Admissions Factors

What Duke Looks For

Duke rates 6 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, recommendations, extracurricular activities, talent or ability and character and personal qualities.

How Duke rates each factor

Each college sorts 18 factors into four levels on its Common Data Set.

Very important

Important

Considered

Not considered

Religious affiliation

The numbers behind the class

Overall admit rate

5.2%

2,910 of 55,541 applicants

Early decision admit rate

Not reported

Admitted from the waitlist

Not reported

Email me what Duke looks for

A link to this page, plus the comparison table for every college we track.

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Frequently asked questions

What does Duke look for in applicants?

Duke rates 6 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, recommendations, extracurricular activities, talent or ability and character and personal qualities.

Does Duke consider legacy status?

Duke rates alumni relation as "considered" in its 2025-26 Common Data Set.

Does Duke track demonstrated interest?

Duke rates the level of an applicant's interest as "considered".

Source: Duke’s own Common Data Set 2025-26, Section C. Last checked 2026-10-08. The ratings are the college’s own description of its process. Counts are for one entering class.