Duke admits 855 students to Class of 2026 through Early Decision application cycle

Duke admitted 855 students to the Class of 2026 through the Early Decision application cycle, per a Thursday afternoon press release.

With 4,015 Early Decision applications, the new students represent a 21% acceptance rate, four percent higher than the 17% rate for the Class of 2025. The Class of 2024 also had a 21% Early Decision acceptance rate.

Of the 855 admitted students, 695 plan to enroll in Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, while 160 will join the Pratt School of Engineering. Forty-two of the admitted students were admitted through the QuestBridge National College Match program, while the other 813 applied as Early Decision applicants.

Students who apply through the Early Decision application cycle must enroll at Duke upon receiving their acceptance.

“We believe this will be one of the most influential classes to attend Duke, and the group we’ve admitted through the Early Decision and QuestBridge program will very much set the tone,” Dean of Admissions Christoph Guttentag said in the release.

The states most represented by the Early Decision admits are New York, North Carolina, California, Florida and Texas.

Guttentag did not respond to multiple requests for comment by The Chronicle about trends in applications and how acceptances have been affected by students deferring matriculation.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

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