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Duke University

#1 Best Colleges in North Carolina
Private nonprofit Durham, NC · Urban · Southeast · 100% data
A+ Earnings A+ Graduation A+ Selectivity
Graduation Rate
96% A+
Most students who enroll finish their degree here
Earnings (10yr)
$97,800 A+
Top 1% nationally — exceptional earning power
Net Price
$29,612 F
73% more than the typical college
Acceptance Rate
6% A+
Rejects about 94 of every 100 applicants
Earnings +140% vs avg
Graduation +69% vs avg
Net Price 73% vs avg
Mobility Top 43%

Bottom line: A B overall grade — strong outcomes across the board. 19.3× return on investment — every $1 spent returns $19.3 over 20 years. Ranked #1 in Best Colleges in North Carolina.

19.3× return on investment

Every $1 spent returns $19.3 over 20 years — debt pays back in ~under a year. Net gain: $2,162,006.

What The Data Says

  1. A B overall — outcomes above the typical U.S. college.

  2. Graduates earn 140% more than the national college median.

  3. A 96% graduation rate — 69% above the national average.

  4. Inventor rate in the top 11% nationally — patents, startups, and new technology flow from its graduates.

  5. A top feeder school for 8 major employers.

Economic Footprint

Inventor Rate
2.1%
Top 11%
Patents
269
Linked to graduates
World Rank
#24
Times Higher Education
Employer Pipelines
8
Top feeder programs
Patent Citations
501
Downstream influence
Research Score
72/100
Times Higher Education

Why Duke University Matters

Duke University is a private research university in Durham, NC ranked #24 in the world by Times Higher Education, and its outcomes are not an accident. They are driven by exceptional admissions selectivity, a top-tier research enterprise, an unusually high rate of inventors and patents, and a well-connected, high-opportunity alumni network. The result: graduates whose earnings land in the top 1% of all U.S. colleges.

Interpretation generated from this school's federal outcomes, research, and mobility data.

Institutional Profile

Institution Type
Private Research University
Carnegie Class
R1 · Very High Research
Enrollment
6,442
Setting
Urban
Designations
71
Primary Strengths
Engineering, Social Sciences, Biology & Biomedical, Computer Science & IT

Why students choose Duke University

Elite STEM ecosystem
Engineering, computing, and the sciences dominate its programs
Top-tier research university
R1 status: undergraduates work alongside leading researchers
Entrepreneurial, inventive students
Above-average inventor and patent activity
Technology commercialization
Strong industry partnerships and knowledge transfer
Influential alumni network
High cross-class social capital and reach
Highly selective peer group
Surrounded by exceptionally high-achieving students

CollegeRanker Report Card

Graded on outcomes, against every U.S. college.

B
Top 27% overall
A+
Earnings
$97,800 median
C+
Value
3.3× net price
F
Affordability
$29,612/yr net
A+
Graduation
96% graduate
C+
Social Mobility
1.6% climb Q1→Q5
A+
Selectivity
6% admit rate
A
Diversity
0.79 index

Each grade is this school's national percentile on a real outcome — earnings, value, mobility, and more.

How we grade →
1
Can I Get In?

Admissions

Highly selective
6% admit rate

Highly selective — admits about 6% of applicants, with a middle-50% SAT of 1500–1570. Run your numbers in the admissions predictor below.

Check your odds →
2
Can I Afford It?

Net price + aid

F
$29,612/yr net

Students pay about $29,612 a year after grants and scholarships — 73% above the typical U.S. college. See net price by family income below.

See cost & aid →
3
What Happens After?

Earnings + debt

A+
$97,800 median

Graduates earn a median of $97,800 ten years after enrolling — 140% above the typical college, against $13,000 in median debt.

See outcomes →
4
Does It Change Lives?

Mobility + social capital

C+
1.6% climb

Moves 1.6% of its students from the bottom income fifth to the top — top 43% nationally for mobility. High social capital (1.72 economic connectedness).

See mobility →

Overview

With an acceptance rate of just 6%, Duke University is a place where ambitious students thrive. It attracts those who are serious about their education and want to dive deep into areas like Social Sciences, Computer Science, Biology, Engineering, and Health Professions. The community here is vibrant, and students often find themselves surrounded by peers who share a passion for learning and a drive to make an impact.

Looking ahead to life after graduation, students from Duke can expect strong earning potential, with a median salary of $97,800 a decade after they leave. That’s a solid return on investment, especially considering the affordable nature of the education relative to earnings. Graduates tend to find good job opportunities, reflecting the high graduation rate of 96%. This means that most students not only complete their degrees but also enter the workforce prepared and competitive.

