Students who have determined that Duke is their clear first choice of colleges may apply through our Early Decision program. This option is suited for students who are sure Duke is their first choice, who have established strong and consistent academic records throughout secondary school and who will have completed all the required standardized testing by early November.

In applying Early Decision, students commit to enroll at Duke if they are admitted in December.  Students admitted through Early Decision agree to withdraw any applications that they have submitted to other schools through regular, rolling, or nonrestrictive early programs. About 8% of Duke applicants apply Early Decision.

There is an advantage in the admissions process to applying Early Decision to Duke. In 2011-2012, we admitted 25% of students who applied Early Decision and 12% of students who applied Regular Decision.

There is no financial aid advantage or disadvantage in applying Early Decision.  Duke commits to meeting full demonstrated financial need for every admitted student. If you are admitted and fill out the required forms by the appropriate deadlines, you will receive your need-based financial aid package at the same time you receive your admissions decision. In the rare instances when students ultimately cannot afford to attend Duke, they may be released from the Early Decision commitment after discussions among the family, the Financial Aid Office, and the Admissions Office. However, students who wish to compare different schools' financial aid packages or who will depend on merit scholarships to make college affordable should apply Regular Decision.

Early Decision applications should be submitted by November 4.  Candidates will be notified of their admission decision by December 15 and should reply to our offer of admission and withdraw all other college applications by January 5.  Students who submit their financial aid applications by November 15 will receive their need-based financial aid awards along with their acceptance letters.

A full list of Early Decision deadlines and application forms can be found here.

Students from more than 85 countries have found a home at Duke. Innovative, restless and driven: these are qualities not confined by geography. 

There is no separate application for international students.

Standardized Testing Considerations for International Applicants

All applicants for the first-year class, whether educated in the United States or abroad, are required to complete the full testing requirements. The SAT and ACT tests are given throughout the year at testing centers around the world, although students outside the United States will generally find that the SAT is available in more places than the ACT. We understand that some students do not have access to a testing center in their home countries (e.g., mainland China). These students may be exempt, and if so, may not be disadvantaged in the evaluation process.

In Duke's application process, SAT and ACT scores are not viewed as the sole measure of a student's academic ability. We also recognize that test scores from bilingual students, or students outside of a United States high school system, may reflect a student's lack of familiarity and experience with this type of standardized test. This is taken into account when applications are considered.

Results of national examinations such as the GCSE cannot be substituted for the SAT or ACT.

Curriculum Considerations for International Applicants

Prior to the anticipated date of enrollment at Duke, students should have completed an academic program that would enable them to enroll at a university in their home countries. For example, students from British or British-based education systems should have completed their "A" levels before enrollment, and students from the French or German education systems should complete the Baccalaureate or Abitur. For most students, this means that they will begin the application process during their final year of study in a pre-university program.

Visa Information

To obtain an F-1 visa for study in the United States, a foreign citizen must furnish his or her home country's U.S. consulate with proof of ability to meet educational expenses, along with a certificate of eligibility for a visa application (the I-20 form). I-20 forms for incoming foreign students are issued only after a student has been admitted and returned a completed Certificate of Financial Responsibility. Visa services and advice on federal regulations concerning non-U.S. citizens are available through Duke Visa Services.

Homeschooled students are encouraged to apply for admission to Duke. The admissions application is the same for all students regardless of educational background. 

The number of homeschooled students applying to Duke has steadily increased over the last several years and homeschooled students have been admitted at a rate equal to that of the entire applicant pool. 

Homeschool transcripts are acceptable as long as they list the courses of study a student has followed for the four years of high school or the equivalent. Homeschooled students admitted to Duke have followed varied curricula: some follow packaged curricula with outside evaluators, some enroll exclusively in local college classes, some teach themselves independently, some rely on their parents' instruction—but most have pursued a combination of different approaches. We understand that the choice of curriculum is best decided by each individual family. 

Homeschooled applicants must submit recommendations from three instructors, at least two of whom are not related to the applicant. Employers, religious leaders, sports coaches or other adults can write these recommendations if all academic instruction takes place in the home.

Applicants are not required to present a GED or proof of accreditation. 

The standardized testing requirements are the same for all Duke applicants.

We encourage homeschooled students to submit their applications in time for us to arrange an alumni interview in the student's local area.

Transfers

We welcome your interest in transferring to Duke.  Every fall, approximately 35 students transfer into either the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences or the Pratt School of Engineering.  Most will enroll as sophomores, although the selection committee will also admit a small number of juniors.  

While transfer students are new to the Duke community, they bring with them the same characteristics of talent and engagement as the rest of their undergraduate peers.  Transfer students add a tremendous amount to campus life – all while pursuing their unique, intellectual interests at one of America’s leading universities.   

Should I apply as a first-year or transfer applicant?

Please consult the following guidelines to determine your eligibility to transfer to Duke:

• If you have attended any college or university in the past four years and will have successfully completed at least one full year of transferrable college work by the August in which you hope to enroll, you qualify to apply to Duke as a transfer applicant 
• All transferrable college work should be completed at an accredited degree-granting institution.  College work completed at a vocational, technical, performance, or professional program will not be considered
• If you are a high school student in an “early college” or dual-enrollment program who will earn an associate degree while finishing high school you should apply as a first-year applicant   
• If you have already completed an undergraduate (bachelor’s) degree at a four-year college, you cannot be considered for transfer admission

Contact the Office of Continuing Studies  if you are:

• A student with an undergraduate degree needing one or two more courses in order to enroll in a graduate program
• A transfer applicant who has not attended college in the last four years

Evaluation

Duke offers a multitude of opportunities to its undergraduates.  We’re looking for students ready to respond to those opportunities intelligently, creatively and enthusiastically.  We like ambition and curiosity, talent and persistence, energy and humanity.

