Duke University

Duke University is a private school founded in 1838. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 6,488 (Fall 2023) and a campus of 8,693 acres. The university operates on a semester-based academic calendar. Duke University is ranked #6 in National Universities in the 2025 edition of Best Colleges. Tuition and fees are $69,140.

The city of Durham, North Carolina, which surrounds the Duke University campus, offers a variety of activities, including shopping, dining and entertainment. Its nickname "City of Bulls" comes from the Blackwell Tobacco Company's Bull Durham tobacco. Duke students are required to live on campus for their first three years, with freshmen living on East Campus. The Duke Blue Devils maintain a fierce rivalry with the Tar Heels of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and are known for their outstanding men's basketball program, which is among the top five most winning college basketball programs in the nation. Duke has more than 700 student groups, including fraternities and sororities, athletic clubs, and a variety of other interest organizations.

Duke University is organized into 10 colleges, many of which serve both undergraduate and graduate students. Its graduate programs include the highly ranked Fuqua School of Business, Pratt School of Engineering, School of Law, School of Medicine, Sanford School of Public Policy, and School of Nursing. Duke also offers graduate programs through its highly regarded Divinity School and the Nicholas School of the Environment. Duke's most respected undergraduate scholarship, the Robertson Scholars Leadership Program, is available to students at both Duke and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Approximately 18 students in each class receive four-year scholarships and have access to unique academic and extracurricular opportunities at both universities. Notable alumni include Melinda Gates, co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; former NBA player Carlos Boozer; and former U.S. Congressman and three-time presidential candidate Ron Paul.