Applying to Duke: How To Apply: International Applicants

Students from around 85 countries have found a home at Duke. Innovative, restless, and driven: these are qualities not confined by geography. A Duke student is as likely to live across the globe as right here in North Carolina.

There is no separate or different international application. Please also check out other resources on our site including information on Interviews and the Application Essay and Short Answer Questions.

Below you will find additional information on the following:

• How to Apply
• Testing and Language Requirements
• Credit and Advanced Placement
• Academic Curriculum
• Financial Aid
• Visa Information

HOW TO APPLY

The application process can sometimes feel like a maze of forms, personal statements, and test scores. So we've tried to make the process as clear as possible. We want to give you the chance to tell us about yourself in the most straightforward and effective way, allowing you more time to focus on why you would be a valuable addition to the Duke community.

Duke uses the Common Application or the Universal College Application plus the Duke Student Supplement.

• Applying On-line
• Applying On Paper
• The Application Essay and Short Answer Questions
• Optional Artistic Material

TESTING AND LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

Standardized Testing

All applicants for the first-year class, whether educated in the United States or abroad, are required to take the entrance examinations given by the College Board (SAT) or the American College Program (ACT) and arrange to have official test scores sent to Duke. Results of national examinations such as the GCSE cannot be substituted for these examinations. These tests are given throughout the year at testing centers all around the world, though students outside the United States will generally find that the SAT is available in more places than the ACT. Score reports from these examinations may be sent directly to any American university at the student's request. Please note that we will not have access to your test scores unless you designate Duke as a score recipient. If you did not designate Duke at the time you took the test, please do so as soon as you decide to apply to Duke.

We encourage qualified applicants from all countries to apply to Duke, yet understand that some students do not have access to a testing center in their home countries (e.g., mainland China). These students are, of course, exempt and are not disadvantaged in the evaluation process. If you would like to ask more specific questions, please send us a message and we will respond as quickly as possible. To send a message, you'll first need to register on our site. Just click the “log in” button in the footer and you'll be directed to your home page, where you can register. The directions on that page will take you through the process step by step. Then, you can revisit that portion of our Web site to communicate with our office.

Please be aware that in Duke's application process, SAT-I 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.

Testing Requirements

All candidates for admission must complete either the College Board Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or the test of the American College Program (ACT). Applicants taking the SAT should take the three-part SAT Reasoning Test plus two SAT Subject Tests. Applicants to the Pratt School of Engineering must take one SAT Subject Test in mathematics. Applicants who choose to take the ACT should plan to take the ACT with the new writing portion.

Our school code for the SAT is 5156. Our ACT school code is 3088.

Testing Deadlines

We strongly recommend that Early Decision applicants take either of these sets of standardized tests no later than October of their senior year. While we cannot guarantee receipt of November testing for Early Decision candidates, reports will usually arrive in our office in time to be used in our decision. Regular Decision applicants should complete standardized tests no later than January of their senior year.

TEST OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (TOEFL)

All candidates whose native language is not English are encouraged, but not required, to sit for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the IELTS (International English Language Testing System). A minimum score of 100 on the internet-based TOEFL (iBT)—or 250 on the computer-based TOEFL (CBT) or 600 on the paper-based TOEFL (PBT)—or an overall band score of 7 on the IELTS is expected for all applicants to Duke. The English Language Proficiency Test (ELPT) cannot replace the TOEFL. We will use all the test information that you send to us with your writing samples in the application to evaluate your proficiency in English. If you take tests more than once, we will use your highest scores.

CREDIT AND ADVANCED PLACEMENT

Students who receive superior scores on the International Baccalaureate Higher Level examinations or the College Board Advanced Placement Tests (usually a 4 or a 5) may be eligible for course credit or higher placement upon enrollment at Duke. Similarly, students who present superior results on the British "A" levels, the French Baccalaureate, the German Arbitur, or Swiss Maturite Certificate may also be eligible for such credit and placement. Such placement would make it possible for the recipient to complete an undergraduate degree course leading to a B.A. or B.S. degree in less than the customary four years. Advanced standing is not granted, however, until the student has been admitted and until the official report of exam results is received and evaluated by our Registrar's Office. Since this process is handled outside the Admissions Office, a credit evaluation cannot be made until the student arrives on campus.

For specific information about scores required to qualify for international placement credit for the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, please click here. For specific information about scores required to qualify for international placement credit for the Pratt School of Engineering, click here.

ACADEMIC CURRICULUM

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, students from the French or German education systems should complete the Baccalaureate or Abitur, and so on. For most students, this means that they will begin the application process during their final year of study in a pre-university program.

All students, including those for whom English is not their first language, must demonstrate the ability to undertake a rigorous academic program in English. Duke's academic program is fast-paced and demands that students have the ability to read quickly and to express themselves clearly both orally and in writing. Applicants must, therefore, be fluent in written and spoken English at the time the application is submitted. The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is recommended for all students who are not native speakers of English.

FINANCIAL AID

Foreign Nationals

Duke University encourages ALL qualified foreign nationals to apply for admission. The university will meet full demonstrated financial need for a limited number of international students applying for first-year admission. Because financial resources for these students are limited, each year Duke expects to enroll 20-25 first-year foreign citizens who receive need-based financial aid. Please note there is no need-based aid for international transfer applicants.

There are two applicant pools for foreign nationals: those not applying for financial aid who will be considered for admission along with US citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents, and those applying for financial aid who will be considered in a separate process for a limited number of places in the entering class. Also, foreign citizens who do not apply for financial aid initially may not subsequently apply for financial aid during their time at Duke unless they become U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Applicants living outside the United States who are requesting financial aid will be required to complete and submit the College Board Profile Application along with a copy of their family's most recent national tax forms or income information. The Profile application is available on the Financial Aid Office Web site online. Once you have filed the online Profile, you will receive a letter from the College Board with instructions on how to submit tax or income information to the Institutional Documentation Service (IDOC). Applicants living with their families in the United States should submit the same financial aid materials Duke University requires for US citizens except the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). All foreign nationals, including winners of Duke merit scholarships, must document the available funding for their education by completing and submitting the Certificate of Financial Responsibility (CFR) which is sent when you are admitted.

For complete information about applying for financial aid, be sure to visit the Financial Aid Office Web site.

United States Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents

(Lawful Permanent Residents are those holding an I-551 stamp in a passport or in possession of the Form I-551 Alien Registration Card—"Green Card")

Duke University's admissions policy is "need-blind" for all US citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents, which means that applying for financial aid does not affect the admissions decision for these students. Current country of residence has no bearing on eligibility for financial assistance.

For more information, visit the Financial Aid Office Web site..

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, paid the enrollment deposit, and returned a completed Certificate of Financial Responsibility. Visa services and advice on federal regulations concerning non-U.S. citizens are available through Duke's International Office.