Record number of students apply to Duke this year

Duke received 34,300 applications this year—a record number, the University announced Wednesday.

This record is almost seven percent higher than the number of applications last year. Almost 31,000 students applied by the regular decision deadline Jan. 3, and the rest had already applied under the early decision process.

Students of color made up almost 55 percent of applicants, which is nearly three percent higher than last year. There was also a 22 percent increase in Latino applicants and a 12 percent increase in international student applicants this year.

“In two of the last three years, students of color have made up 50 percent of the incoming first-year class,” said Christoph Guttentag, dean of undergraduate admissions, in a Duke Today release. “This is a place with a significant representation of people of color, and a welcoming place for the wide range of backgrounds and experiences we find among talented students.”