The applications are in with a record number of Duke hopefuls for the Class of 2016.
Duke admissions saw a 6 percent increase in the total number of applications from last year—2,656 students applied early decision and 28,909 applied regular decision—for a total of 31,565 applicants competing for a target 1,705 spots. The number of regular decision applicants increased by 5 percent from last year—a 4.6 percent increase for the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences and a 13.8 percent increase for the Pratt School of Engineering.
Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Christoph Guttentag said he expects the regular decision admit rate to be around 11 percent, one percent lower than last year.
Unlike past years, this pool of applicants shows a larger increase in domestic applicants compared to the increase in international applicants.
“The overwhelming majority of the increase this year is among U.S. students,” Guttentag said. “This is the first year in awhile where the increase among U.S. students has been proportionally greater than that of international students by a significant amount.”
The majority of U.S. student applicants come from California, with a significant number from North Carolina and New York. This distribution of the applicant pool is pretty typical, Guttentag said.
“Regular decision applicants tend to be a more economically diverse and geographically diverse group of applicants,” he said. “Because we have a binding early decision program, there are always students who feel that they cannot make that level of commitment through early decision. If you’re close by and had a chance to visit the campus, it’s easier to [apply early decision].”
Georgia applicant Alex Huhman, a senior at the Westminster Schools, was able to visit Duke, but she said she decided to apply regular decision for different reasons.
“I have to wait to hear about scholarships before I can decide where I can go,” Huhman said.
Although much data on regular decision has not yet been released, many universities—including Harvard University, Princeton University, Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania—have seen decreased rates for early acceptance programs. Northwestern University expects to see a 3 percent increase in regular decision applicants from last year, totalling nearly 32,000 applications.
“It’s always really exciting to realize that we’re creating the Duke student body and that there are over 31,000 students who want to be a part of it,” said Michael Schoenfeld, vice president of public affairs and government relations.
Duke’s best asset is its students, said Steve Nowicki, dean and vice provost of undergraduate education.
“At Duke, we’re looking for more than just really smart students—we’re looking for students who want to be engaged,” Nowicki said. “We see that in many different divisions and in the passion to which they bring to their work in and outside of the classroom.”
Applicants will receive their admissions decisions April 1.
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