If you’re outside of the United States and want to come to college in the U.S., it may be pretty intimidating. The college admissions process in the U.S. is hectic, to put it lightly. Different schools have different expectations and requirements, and you need to keep it all straight. In this post, we’ll make it a little easier for you to apply to Duke as an international student.
Duke is a top-tier research university where over half of students take part in faculty-mentored research projects. Based in Durham, North Carolina, Duke has a sprawling 8,600+ acre campus and is known be a perfect mix of top academics, top community, and top sports culture. If you like watching your school win, Duke is a good place to be. First-year students build a strong connection to the school with the help of the way the campus is structured. All first-year students live in the same community, with their own green spaces, residence halls, dining halls, and even tennis courts, a café, and a theater. They build a tightly knit class by design, and this serves them throughout their time at Duke. But students aren’t stuck on campus — over 50% of Duke students do a study abroad program.
If this sounds exciting to you, you aren’t alone. Duke receives nearly 50,000 applications, but only accepts 6.3% of applicants. Of those accepted students who choose to enroll, 13% went to school outside of the U.S.
Duke loves international students, and we want to help you become one that they want on campus. If you see Duke in your future, send us an email.
What is Duke looking for in International Students?
Duke keeps things simple. They believe that, “Great communities—and great universities—celebrate differences.” Ultimately, that shows in the class makeup. About 14% of all Duke students are international students. Below, we’ll dive into the specifics of how to become one of them.
Courses + Grades
Let’s make it simple, because there is no point in beating around the bush. Duke expects A’s. They want to see a transcript with all, or nearly all, A’s — especially in your third and the beginning of your final year. There can be a blip early in your secondary school career that you can write about as a challenge you persevered through, but they still expect to see As in the end. Anything else requires some explanation, and if you have to explain more than one thing, Duke may not be a great fit.
Getting As isn’t enough, though. They want to see top grades in the hardest courses you can take at your school. That said, they don’t have requirements for course distribution, but they expect to see multiple years of all the regular things: English or literature, mathematics, science, foreign language, and social studies. So, keep these three things in mind: breadth of study, difficulty of courses, and exceptional grades. That’s what Duke wants.
Extracurriculars
When it comes to extracurriculars, Duke really cares about service. They want to see you do what you love and pursue your passions and excel in those activities, but they especially want to see you use those passions to give back. If you are already involved in community service, lean in further and make sure to focus. They don’t want to see you dipping in and out of opportunities without any long-term commitment or follow-through. Instead, they look for students who have identified need in their community and are working over an extended period of time to address it using their own unique skills and passions.
Ideally, the need you identify also connects to what you want to study in college — but you don’t need to take that too literally. If you want to study psychology, volunteer with people. If you want to study English, volunteer in a library. If you want to study math, tutor younger students. Whatever you choose, commit, and see it through. Try to work with a program or organization for at least 6 months, or ideally a year or more.
Service to your community should be a cornerstone of your extracurriculars, but that isn’t the whole game. Pursue what you are inspired by across the board, while showing that you can commit to your activities, and to serving your community, long-term in a way that is relevant to what you want to study. This is what Duke wants to see.
Standardized Tests
Duke was test-optional due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but it’s not clear what they’ll be doing going forward. While some similarly prestigious schools have decided to stay test-optional for the foreseeable future, Duke is keeping us guessing. That said, most students who are admitted and enrolled submit scores. Which tells us something: Duke cares about scores. That said, they advise you not to submit your scores unless they measure up well against those of recently admitted students. So, do yours measure up?
In the 2022-2023 application cycle, the middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores was:
SAT – 1520-1570
ACT – 34-35
What this means is that 25% of admitted students who enrolled fell below that range, and 25% were above. You do not want to go into applying to Duke as part of that 25% below. Instead, study and prep to be in the middle 50 or above.
Final Thoughts
A few final things to know when you’re applying to Duke. First, financial aid. Financial aid is always a bit complicated, and even more so for international students. Luckily, Duke wants to make it simple. They have a fill-in-the-blank ‘quiz’ to guide you towards what your financial aid options are. If you are at all confused, you can reach out to the admissions office to ask for clarification — but don’t reach out to admissions just to say “hi.” The Duke Office of Admissions is really clear that they do not want students to reach out directly to their team. Let your application do the talking, and show why you’re a good match for Duke in your essays. They want to be able to tell that you know Duke, and can see how you’ll fit into the community and stand out on campus.
As you’re preparing to apply, keep in mind that Early Decision is a powerful tool. While the overall acceptance rate is 6.3%, the ED acceptance rate is 16.5% (the regular decision acceptance rate is 5.2% by comparison).
Being international comes with all the same expectations as domestic applicant with a few more hurdles to jump over, but there’s no reason to trip. You’ve got this.
As you’re applying to college in the U.S., you need to remember that simply being from outside of the country isn’t interesting on its own. You need to tell your story alongside making the case for yourself with your grades and scores.
We specialize in helping students tell their unique stories, so reach out.