On the financial side, the net price for students, after aid, stands at $29,612, which is manageable given the earnings potential. The typical debt load is $13,000, which is relatively low and suggests that many students can graduate without being weighed down by heavy financial burdens. This creates an environment where motivated individuals can thrive, especially those who are eager to leverage their education into successful careers.

Rankings

Can I Get In?

How selective Duke University is — and how your numbers stack up.

Tool

Will I Be Accepted?

Enter your credentials to see your chances at this school.

3.0
Test Score
1050
21

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into Duke University? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Based in Durham, North Carolina, Duke University turns away the vast majority of its applicants. The acceptance rate is 6%. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,548. The graduation rate is roughly 96%.

Acceptance Rate
6%
Retention Rate
98%
SAT Average
1548
ACT Midpoint
34
SAT Range
1500–1570
ACT Range
34–35
Full-Time Faculty
94%
Faculty Salary (mo)
$19,001
Student–Faculty Ratio
6:1
Diversity Index
0.79
First-Gen Students
13%
Applicants
50,016
Admitted
3,174

Inside the Admissions Office

School-reported Common Data Set · 2024-25

The acceptance rate tells you how hard Duke University is to get into. Its Common Data Set tells you what happens once you are admitted: how many students say yes, how many arrived without test scores, and whether applying early tilts the odds. 59% of admitted students go on to enroll here, making it a school more than half of admitted students choose.

Yield Rate
59%
of admits enroll
Submitted SAT
48%
of enrolled freshmen
Submitted ACT
30%
of enrolled freshmen
Early Decision Admit Rate
17.3%
vs 5.7% overall

Applying early pays off here. Of 6,013 Early Decision applicants, 1,042 were admitted — a 17.3% admit rate, roughly 3.0× the 5.7% rate for the overall pool. That binding round alone filled about 60% of the entering class (1,042 of 1,740 first-years). The catch: Early Decision is a commitment you make before you can compare aid offers.

Source: Duke University's Common Data Set, 2024-25 View the source document on collegedata.fyi →

Can I Afford It?

What you'll actually pay after grants and aid — not the sticker price.

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Duke University? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Duke University is $68,758, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $29,612. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $735 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $13,000 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition
$68,758
Out-of-State
$68,758
Avg Net Price
$29,612
Median Debt
$13,000
Pell Grant Rate
14%
Federal Loan Rate
14%

What Families Actually Pay

Family Income $0–$30K
$735
Family Income $30K–$48K
$-361
Family Income $48K–$75K
$5,706
Family Income $110K+
$54,230

What Happens After?

Earnings, debt, and where graduates actually land.

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Duke University — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Compare schools in the full simulator →Sources: College Scorecard, Common Data Set, Opportunity Insights · today's dollars (CPI-adjusted) · descriptive, not predictive

Graduate Outcomes

Is Duke University Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Duke University earn a median of $97,800, well above the national average for bachelor's degree holders.

6 Years After Entry
$85,792
8 Years
$95,882
10 Years
$97,800
Debt-to-Earnings
0.13x
Earning > $25K
89%

Earnings Trajectory

$85,792 6yr $95,882 8yr $97,800 10yr

Graduation by Timeframe

100% (1,520)
88%
100% (1,520)
88%
100% (1,520)
88%
100% (1,520)
88%

Where Grads Go

Duke University is a top feeder for:

Rank among programs feeding each employer.

Top employers of Duke University’s MBA graduates, by hires reported in the school’s employment report.

Explore the Career Destination Guide → Source: Duke University — Full-Time MBA Employment Report (Class of 2025)

How Duke Compares

Dot right of center = above national average.

NATIONAL AVGGraduation96%Earnings 10yr$98KNet Price$30KRetention98%Median Debt$13KPell Grant Rate14%

Net Price by Family Income

What families actually pay after aid, by income bracket.

$1K$0-30K$0K$30-48K$6K$48-75K$54K$110K+

The Mobility Equation

Mobility = Access x Success. How many low-income students get in, and how many reach the top 20%?

ACCESS% from bottom 20%3.2%SUCCESS% who reach top 20%50.4%MOBILITY1.60%

College ROI Calculator

Is Duke University Worth It?

A data-driven look at the return on your educational investment — using real federal data.

Yes — for most students, Duke University delivers a positive return. Over four years, the typical net price is $29,612/year ($118,448 total). Graduates earn $97,800 at ten years, and over a 20-year career we project $2,280,454 in total earnings — a net gain of $2,162,006 (19.3× your investment). The median debt is $13,000, which takes less than a year to pay back at typical earnings. With a 96% graduation rate, the path to that return is well-tested. This is a exceptional ROI compared to national averages.

