Duke acceptance rate
Durham, NC · Last updated 2026-05-21
At a glance
Duke's acceptance rate is 5.1% for the Class of 2029 — the most recent officially reported figure.
Duke is one of the few top-10s that still talks about its acceptance rate like a normal school.
What is Duke's acceptance rate?
Duke's most recently reported acceptance rate is 5.1% for the Class of 2029. Duke fills roughly half of each class through Early Decision, which structurally pushes the Regular Decision rate well below the headline number.
Five-year history
| Class | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 5.61% |
| 2026 | 5.09% |
| 2027 | ~6.0% |
| 2028 | ~5.7% |
| 2029 | 5.10% |
What's driving the trend
Duke has stopped releasing detailed ED vs RD splits for some recent cycles, which makes the public number harder to compare across years. The structural story is unchanged: ED dominance keeps yield high and admits low.
Prediction markets on Duke
Watchlist: does Duke's headline rate drop below 5%, and does Duke ever return to a single-press-release ED/RD reporting cadence.
Related
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