Duke University: Narrative Description

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DUKE UNIVERSITY C-9

Durham, NC 27708-0586
Tel: (919)684-8111; Admissions: (919)684-3214; Fax: (919)681-8941; E-mail: askduke@admiss.duke.edu; Web Site: http://www.duke.edu/

Description: Independent, university, coed, affiliated with United Methodist Church. Awards bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and first professional degrees and post-master's certificates. Founded 1838. Setting: 8,500-acre suburban campus. Endowment: $2.6 billion. Research spending 2002-03: $368.7 million. Total enrollment: 12,398. Faculty: (958 full-time). Student-undergrad faculty ratio is 11:1. 16,729 applied, 23% were admitted. 89% from top 10% of their high school class, 98% from top quarter, 100% from top half. 197 valedictorians. Full-time: 6,169 students, 49% women, 51% men. Part-time: 79 students, 56% women, 44% men. Students come from 53 states and territories, 84 other countries, 85% from out-of-state, 0.3% Native American, 7% Hispanic, 10% black, 12% Asian American or Pacific Islander, 5% international, 0.3% 25 or older, 82% live on campus, 1% transferred in. Retention: 96% of 2003 full-time freshmen returned. Academic areas with the most degrees conferred: social sciences and history; engineering/engineering technologies; protective services/public administration. Core. Calendar: semesters. ESL program, services for LD students, advanced placement, accelerated degree program, self-designed majors, honors program, independent study, distance learning, summer session for credit, part-time degree program, adult/continuing education programs, internships, graduate courses open to undergrads. Off campus study at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina Central University, North Carolina State University, Howard University. Study abroad program. ROTC: Army, Air Force.

Entrance Requirements: Options: Common Application, electronic application, early admission, early decision, deferred admission, international baccalaureate accepted. Required: essay, high school transcript, 3 recommendations, SAT I or ACT. Recommended: minimum 3.0 high school GPA, interview, audition tape for applicants with outstanding dance, dramatic, or musical talent; slides of artwork. Required for some: SAT II: Subject Tests, SAT II: Writing Test. Entrance: most difficult. Application deadlines: 1/2, 11/1 for early decision. Notification: 4/15, 12/15 for early decision. Preference given to children of alumni, minorities, state residents.

Costs Per Year: Application fee: $70. Comprehensive fee: $37,555 includes full-time tuition ($28,475), mandatory fees ($870), and college room and board ($8210). College room only: $4430. Full-time tuition and fees vary according to program. Room and board charges vary according to board plan and housing facility. Part-time tuition: $3560 per course. Part-time tuition varies according to program.

Collegiate Environment: Orientation program. Drama-theater group, choral group, marching band, student-run newspaper, radio station. Social organizations: 350 open to all; national fraternities, national sororities; 29% of eligible men and 42% of eligible women are members. Major annual events: homecoming, Parents' Weekend, Oktoberfest. Student services: legal services, health clinic, personal-psychological counseling, women's center. Campus security: 24-hour emergency response devices and patrols, late night transport-escort service, controlled dormitory access. 5,371 college housing spaces available; 4,980 were occupied in 2002-03. Freshmen guaranteed college housing. On-campus residence required through junior year. Options: coed, men-only, women-only housing available. Perkins Library plus 11 others with 5.1 million books, 3.9 million microform titles, 28,274 serials, 472,618 audiovisual materials, an OPAC, and a Web page. Operations spending 2002-03: $30.5 million. 600 computers available on campus for general student use. Computer purchase/lease plans available. A campuswide network can be accessed from student residence rooms and from off campus. Staffed computer lab on campus.

Community Environment: Durham, North Carolina, a city of about 200,000 people, is approximately 250 miles south of Washington, D.C. Durham and nearby Raleigh and Chapel Hill constitute the three points of what is known as the Research Triangle, one of the nation's foremost centers for research-oriented industries and government, research, and regulatory agencies. The combined population of the Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill area is one million. Two major interstates and the Raleigh-Durham International Airport (a 20-minute drive from campus) make Durham easily accessible from almost anywhere in the United States. Nationally known hospitals and clinics, including the Duke University Medical Center, make Durham a center for medicine. Other community facilities include numerous churches, museums, parks, shopping areas, an arts center, and major civic and service organizations. Both beaches and mountains are within a three-hour drive.

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