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Welcoming Duke's Class of 2023 and Its Record of Engagement and Results

University offers regular decision admissions to nearly 2,200 students

Welcome to the Class of 2023

Nearly 2,200 high school seniors from across the country and around the world who go online at 7 p.m. ET March 28 will learn they have been accepted to Duke University.

More than 41,600 students applied for admission this year -- the highest number ever received -- with 36,761 applying under Duke’s Regular Decision program. Among the Regular Decision applicant pool, 2,101 students -- or 5.7 percent -- will receive a notice of acceptance inviting them to become members of the Class of 2023. Another 81 students who applied Early Decision and whose decisions were deferred to March will also learn they have been admitted.

These students have until May 1 to make their final decisions.

In December, more than 880 students were admitted under the university's binding Early Decision program.

“My staff and I were struck by the impact the students who applied to Duke this year have already had,” said Christoph Guttentag, dean of undergraduate admissions. “We knew that they would have impressive academic records and show a strong commitment to their activities. What stood out for us was that many of them went beyond that to make a measurable impact on their communities. They really want to make things better. Not surprisingly, programs like Duke Engage, Bass Connections and Focus captured their imagination.”

"What stood out for us was that many of them went beyond that to make a measurable impact on their communities. They really want to make things better. Not surprisingly, programs like Duke Engage, Bass Connections and Focus captured their imagination."
-- Christoph Guttentag

This was the third year that Duke participated in the QuestBridge Scholars program, the seventh year of Duke’s partnership with the KIPP program and the third year of the Rubenstein Scholars program. Together these programs identify and support between 75 and 100 first-year students a year, with an emphasis on low-income and first-generation students.

“One of the strengths of Duke is its responsiveness to students and their ideas,” Guttentag said. “It’s important that a wide range of experiences and voices are part of the conversation here. We want to make sure that smart, engaged students from everywhere think of Duke and that they find a home at Duke. That’s work that’s never finished, and I’m proud of the commitment the university has made in this area.”

In the current academic year, Duke expects to invest more than $175 million in university funds to support undergraduate financial aid. Around half of all Duke students from a wide range of family incomes are receiving some form of financial assistance from the university this year, making the average net cost for those students receiving need-based aid less than $20,000.

Duke is among the few institutions nationally committed to a need-blind admissions policy, under which the university accepts U.S. students without regard to their ability to pay for college and then fully meets their demonstrated financial need. That aid includes support for study abroad, summer programs and other components of the undergraduate experience.

All applicants can receive their decisions online, but only admitted students will receive mailed letters. As in previous recent years, students can reply online to offers of admission or to be placed on the waiting list.

All students admitted under Regular Decision are invited to attend Blue Devil Days in April.