Address: 401 Chapel Drive, 27708 Durham, North Carolina, United States
Medicine, Law, Business (Fuqua)
Established in 1838, with roots in Trinity College, Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. It is renowned for its medical school, law school, business school (Fuqua), and strong programs in arts and sciences, public policy, and engineering, set on a large, forested campus.
Duke University traces its roots to a small school in Randolph County, North Carolina, founded in 1838 and later known as Trinity College. The college moved to Durham in 1892, and in 1924 the tobacco and electric-power businessman James B. Duke created a large endowment, which led to the new name and the building of the West Campus. Its Gothic stone buildings and the 64-metre tower of Duke Chapel dominate a campus set in a forest of 2,000 hectares including woodland. It has about 17,000 students and 15,000 staff, counting the health system.
The university is a leader in medicine. The Duke University Hospital and School of Medicine opened in 1930, and today the Duke Health system is among the largest employers in the region. The Nicholas School of the Environment, the Sanford School of Public Policy, the Fuqua School of Business, the School of Law and the Pratt School of Engineering are the other leading units. The Duke Lemur Center, the largest sanctuary for rare primates outside Madagascar, is a research facility on the campus.
Duke sits in the Research Triangle, with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, and the three universities exchange students and researchers. The Research Triangle Park nearby hosts laboratories and technology companies. The university has also expanded abroad, with Duke Kunshan University in China, a joint venture with Wuhan University, and with a marine laboratory on the coast at Beaufort.
The basketball team, the Blue Devils, is famous across the country, and Cameron Indoor Stadium, a small and loud arena, is known for its student section, the Cameron Crazies. The rivalry with North Carolina is among the best known in college sport. Mike Krzyzewski coached the team for more than four decades.
Admission is selective. Financial aid is largely need-based. Check the current tariff for tuition. Teaching is in English.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Bioengineering, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Life Sciences, Project Management, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Private
Partnerships:
Located in the Research Triangle. World-renowned Duke University Health System. Strong programs in public policy (Sanford School) and environmental science (Nicholas School). Member of AAU.
Research:
A leading research university with exceptional strengths in medical research, biomedical engineering, genomics, public policy, environmental science, and law. Very high research activity.
Famous Alumnis:
Richard Nixon (Law School), Melinda French Gates, Tim Cook, Grant Hill, Elizabeth Dole, Ken Jeong
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
15200
Current students***:
17200
Foreign students***:
20%
Cumulative former students***:
175000
Pros
Top-ranked private university with excellent medical, law, and business schools; strong research enterprise; beautiful Gothic and Georgian campus architecture; strong athletics (Blue Devils).
Cons
Highly competitive admissions, can have a pre-professional atmosphere, Durham is a smaller city than some other top university locations, can be expensive.
Best For
Students seeking a prestigious private university education with strong programs in medicine, law, business, public policy, or engineering, in a research-intensive environment with a strong campus community.
In terms of fields, University of Pennsylvania is the nearest neighbour, with bioengineering, project management and life sciences again at the core; it covers engineering as well, and is larger, enrolling about 28,200 students against roughly 17,200 here.
The comparison with Johns Hopkins University is straightforward on subjects, since both focus on bioengineering, project management and life sciences, and it is larger, enrolling about 31,500 students against roughly 17,200 here, and is also a private institution.
Among national alternatives, Washington University in St. Louis stands out for its focus on bioengineering, life sciences and data analytics, and it is also a private institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes.
Northwestern University takes a similar route through project management, life sciences and data analytics, and it is also a private institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
On content, Columbia University and this institution are close, as both teach project management, life sciences and data analytics; it is also a private institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Looking internationally, Austral University in Argentina is where bioengineering, project management and life sciences get a comparable treatment; it is also a private institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
In Taiwan, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University teaches much the same core subjects, bioengineering, life sciences and data analytics, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers optics and electrical and electronics as well.
A foreign alternative with a similar emphasis on ecology and sustainability, life sciences and data analytics is Lancaster University in the United Kingdom, and it has almost the same size, at about 16,500 students, and is public, whereas this university is private.
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham offers an international parallel to this institution, with bioengineering, life sciences and data analytics as common ground; it is slightly larger, at about 24,000 students against roughly 17,200 here, and is also a private institution.
On content, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel and this institution are close, as both teach ecology and sustainability, life sciences and data analytics; it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers agriculture and nanotechnologies as well.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is Duke University?
In Durham, North Carolina.
When did it move to Durham?
In 1892, when it was still Trinity College.
Who financed its growth?
The businessman James B. Duke, who created a large endowment in 1924.
How large is it?
About 17,000 students and 15,000 staff.
What is Duke Chapel?
A Gothic chapel whose 64-metre tower dominates the West Campus.
What is the Duke Lemur Center?
A research facility on the campus and the largest sanctuary for rare primates outside Madagascar.
What is the Research Triangle?
The area linking Duke, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University.
Does Duke have a campus abroad?
Yes. Duke Kunshan University in China is a joint venture with Wuhan University.
Who coached the basketball team for decades?
Mike Krzyzewski, for more than four decades.
How is financial aid decided?
It is largely need-based. Check the current tariff for tuition.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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