First-year deadlines, 2026–27
| Plan | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Early decision Apply early, hear early, and you must enroll if admitted. Binding. | November 2, 2026 |
| Regular decision The standard deadline, with answers in spring. Not binding. | January 4, 2027 |
Plans are listed in calendar order. What the plans mean
Source: admissions.duke.edu · checked September 30, 2026
What families actually pay
Average yearly net price after grants, all students, by family income
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard · data snapshot October 2, 2026
AP credit
Most-taken exams, lowest score that earns credit| Exam | Min score | Duke University course | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calculus AB | 5 | MATH 21 MATH 122L (fall) or 112L (spring) | |
| Calculus BC | 4 | MATH 21 MATH 122L (fall) or 112L (spring) | |
| Biology | 4 | BIOLOGY 20 BIOLOGY 201L or 202L | |
| Chemistry | 4 | CHEM 20 CHEM 110DL (fall only) or 101DL (all terms) | |
| English Language and Composition | 4 | ENGLISH 22 Any English course | |
| English Literature and Composition | 4 | ENGLISH 20 Any English course | |
| Psychology | 5 | PSY 11 Any psychology course | |
| Statistics | 5 | STA 20 STA 101, 102, 198, or 199 |
Show all 32 exams and every score level
| Exam | Min score | Course | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calculus AB | 5 | MATH 21 MATH 122L (fall) or 112L (spring) | |
| Calculus BC | 4 | MATH 21 MATH 122L (fall) or 112L (spring) | |
| Calculus BC | 5 | MATH 21 & 22 MATH 202, 212, 218, or 221 | |
| Biology | 4 | BIOLOGY 20 BIOLOGY 201L or 202L | |
| Biology | 5 | BIOLOGY 21 BIOLOGY 201L or 202L | |
| Chemistry | 4 | CHEM 20 CHEM 110DL (fall only) or 101DL (all terms) | |
| Chemistry | 5 | CHEM 21 CHEM 201DL-002 or 110DL (fall only) | |
| English Language and Composition | 4 | ENGLISH 22 Any English course | |
| English Literature and Composition | 4 | ENGLISH 20 Any English course | |
| Psychology | 5 | PSY 11 Any psychology course | |
| Statistics | 5 | STA 20 STA 101, 102, 198, or 199 | |
| Computer Science A | 4 | COMPSCI 101L COMPSCI 201 | |
| World History: Modern | 4 | HISTORY 21 Any history course | |
| Environmental Science | 4 | ENVIRON 20 ENVIRON 201 | |
| European History | 4 | HISTORY 25 & 26 Any history course | |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 5 | SPANISH 204 300-level Spanish courses | |
| Computer Science Principles | 5 | COMPSCI 20 Any computer science course | |
| Music Theory | 4 | MUSIC 161 Any music course | |
| African American Studies | 4 | AAAS 20 N/A | |
| Arts: 2-D Art and Design | 5 | ARTSVIS 21 Advanced level arts courses | |
| Arts: 3-D Art and Design | 5 | ARTSVIS 21 Advanced level arts courses | |
| Arts: Art History | 5 | ARTHIST 20 200-400-level arts courses | |
| Arts: Drawing | 5 | ARTSVIS 21 Advanced level arts courses | |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 4 | CHINESE 203 CHINESE 204 or 200-400-level Chinese…CHINESE 203 CHINESE 204 or 200-400-level Chinese courses depending on placement score | |
| Comparative Government and Politics | 4 | POLSCI 21 200-400-level political science courses | |
| French Language and Culture | 5 | FRENCH 20 FRENCH 204 or 300-level French courses…FRENCH 20 FRENCH 204 or 300-level French courses depending on placement score | |
| German Language and Culture | 4 | GERMAN 29 GERMAN 204 or 305S | |
| German Language and Culture | 5 | GERMAN 29 GERMAN 305S or above | |
| History: United States History | 4 | HISTORY 23 & 24 Any history course | |
| Italian Language and Culture | 4 | ITALIAN 203 ITALIAN 301 | |
| Italian Language and Culture | 5 | ITALIAN 203 300-level Italian courses | |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 4 | JPN 203 JPN 204, 305, or 306 depending on placement score | |
| Latin | 4 | LATIN 25 LATIN 204 | |
| Latin | 5 | LATIN 25 300-level Latin courses or above | |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 4 | PHYSICS 26 Consult department | |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 4 | PHYSICS 25 Consult department | |
| Political Science: United States Government and Politics | 4 | POLSCI 20 200-400-level political science courses | |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 4 | SPANISH 204 300-level Spanish courses |
Source: registrar.duke.edu · checked September 19, 2026
Biggest majors
| Major | Graduates |
|---|---|
| Computer Science | 274 |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 259 |
| Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | 206 |
| Biology/Biological Sciences | 158 |
| Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 149 |
