Duke University

Duke University incoming freshman academic profile

Average high school GPA

Not reported

SAT composite middle score

1,5502025-26 CDS · Source

ACT composite middle score

352025-26 CDS · Source

Average GPA of enrolled freshmen (scale may be weighted or unweighted). SAT/ACT are median scores of students who submitted them — not scholarship cutoffs.

Freshman financial need & merit gifts

2025-26 financial-aid profile · CollegeData source

Average freshman need met

100%

Average undergraduate need met

100%

These groups use different denominators and should not be added together. Need met is an average share of assessed financial need—not a share of tuition or an aid guarantee.

Duke University net price by family income

Historical average cost after all grants and scholarships — not need-based aid eligibility. 2024–25 academic year.

Families earning $150,000+ should not assume they'll get need-based grants; the "Over $110K" group mixes very different incomes.

At what family income does financial aid stop at Duke University?

There's no universal cutoff. Need-based aid depends on income, assets, family size and college rules; merit scholarships are based on grades and scores, so high income doesn't rule them out. Use Duke University's net price calculator for a personal estimate, and the federal aid estimator for federal aid.

Graduation, earnings & student debt

6-year graduation

96.1%Fall 2019 / 2019–20 entering cohort

First-year retention

97.9%Fall 2023 entering cohort; return in fall 2024

Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry

$113,9372011–12 and 2012–13 entering cohorts; earnings in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars

Median federal debt

$13,000Federal fiscal years 2024 and 2025, pooled

Historical group figures, not individual predictions. Debt excludes private and Parent PLUS loans. Source: College Scorecard (ID 198419).

Colleges with acceptance rates similar to Duke University

Duke University accepts about 5% of applicants. These colleges have the closest reported acceptance rates.

• Northeastern University · Boston, MA5% acceptance
• Northeastern University Professional Programs · Boston, MA5% acceptance
• Vanderbilt University · Nashville, TN5% acceptance
• University of Pennsylvania · Philadelphia, PA5% acceptance
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology · Cambridge, MA5% acceptance
• Yale University · New Haven, CT5% acceptance
• University of Chicago · Chicago, IL4% acceptance
• Dartmouth College · Hanover, NH6% acceptance
• Princeton University · Princeton, NJ4% acceptance
• Johns Hopkins University · Baltimore, MD6% acceptance

Colleges with merit aid similar to Duke University

Duke University's average merit aid is not reported, so similar award amounts cannot be identified. Missing data does not mean the college offers no merit aid.