Duke is a top American research university with amazing academics, stellar resources, and a fabulous campus life and community. They received over 54,000 first-year applications in the 2023-2024 cycle, for a class of 1,739. The acceptance rate was only 5.4%. Getting into Duke is hard for anyone, and every year we support international students in doing just that.
If you’ve been waitlisted by Duke, it’s totally normal to have some feelings about it. You might be feeling disappointment, frustration, maybe even a little hope. All of that is completely fair and valid. Take some time to process; it’s important to be in the right mindset for what comes next. Once you’re ready, we’ll walk you through the steps to give yourself the best possible shot at getting off the waitlist. So take a day or two, regroup, and we’ll be here to guide you.
Less than 100 students transfer into Duke each year. Most come in as sophomores, after one year of college at a different institution. A handful enter as juniors, but Duke prioritizes sophomore transfers. To be considered a transfer by Duke, you have to have been enrolled in a college or university in the past four years, and will have at least one full year of transferrable credits under your belt by the time you would enroll at Duke. “Early college,” or taking college courses while in high school does not qualify you as a transfer — you must apply as a first year.
So, you’ve been rejected ED from Duke. First of all, we’re sorry, and we’re sure you’re having a lot of feelings about this right now. And, since you’re here, you probably want to know what you can do in this moment to take control of this situation. We want to say that Duke is a crazy hard school to get into – they haven’t released precise data since 2021, but we know their acceptance rate hovers around 5%, and their ED acceptance rate is about 15%. That doesn’t mean it’s 3x more likely to get into Duke ED. It means you have about the same chance you would if you applied to Georgetown, Berkeley, or UVA – aka, hard. That also means this is not a reflection of you or your talents or smarts or overall coolness, but rather that these schools have very limited spots and have to leave lots and lots of deserving students out of the mix.
Duke is a prestigious university in Durham, North Carolina with 6,500 undergraduates and almost 17,000 students overall. Despite being a larger educational institution, Duke offers a hands-on and intimate learning experience with an 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Students in both undergraduate colleges, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and Pratt School of Engineering, are supported in trying new things, taking calculated risks, and pushing boundaries. “We look for students,” the Dean of Undergraduate Admissions says, “who operate at the intersection of imagination and impact.”
This was not the plan. You were going to get into Duke Early Decision, and that would be it. But that isn’t how it worked out. You’ve been deferred, and now you’re in a really awkward spot. You’re not rejected, which is awesome. But you’re also not in, which is awkward. What you do next will chart the course for your future in college, so let’s move carefully, but with confidence.
Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina, is a private research university known for their work-hard-play-hard vibes. Duke holds a special place in our heart, as it is one of the most popular and in-demand schools with our students. Last year, TKG students had over a 90% acceptance rate at Duke. As you probably know (since you’re here), Duke is crazy hard to get into. Like, Ivy-level hard to get into. The acceptance rate was 5.1% for the Class of 2028.
Duke University in Durham, North Carolina is one of the leading universities in the country, and is home to 6,542 undergraduates and just under 17,000 students total. The college is iconic for offering an outstanding education in a world-class community with a vaunted athletic and social culture. They are passionate about community in the classroom and outside of it, and they think of college as “a verb.” The college experience is something they want their students to be active players in. They look for students who want to be part of that. They want to admit students who intend on being active players in creating this community they treasure so much.
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke offers its 6,500 undergrads great research opportunities, challenging academics, and a fun social experience. Duke is a favorite for students looking for a work-hard/play-hard college experience. So whether you are looking for so-called “Southern Ivies,” North Carolina Research Triangle schools, or even just really great basketball opportunities, Duke is a great choice.
Duke University is one of the top large research universities in the country, and one of the top athletics programs — arguably — globally. The campus in Durham, North Carolina is home to 6,500 undergraduate students and even more graduate students, making for a lively and large campus community. The top majors at Duke are computer science, economics, and biology, and they field 27 varsity athletic teams. The athletics programs, especially basketball, at Duke are a major piece of the student community outside of the classroom, bringing students together around celebration, comradery, and excellence.
If you’re outside of the United States and want to come to college in the U.S., it may be pretty intimidating. The college admissions process in the U.S. is hectic, to put it lightly. Different schools have different expectations and requirements, and you need to keep it all straight. In this post, we’ll make it a little easier for you to apply to Duke as an international student.
There are a lot of great things about Duke. The so-called “Southern Ivy” is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Duke is part of the North Carolina Research Triangle along with North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Plus, have you seen their basketball team? However, one way that Duke is not super awesome is how secretive they are around their waitlist. They have basically no resources online about their waitlist and publish almost nothing about the waitlisting process.
If you find yourself here, we’re sorry you got deferred from Duke. First things first, that's tough, and we feel for you. Take the time to let those feelings sink in – be it sadness, frustration, or whatever you're experiencing – because it's valid! But once you've had a moment to regroup, we’ve gotta get to work on your regular decision strategy, and that deferral letter too.
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina. They are probably most famous for their research opportunities, work-hard/play-hard attitude, and of course, basketball. Duke is popular amongst students who are looking for an academically challenging school that still comes with a fun social experience. We have written about Duke’s supplement before, but we wanted to revisit it as Duke has become even harder to get into. Last year their acceptance rate fell to just 6.3%.
We work with a lot of legacies every year and every year we have to explain to parents that legacy isn't the make or break at top schools like Duke. What do we mean by this? Well, a lot of parents we work with think that just because their student is a legacy, it means they will get in. However, that isn't true. Colleges don't talk very openly about legacy admissions and that leaves parents in the dark, so we wanted to break down what is really going on with legacy admissions at Duke and what you can do to get your legacy in.
Duke has a reputation as an Ivy League-caliber university outside of the East Coast. The students at Duke are some of the best of the best, and what was once a backup option for the top high school students in the country has become a stretch for even the best and the brightest. We’ve talked a lot about how the whole idea of “transferring up” is a bit of a fallacy, and Duke offers the perfect example of why trying to leverage a year of college into an aggressive transfer isn’t panning out like it used to. It all comes down to numbers.
Duke is a popular school and we always work with a ton of students who hope to get in. This popularity usually drives down their acceptance rates. In recent years, Duke has had a lower acceptance rate than schools like Dartmouth, Cornell, and UPenn. So what do we tell students who are dreaming of Duke? Well, one is to demonstrate interest and the other is often to apply early. Fun fact: all of our students who applied to Duke ED last year got in.
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina. This part of North Carolina is often referred to as the Research Triangle due it being home to three major research universities, including UNC. Duke is a popular school, and it’s hard to get into. Last cycle, they reported a 7.4% acceptance rate. Duke is a great fit for students who care about academics but also want a robust social college experience.
We work with legacy students every year and parents always have questions about legacy admissions. It might seem simple, but at top schools like Duke, it can be more complicated than you think. We have been doing a series on legacy admission and wanted to break down legacy admissions at Duke and answer some of our most frequently asked questions.