Duke Accepts 469 Early Decision Applicants
The students accepted through the early decision process will comprise about 28 percent of Duke’s next entering class
Thursday, December 14, 2006
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Durham, NC -- More than 460 high school seniors from around the world are being notified this week that they are the first members of Duke University’s Class of 2011.
This year, 1,198 seniors applied for admission and 469 were admitted under Duke’s Early Decision program -- those students who know they want to attend Duke and commit to enroll at the university if they receive an offer of admission.
As it has done for the past four years, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions is notifying students of their admissions decisions online as well as through the mail. Using a password-protected portion of the admissions office website, applicants can check their decisions beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14. Typically, well over half of the early decision applicants view their online decision letters within the first 15 minutes.
Of the students admitted this December, 25 percent are students of color, representing a record for Early Decision. Thirty-six percent applied for financial aid, an increase over last year’s 34 percent, and 14 percent of the admitted students plan to study engineering. The group is split almost evenly between women and men, with women representing 52 percent of the admitted students and men 48 percent.
The most highly represented states are North Carolina, New York, Florida, Virginia and Massachusetts. Students from overseas comprise 7 percent of the students admitted. In addition to admitting 469 students, Duke denied admission to 269 and deferred admission on 460 others until the spring.
“Each year, I am impressed with the academic quality and accomplishments of those who apply early decision,” said Christoph Guttentag, dean of undergraduate admissions. “I was also struck this year by the diversity of backgrounds represented among our applicants. These students will not only bring their special enthusiasm for Duke to campus, they will also bring a wide range of interests and experiences that will enrich their classmates and the Duke community as a whole.”
The 1,198 applications received this year represent a decline from last year’s record of 1,496 applicants.
Guttentag noted that the process of selecting students is not affected by the number of applicants. “We did not go into the selection process with a target for how many students we would admit Early Decision,” he said, “We make our decision for each application individually, and see where we end up when the process concludes.”
“I’m pleased, but not surprised, that the overall quality of the students we’ve admitted is the same as last year,” Guttentag said. “It’s a reflection of the continued interest in Duke as a first-choice college for a lot of very talented young women and men.”
The students accepted through the early decision process will comprise about 28 percent of Duke’s next entering class, a level that is the same as for recent Duke classes and lower than at many other leading colleges and universities. In the spring, Duke’s admissions committee expects to choose from more than 10 times as many applicants to round out the Class of 2011. Duke plans to enroll a class of about 1,665 students in the fall.
