Duke University
Durham, North Carolina · Website
$97,800
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$97,800
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Duke University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Durham, North Carolina with 6,442 undergraduates and 10,976 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $29,612 a year (tuition and fees $68,758). It admits 5.7% of applicants and 97% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $97,800 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $13,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$29,612
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$68,758
US median $11,837
Admission rate
5.7%
US median 78%
Completion rate
97%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$13,000
About $138 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$97,800
Rank 56 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $29,612
- Tuition and fees
- $68,758
- Cost of attendance
- $87,072
- Students with a need-based grant
- 14%
- Students with federal loans
- 14%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $735
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- -$361
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $5,706
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $17,100
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $54,230
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $49,241 in 2015-16 to $68,758 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 5.7%
- Average SAT
- 1,548
- SAT reading, middle
- 745
- SAT math, middle
- 768
- ACT, middle
- 34
- Undergraduates
- 6,442
- Graduate students
- 10,976
- Part-time students
- 0.4%
- Women
- 54%
- Students per teacher
- 5
- Completion rate
- 97%
- Retention rate
- 98%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 240
- Endowment
- $11.9B
- Other
- Religious affiliation
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 56 of 5,094 US colleges and 1 of 147 in North Carolina (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | NC median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $29,612 | $14,086 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $68,758 | $6,906 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 5.7% | 75% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 97% | 48% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 98% | 72% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $13,000 | $20,000 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $85,792 | $31,569 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $97,800 | $36,048 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 89% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 91% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
240 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 999 | $66,943 | $104,689 | $152,389 | $124,807 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 410 | $13,500 | $133,356 | $195,809 | $107,009 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, OtherBachelor's | Bachelor's | 281 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Engineering-Related FieldsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 266 | $42,568 | $110,977 | $144,681 | $125,651 |
| LawProfessional | Professional | 238 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 229 | $80,630 | $171,948 | $222,160 | $103,485 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 224 | $18,750 | $77,288 | $87,763 | $88,910 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingMaster's | Master's | 208 | $89,495 | $109,702 | $122,410 | $120,193 |
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 199 | $13,187 | $98,649 | $161,149 | $82,686 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchMaster's | Master's | 188 | $48,310 | $67,458 | $96,411 | $74,607 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 169 | $12,500 | $30,939 | $83,192 | $57,214 |
| Public Policy AnalysisBachelor's | Bachelor's | 144 | $10,500 | $60,501 | $103,071 | $73,721 |
| Public Policy AnalysisMaster's | Master's | 143 | $66,331 | $85,125 | $109,274 | $93,020 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 142 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $133,654 |
| Theological and Ministerial StudiesMaster's | Master's | 136 | $53,550 | $44,015 | $58,405 | $61,300 |
| Research and Experimental PsychologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 133 | $12,125 | $39,359 | Withheld | - |
| MedicineProfessional | Professional | 117 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 111 | $14,016 | $54,970 | $88,459 | $63,293 |
| Computer EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 110 | $14,500 | $111,145 | $174,522 | $109,015 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional StudiesMaster's | Master's | 107 | Withheld | $213,539 | Withheld | $101,000 |
| Biomedical/Medical EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 106 | Withheld | $89,528 | $112,081 | $106,375 |
| Biomedical/Medical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 102 | $13,894 | $69,873 | $105,921 | $93,451 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 99 | $78,343 | $124,154 | $137,549 | $126,911 |
| Neurobiology and NeurosciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 95 | $12,645 | $37,208 | $73,140 | $62,451 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsProfessional | Professional | 92 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: North Carolina on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in North Carolina
- Homes: Homes for sale in North Carolina
Questions and answers
How much does Duke University cost?
$29,612 a year is the average net price at Duke University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $68,758, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $87,072. Families earning under $30,000 pay $735 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Duke University?
5.7% of applicants are admitted to Duke University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,548 and the middle ACT score is 34. The median admission rate of colleges in North Carolina is 75%.
How much do Duke University graduates earn?
$97,800 a year is the median pay of former Duke University students who work, 10 years after they started ($85,792 after 6 years). That ranks 56 of 5,094 US colleges and 1 of 147 in North Carolina. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Master's) at $213,539.
How much student debt do Duke University graduates have?
$13,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Duke University graduates, about $138 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 14% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Duke University?
97% of first-time, full-time students at Duke University finish within 6 years. 98% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Duke University?
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (999 master's graduates), Computer Science (410 bachelor's graduates), Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (281 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 240 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.