Duke University
Durham, North Carolina · Founded 1924
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Test-optional
Duke is test-optional for both first-year and transfer applicants in the 2026-2027 cycle, and says plainly that applying without scores is not a disadvantage: decisions rest on the whole application either way. Scores are considered when you do send them, and self-reported scores are accepted until you enroll. Students taking the ACT are encouraged - not required - to include the science section if they are interested in STEM. Source: admissions.duke.edu (verified September 2026).
About
Duke is a medium-sized research university built around two undergraduate schools - Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and the Pratt School of Engineering - and every undergraduate takes classes in Trinity whichever one they enter. The catalog runs to 69 majors, 59 minors and 23 certificates, and students are encouraged to combine up to three of them.
History
Duke traces its roots to Union Institute, opened in 1838 by Methodist and Quaker families in rural North Carolina, which became Trinity College and moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924 James Buchanan Duke established The Duke Endowment as a memorial to his father, Washington Duke, and Trinity became Duke University. The Gothic West Campus and Duke Chapel were built in the years that followed.
What stands out
- Two undergraduate schools: Trinity College and the Pratt School of Engineering
- 69 majors, 59 minors and 23 certificates, combinable up to three at a time
- QuadEx: every student belongs to one of seven quads for all four years
- A first year spent entirely on East Campus, apart from the rest of the university
- Duke Chapel and the Gothic West Campus built in the 1920s and 1930s
Popular majors
Campus life
Every student belongs to one of seven quads through QuadEx, Duke's residential model, and stays with that community for all four years. Athletics are a genuine part of campus life - 27 varsity teams and a long run of national championships - and the student-built benches in front of the residence halls are a tradition of their own.