor
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Identity
Religious affiliation
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White35%
  • Asian22%
  • Hispanic11%
  • International11%
  • Black9%
  • Two or more races7%
  • Unknown5%
First-gen students13%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time0%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$62k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 64

What you can study.