Duke has accepted 861 high school seniors into the Class of 2021.
A record number of 3,516 students applied early decision this year, which is two percent more than last year. New York is the most represented state followed by North Carolina and Florida.
Students of color make up 41 percent of the admitted students—also a record high—and international students comprise seven percent.
“Overall, this year’s group of students admitted early decision will create a wonderful foundation for the Class of 2021—talented, enthusiastic, diverse and interested in taking full advantage of what Duke has to offer,” said, Christoph Guttentag, dean of undergraduate admissions, in a Duke Today release.
The admission rate for early decision this year was 24.5 percent, which was the second most selective early decision process in Duke's history.
Last year, 3,455 students applied early decision, and 813 were admitted—an acceptance rate of 23.5 percent. The early decision acceptance rates for the Class of 2019 and Class of 2018 were 26 percent and 25 percent, respectively.
This year, 691 students will enroll in the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, and the remaining 170 will enroll in the Pratt School of Engineering.
Duke participated in the QuestBridge Scholars program, a recruitment program geared toward low-income and first-generation students, for the first time this year. There are 36 QuestBridge Scholars among the students accepted early decision.
“These are exceptional young women and men. Becoming a QuestBridge Scholar is a real accomplishment,” Guttentag said in the release. “These are very strong students, deeply engaged in their schools and communities and very accomplished both in the classroom and in their activities, typically in spite of some very significant challenges in their lives.
Students admitted through early decision will make up 50 percent of the class of 2021.
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