Duke Kunshan University Class of 2025

Student Lounge International Students
,
1

Hey guys! It’s really early for this, but I wanted to make this discussion for prospective students at Duke Kunshan University in China. To learn more about DKU, visit dukekunshan.edu.cn

2

tips for supplement essays of duke kun shan
how to write outstanding essays?

3

what is unique about duke in your opinion?

4

Hi!
Some questions if anyone has the answers:

What do you think is the average ACT score of students at DKU?

What is the diversity like at DKU?

5

Most of my friends at DKU taking the ACT got 30+ (32-34 being the most common scores/superscores).

DKU is an incredibly diverse institution. Right off the bat, you’ll be attending a university that is majority Asian (60-65% Chinese by nationality), and Americans making up a minority of international students. This leads to a unique balance of backgrounds and perspectives on campus. My freshman hall, for example, had students from all over Greater China, students who grew up 15 minutes away from my hometown in Connecticut, as well as students from Myanmar, Uzbekistan, and everywhere in between. In just three undergraduate classes, DKU has 50+ nationalities.

1 Like
6

You should write supplemental essays for Duke Kunshan like you would any university. Try to illustrate why you in particular are suited to attend a Duke undergraduate program in China—what experiences, qualifications, and personal interests have led to this decision? Duke Kunshan values international students with big aspirations and ideas, so definitely speak to how you would want to make your impact on campus and within the Duke community.

Don’t worry if you don’t speak Chinese/have never been to China. Many Duke Kunshan freshman come to campus with no Chinese language/travel experience. