Duke University

OVERVIEW

Duke University is a private research university, owning 220 buildings on 8,610 acres of land. It has 6,526 undergraduates and 8,220 graduate and professional students, however it ranks among the ten toughest universities in the United States to get into, reported by the Huffington Post.

Founded in 1838, Duke is located in Durham, North Carolina, United States, in addition, it also has a marine lab in Beaufort.

Duke University offers degrees in bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate’s programs. The average freshman retention rate of the university is 97% and high graduation rates mainly concentrate on 5-year and 6-year graduation.

The mission of Duke University is:

To provide a superior liberal education to undergraduate students, attending not only to their intellectual growth but also to their development as adults committed to high ethical standards and full participation as leaders in their communities; to prepare future members of the learned professions for lives of skilled and ethical service by providing excellent graduate and professional education; to advance the frontiers of knowledge and contribute boldly to the international community of scholarship; to promote an intellectual environment built on a commitment to free and open inquiry; to help those who suffer, cure disease, and promote health, through sophisticated medical research and thoughtful patient care; to provide wide ranging educational opportunities, on and beyond our campuses, for traditional students, active professionals and life-long learners using the power of information technologies; and to promote a deep appreciation for the range of human difference and potential, a sense of the obligations and rewards of citizenship, and a commitment to learning, freedom and truth.

ACCREDITATION

Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award baccalaureate, masters, doctorate, and professional degrees, the university has its reaffirmation of accreditation every ten years.

ACADEMICS

Duke University comprises eleven schools:

  • Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
  • Divinity School
  • Fuqua School of Business
  • The Graduate School
  • School of Law
  • School of Medicine
  • Nicholas School of the Environment
  • School of Nursing
  • Pratt School of Engineering
  • Sanford School of Public Policy

The most popular majors and course of study for students are as follows:

  1. Economics
  2. Psychology, General
  3. Biology, General
  4. Political Science and Government
  5. Public Policy Analysis

According to the 2011 QS World University Rankings, the university ranked among the top 20 universities worldwide, and in the U.S. News and World Reportin 2012, it is the 10th in national universities.

With 71.1 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students, the university has a high rate in both full-time faculty with Ph.D or terminal degree and classes taught by graduate assistants.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants for the university are required to have taken either SAT or ACT tests, and ACT with writing test is required as well. Moreover, High school diploma is necessary while GED is not accepted. Among nonacademic factors considered extracurricular activities and talent/ability are attached great importance to.

COSTS AND FINANCIAL AID

The tuitions and fees for year 2011-2012 is USD 41,958. Students spend USD 1,340 for books on average.

With the average need-based scholarship or grant award of $35,578,, 44.8 percent of full-time undergraduates in the university receive some kind of need-based financial aid. It also provides many kinds of need-based scholarships from state, individuals and the university, at the same time students can choose to apply for loans.

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