Admissions · United States
Duke Acceptance Rate: Admissions Statistics and English Requirements
Duke admitted 5.2% of first-year applicants for fall 2025: 2,910 of 55,541, according to its Common Data Set.
Duke publishes its admissions figures in the Common Data Set, released by the Office of Institutional Research after each class enrolls; the newest covers fall 2025. Below are the last three cycles, the early decision, in-state, international and transfer figures Duke has published, what the 2025-26 edition leaves blank, and the TOEFL and IELTS scores Duke lists.
Figures read from official sources on · LingoLeap Admissions Research
Duke University acceptance rate by year
Duke acceptance rate by round and applicant group
| Group | Cycle | Rate | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Decision | Fall 2024 entering class | 17.3% | 1,042 admitted of 6,013 ED applicants source |
| Early Decision | Fall 2023 entering class | 19.7% | 962 admitted of 4,881 ED applicants; Duke notes the 962 includes QuestBridge National College Match admits and applicants who applied ED but were admitted in the regular round source |
| North Carolina residents | Fall 2024 entering class | 7.9% | 377 admitted of 4,748 source |
| Out-of-state (US) | Fall 2024 entering class | 6.3% | 1,995 admitted of 31,906 source |
| International | Fall 2024 entering class | 3.9% | 585 admitted of 15,141 source |
| North Carolina residents | Fall 2023 entering class | 10.0% | 376 admitted of 3,765 source |
| Out-of-state (US) | Fall 2023 entering class | 7.4% | 2,370 admitted of 32,191 source |
| International | Fall 2023 entering class | 3.8% | 399 admitted of 10,410 source |
| Yield (admits who enrolled) | Fall 2025 entering class | 60.1% | 1,749 enrolled of 2,910 admitted source |
| Yield (admits who enrolled) | Fall 2024 entering class | 58.8% | 1,740 enrolled of 2,957 admitted source |
| Yield (admits who enrolled) | Fall 2023 entering class | 55.4% | 1,742 enrolled of 3,145 admitted source |
| Transfer | Fall 2025 | 8.7% | 157 admitted of 1,812 source |
| Transfer | Fall 2024 | 4.0% | 92 admitted of 2,285 source |
| Transfer | Fall 2023 | 4.8% | 88 admitted of 1,828 source |
What the numbers mean
Duke's acceptance rate has fallen as applications have grown: from 6.8% for fall 2023 (46,366 applicants) to 5.2% for fall 2025 (55,541). Duke admitted about the same number of students each year, between 2,910 and 3,145, so the extra applicants went into a pool that did not grow. Yield rose from 55.4% to 60.1% over the same three cycles.
The 2025-26 Common Data Set leaves three tables blank: the residency split (in-state, out-of-state, international), the wait list and Early Decision. This page therefore shows the Early Decision and residency figures from the fall 2024 and fall 2023 editions only, and does not estimate fall 2025 values. Duke's published wait-list data is also thin: the fall 2023 edition reports 2,266 applicants offered a place and leaves the accepted and admitted lines blank, and the fall 2024 edition leaves them all blank.
Early Decision is binding. Duke reported 17.3% admitted for fall 2024 (1,042 of 6,013) and 19.7% for fall 2023 (962 of 4,881), about three times the overall rate, but the early pool is self-selected and the fall 2023 figure includes QuestBridge match admits and applicants admitted in the regular round, so it overstates the pure ED rate. International applicants were admitted at 3.9% for fall 2024 (585 of 15,141), against 7.9% for North Carolina residents.
Duke recommends but does not require an English proficiency test for non-native speakers or students not in an English-medium curriculum. Its admissions page lists TOEFL iBT 100, IELTS 7, Duolingo 130, PTE Academic 70 and Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency 180, and does not restate the TOEFL figure on the 2026 1–6 scale.
Duke University TOEFL and IELTS requirements
Minimums for international applicants from the university's own pages. Since 21 January 2026 TOEFL iBT reports a 1–6 band score; the notes give the older 0–120 equivalent where the university states one. Convert TOEFL and IELTS scores.
Undergraduate (first-year)
TOEFL iBT: 100 on the 0–120 scale. Duke's page does not restate this on the 1–6 scale used for tests taken from 21 January 2026.
IELTS Academic: 7
Recommended, not required, for non-native English speakers and students not in an English-medium curriculum. Also listed: Duolingo 130, PTE Academic 70, Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency 180, and 75 on the revised paper-delivered TOEFL.
Duke Undergraduate Admissions: Apply (English proficiency tests) · checked 9 October 2026
Check your score against Duke University
Take a free 2026-format TOEFL mock test for a 1–6 band estimate, then compare it with the minimum above and with other universities' requirements.
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What is Duke's acceptance rate?
Duke admitted 2,910 of 55,541 first-year applicants for fall 2025, an acceptance rate of 5.2%, according to its Common Data Set. The rate was 5.7% for fall 2024 and 6.8% for fall 2023.
What is Duke's early decision acceptance rate?
The 2025-26 Common Data Set leaves the Early Decision lines blank. The fall 2024 edition reports 1,042 admitted of 6,013 ED applicants (17.3%), and the fall 2023 edition 962 of 4,881 (19.7%, including QuestBridge match admits and applicants admitted in the regular round).
What is Duke's international acceptance rate?
Duke reported 585 international admits of 15,141 applicants for fall 2024 (3.9%) and 399 of 10,410 for fall 2023 (3.8%). The 2025-26 edition leaves the residency table blank, so there is no published fall 2025 international rate.
What is Duke's transfer acceptance rate?
Duke admitted 157 of 1,812 transfer applicants for fall 2025 (8.7%), 92 of 2,285 for fall 2024 (4.0%) and 88 of 1,828 for fall 2023 (4.8%).
What is Duke's waitlist acceptance rate?
Duke does not publish enough to compute one. Its fall 2023 Common Data Set reports 2,266 applicants offered a wait-list place but leaves the accepted and admitted lines blank, and the fall 2024 and fall 2025 editions leave the wait-list lines blank.
What is Duke's yield?
For fall 2025, 1,749 of 2,910 admitted students enrolled, a yield of 60.1%. It was 58.8% for fall 2024 and 55.4% for fall 2023.
What TOEFL score does Duke require?
Duke does not require an English test, but recommends one for non-native English speakers or students not in an English-medium curriculum. The scores it lists are TOEFL iBT 100, IELTS 7, Duolingo 130, PTE Academic 70 and Cambridge 180. The page does not give the equivalent on the 2026 1–6 TOEFL scale.