When we read an application and then discuss an application in our Admissions Committee, we consider both the academic and the personal qualities of each student. We think about what a student has accomplished within the context of the opportunities and challenges he or she has faced. And we seek those students who will bring a variety of experiences, backgrounds, interests and opinions to the campus. We especially appreciate students who love thinking hard about things and who like to make a difference in the world.  Our admissions process is guided by our assessment of six primary factors:

• The rigor of a candidate’s academic program
• Academic performance as measured by grades in academic courses
• Letters of recommendation
• Extracurricular activities
• The quality of thought and expression in the application essay
• Standardized test scores

Transfer admission to Duke is highly selective, with the admission rate ranging from 3% to 13% over the past five years (2008-2012).  Transfer applicants are expected to have demonstrated a high level of academic talent, both at their current higher education institution and in high school.  The most successful applicants will have a minimum college GPA of 3.7 in a challenging academic program.  Of those admitted in 2012, the mid-50% had SAT I critical reading scores between 660-750, math scores between 720-790, writing scores between 660-760, and an ACT composite score between 31-33.    

Required Materials

• Transfer student version of the Common Application
• Duke Supplement
• Final high school transcript
• College Official’s Report
• Transcripts from all colleges attended
• SAT I or ACT Plus Writing, sent officially from the testing agency
• Two academic letters of recommendation, with at least one being from a college professor

Transfer Application Timeline

March 18, 2013
Transfer application deadline (postmarked)

April 1, 2013
Financial aid materials due to the Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid

Mid-May 2013
Transfer decisions are released

May 31, 2013
Responses to offers of admission are due for admitted transfer students

Transfer of Credit

• Duke will grant credit for no more than two years of coursework completed elsewhere, regardless of the number of credits a student has previously earned.  In order to earn a Duke degree, a transfer student must spend at least two years at Duke. 
• We do not offer a preliminary credit evaluation to applicants prior to the release of admissions decisions.  Instead, credit evaluations are completed upon matriculation by an academic dean.  For more information on how transfer credits are evaluated, visit the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences  or the Pratt School of Engineering websites .
• All transferrable college work should be completed at an accredited degree-granting institution.  College work completed at a vocational, technical, performance, or professional program will not be considered.
• We do not accept credits for courses that have been taken online. 

Financial Aid

Duke University views its financial aid program as an investment in students and their futures. We seek a diverse student body and are committed to ensuring aided students can take full advantage of the Duke experience. To that end, Duke admits transfer applicants who are U.S. citizens and permanent residents without regard to financial circumstance or aid eligibility and meets 100 percent of each admitted student's demonstrated need throughout their undergraduate enrollment.  Unfortunately, need-based financial aid is not available for international transfer students.  In addition, Duke does not offer merit-based scholarships to transfer students. 

The number of semesters of aid eligibility for students transferring to Duke is based on the policy of up to nine academic semesters less the number of semesters studied elsewhere.  This also includes financial assistance for one summer term, if needed.  For detailed instructions on how to apply for financial aid, please visit the Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid  website.

Transfer Student Housing

Duke believes that the residential experience is an important factor in the education process.  The Board of Trustees mandates that all undergraduates live on campus for three years.  As an extension of this practice, transfer students are required to live on campus for two years.  Exceptions to the housing requirement include:

• Transfer students who enter as juniors may request to live on campus for only one year. 
• Non-traditional transfer students (married students, military veterans, and those students older than most undergraduates) may request the housing requirement be waived entirely. 

The housing application will be available in mid-May 2013 and is due on July 1, 2013.  Visit the Housing, Dining, and Residence Life  website for more information on student housing options.

Duke University is committed to the equality of educational opportunities for all qualified students. Students with disabilities (including learning disabilities, hearing or visual impairments, mobility impairments, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders, psychiatric impairments or chronic health disabilities) who apply to Duke can choose whether or not to disclose their disability to us. Our office is prohibited by law from making inquiries about a student's disability in the admissions process. We will not require you at any point in the admissions process to disclose if you have a disability.

Some students choose to include information about their disability in their admissions application because they feel it is an important element of their experiences as a student up to that point, or because they want to share with us how they have overcome an obstacle that not everyone has had to face. We always appreciate any significant information a student wishes to share with us and consider that information in understanding a student's achievements. We evaluate a student's accomplishments within the context of any opportunities or challenges presented to that student. We do not use information about a disability to deny admission to a student.

There is no separate admissions process at Duke for students with disabilities. All students who apply to Duke, including those who have a diagnosed impairment/disability, are evaluated using the same criteria.

If you have questions or require additional information, please contact the Admissions Office at (919) 684-3214 and ask for the admissions officer responsible for students with disabilities.

Accommodations at Duke

All students have the right to request reasonable accommodations at Duke. Students requesting consideration for reasonable accommodations must have an impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities and should contact the Student Disability Access Office.

We recognize that students with disabilities sometimes find the transition from secondary education to post-secondary education difficult due to the differences in the level of services and accommodations provided at post-secondary institutions. Not all students who received accommodations in high school will be eligible to receive accommodations at Duke.

In primary and secondary education, a student's parents and school staff often bear the responsibility of evaluating, supporting and providing accommodations to the student. At the post-secondary level, it is the student's responsibility to identify that he/she has a diagnosed impairment/disability and to follow the appropriate procedures to request consideration for reasonable accommodations.

Please be aware that Duke is not required to approve any accommodation that would change the fundamental nature of a course or a curriculum. Course substitutions and/or waivers will not be granted for requirements for a major or college curriculum; this includes the foreign language requirement of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. 

For additional information about accommodations and resources at Duke, we encourage you to contact the Student Disability Access Office.