Princton vs Duke University

Princeton University and Duke University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Princeton, known for its rigorous academics and strong emphasis on undergraduate research, boasts an acceptance rate of 5.8% and a graduation rate of 95%. Duke, renowned for its interdisciplinary approach and vibrant campus life, has an acceptance rate of 8.2% and a graduation rate of 94%. While both universities excel in STEM fields, Princeton is particularly strong in engineering and natural sciences, while Duke is known for its biomedical engineering and public policy programs. Princeton's student body is slightly smaller and more international, with 5,261 undergraduates representing 65 countries, while Duke's 6,738 undergraduates come from 48 states and 82 countries. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these prestigious universities and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Duke University	Princeton University
Overview
Location	Durham, North Carolina	Princeton, New Jersey
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	98.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	5.9%	4.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $95	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1468 - 1558	1460 - 1570
ACT range	33 - 35	33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	47.0%	56.0%
Students submitting ACT score	46.0%	35.0%
Total number of applicants	49,703	37,601
Total number of admissions given out	2,927	1,647
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,744	1,290
Yield rate	59.6%	78.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$79,860	$78,490
Average net price	$27,297	$20,908
Tuition	$58,085	$56,010
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,164 Meal plan: $6,862	Room/dormitory: $10,690 Meal plan: $7,490
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	46.0% Average amount $50,731	65.0% Average amount $47,136
Students receiving federal student loan	20.0% Average amount $4,537	2.0% Average amount $5,278
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $22,957	2.0% Average amount $8,938

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,883 Men 48.4% Women 51.6%	5,321 Men 50.3% Women 49.7%
Graduate students	10,737 Men 45.5% Women 54.5%	3,157 Men 58.3% Women 41.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	82.6%
International students	21.4%	22.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	5,718	5,151
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	New Jersey California New York Pennsylvania Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Engineering Legal Profession Social Sciences	Social Sciences Engineering Public Administration and Social Service Physical Science Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	6:1	5:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	95.9%	97.6%
Dropout rate	4.0%	1.9%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	International Business (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $151,472 Year 2: $213,978 Year 3: $201,782 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $155,031 Year 2: $168,098 Year 3: $200,300 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $143,622 Year 2: $148,189 Year 3: $163,560 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $163,977 Year 2: $138,342 Year 3: $159,598 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $115,135 Year 2: $106,898 Year 3: $134,542 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $123,138 Year 2: $116,541 Year 3: $124,406 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $108,817 Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $117,262 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $94,699 Year 2: $90,856 Year 3: $112,646 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,661 Year 2: $91,078 Year 3: $108,736 Economics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $104,348	Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $122,809 Year 2: $103,078 Year 3: $181,687 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,130 Year 2: $75,518 Year 3: $85,666 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,831 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $66,134 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,473 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,463 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,879 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: N/A Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: N/A Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,447 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: N/A Research and Experimental Psychology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,198 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A

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