Total Cost (4yr)
$118,448
Projected 20yr Earnings
$2,280,454
Net Return
$2,162,006
ROI Multiple
19.3×
Cost Per Year
$29,612
Median Debt
$13,000
Debt Payback
Less than 1 yr
Graduation Rate
96%
Explore all Duke University ROI scenarios

Does It Change Lives?

Mobility, social capital, and innovation — does it move people up?

Social Mobility

Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records

Does Duke University Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Duke University is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.60%, well above the typical college. Access is narrower: only about 3.2% of students come from the bottom income quintile, typical of more selective, higher-income institutions. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 50.4% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $196,000, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate
1.60%
Bottom 20% → Top 20%
Success Rate
50.4%
If bottom 20% get in
From Bottom 20%
3.2%
Share of students
Parent Median Income
$266,295
today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Duke University? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Duke University. Its economic connectedness score is 1.72, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.03), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 8% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness
1.72
Cross-class friendships
Friending Bias
0.03
Lower = more inclusive
Volunteering Rate
8.3%
Support Ratio
1.00
Community support

Research Note

267%
Low-income students at colleges in the top quartile of economic connectedness are 267% more likely to reach the top income quintile than peers at the least-connected schools.
Data from CollegeRanker’s review of 5,745 U.S. colleges (n=1,503). Quartile comparison of mean bottom-quintile success rate, split by economic connectedness (Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas × Mobility Report Card).

Research & Teaching

Data: Times Higher Education World University Rankings

How Research-Intensive Is Duke University? World Rank, Teaching & Citations

Times Higher Education places Duke University at #24 worldwide, a mark of serious research standing. Its profile spans a research score of 72/100, teaching at 67/100, and citation impact of 92/100, reflecting both the volume of research output and how often that work is cited by scholars elsewhere.

World Rank
#24
Teaching
66.8
Research
71.5
Citations
92.3
International
49.4

Innovation & Knowledge Creation

Patents, inventors, and research influence · Opportunity Insights & Times Higher Education

Duke University produces inventors at an above-average rate (top 11% nationally), with 269 patents tied to its graduates, and ranks among research universities with a 72/100 research score.

Inventor Rate
2.11%
Top 11% nationally
Patents Produced
269
Linked to graduates
Patent Citations
501
Downstream influence
Research Score
72/100
Times Higher Ed
Academic Influence
92/100
Citation impact (THE)
Industry Engagement
100/100
Knowledge transfer (THE)
Inventors From Low-Income
1.39%
Bottom-20% families

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Investment Income
$-339,690,000

Top Programs

The fields Duke University awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.

Top Careers

Where these majors tend to lead — common career paths for Duke University's most popular programs, ranked by median pay with our proprietary scorecard insights.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Hard to Get Into Duke University? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Based in Durham, North Carolina, Duke University turns away the vast majority of its applicants. The acceptance rate is 6%. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,548. The graduation rate is roughly 96%.

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Duke University? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Duke University is $68,758, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $29,612. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $735 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $13,000 in federal student loans.

Is Duke University Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Duke University earn a median of $97,800, well above the national average for bachelor's degree holders.

Does Duke University Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Duke University is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.60%, well above the typical college. Access is narrower: only about 3.2% of students come from the bottom income quintile, typical of more selective, higher-income institutions. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 50.4% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $196,000, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

How Connected Is Duke University? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Duke University. Its economic connectedness score is 1.72, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.03), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 8% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

How Research-Intensive Is Duke University? World Rank, Teaching & Citations

Times Higher Education places Duke University at #24 worldwide, a mark of serious research standing. Its profile spans a research score of 72/100, teaching at 67/100, and citation impact of 92/100, reflecting both the volume of research output and how often that work is cited by scholars elsewhere.

Does Duke University offer Early Decision, and does it improve admission chances?

Yes. Duke University offers a binding Early Decision plan, and it carries a real advantage: Early Decision applicants were admitted at 17%, about 3.0 times the overall 6% acceptance rate, and ED filled roughly 60% of the entering class. Because ED is binding, it makes sense only if Duke University is a clear first choice and you can commit before comparing aid offers (2024-25 Common Data Set).

Is Duke University really test-optional?

Duke University reports test-optional admission, but most enrolled students still submit scores: about 78% of first-year students sent an SAT or ACT (2024-25 Common Data Set). Submitting strong scores is the norm here.

What percentage of admitted students enroll at Duke University?

About 59% of admitted students choose to enroll at Duke University — its yield rate (2024-25 Common Data Set). Yield reflects how often a school wins when applicants weigh competing offers.

Compare Duke University

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Schools with similar outcomes, selectivity, and student profiles to Duke University.

The State of American Higher Education Outcomes for 2026 — report cover Download PDF

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The State of American Higher Education Outcomes

Every state graded on what graduates earn, how far they climb, and what college really costs — the hidden geography of economic mobility, in one report.

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