| Public Policy Analysis | 142 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology, Other | 113 |
| Computer Engineering | 92 |
Show the other 45 majors
| Neuroscience | 87 |
| Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering | 86 |
| Political Science and Government | 74 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 70 |
| Mathematics | 47 |
| Statistics | 40 |
| Environmental Studies | 32 |
| Area Studies, Other | 29 |
| Sociology | 28 |
| Chemistry | 21 |
| Economics | 19 |
| English Language and Literature | 19 |
| Anatomy | 16 |
| Civil Engineering | 14 |
| International and Comparative Education | 13 |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies | 12 |
| Anthropology | 12 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, Other | 11 |
| History | 11 |
| Physics | 10 |
| Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography | 7 |
| Engineering, Other | 6 |
| General Literature | 6 |
| Biophysics | 6 |
| Mathematics and Computer Science | 6 |
| Philosophy | 6 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences, Other | 6 |
| African Studies | 5 |
| Art History, Criticism and Conservation | 5 |
| Women's Studies | 4 |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering | 4 |
| Linguistics | 4 |
| Visual and Performing Arts | 3 |
| Foreign Languages and Literatures | 2 |
| Cognitive Science | 2 |
| Religion/Religious Studies | 2 |
| Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts | 2 |
| History, Other | 1 |
| Computational Science | 1 |
| Natural Sciences | 1 |
| Behavioral Sciences | 1 |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 1 |
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 1 |
| Italian Language and Literature | 1 |
| Russian Language and Literature | 1 |
Bachelor’s graduates, first major, most recent year · Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, IPEDS · data snapshot October 2, 2026
Ranked programs
Where Duke University ranks in the top 25 on our top-programs lists, best rank first. How we rank programs
- #1 for Computer engineeringof 50 colleges
- #4 for Biologyof 50 colleges
- #4 for Statisticsof 50 colleges
- #5 for Civil engineeringof 50 colleges
- #5 for Nursingof 50 colleges
- #6 for Economicsof 50 colleges
- #6 for Neuroscienceof 50 colleges
- #7 for Biomedical engineeringof 50 colleges
Show the other 7 ranked programs
- #10 for Mechanical engineeringof 50 colleges
- #10 for Software engineeringof 50 colleges
- #12 for Physicsof 50 colleges
- #13 for Public healthof 50 colleges
- #14 for Chemistryof 50 colleges
- #21 for Computer scienceof 50 colleges
- #21 for Mathematicsof 50 colleges
Sports and campus life
Men’s varsity · NCAA Division I, ACC
Baseball, Basketball, Fencing, Football, Golf, Lacrosse, Soccer, Swimming and Diving (combined), Tennis, Track and Field and Cross Country (combined), Wrestling
Women’s varsity · NCAA Division I, ACC
Basketball, Fencing, Field Hockey, Golf, Lacrosse, Rowing, Soccer, Softball, Swimming and Diving (combined), Tennis, Track and Field and Cross Country (combined), Volleyball
ROTC
Air Force, Army, Navy
Faith groups
Cru, Hillel, InterVarsity, Newman Connection
Also
Study abroad
Greek life
30% of men in fraternities · 42% of women in sororities · 36% of undergraduates overall (Common Data Set 2023–24)
Sources: U.S. Dept. of Education athletics data (EADA), Common Data Set (Greek life), dukecru.org · checked September 4, 2026 · data snapshot October 2, 2026
The place
Setting
City, large
Federal locale classification
Metro area
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
620,522 people
Big-city metro (1 million+)
No
More about the place
Nearest airport
Raleigh-Durham International (RDU)
Nearest hub airport
Raleigh-Durham International (RDU)
Walkability
EPA walkability index 13.8 of 20
Elevation
390 ft
Time zone
Eastern
January low
28°F
July high
87°F
Annual snowfall
2.8 in
Days at 90°F or higher
40 per year
One-bedroom fair market rent
$1,560 per month
Sources: U.S. Dept. of Education (IPEDS locale), U.S. Census metro estimates, NOAA climate normals, HUD fair market rents, EPA walkability · data snapshot October 2, 2026
Colleges nearby
- North Carolina Central University3 mi
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill9 mi
- Meredith College20 mi
- North Carolina State University at Raleigh21 mi
- William Peace University22 mi
- Shaw University23 mi
Straight-line distance between campuses
Similar colleges
Private nonprofit, city campus, NCAA Division I, similar size
- University of Denver6,415 students
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- Yale University6,818 students
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- Vanderbilt University7,152 students
- Lehigh University5,811 students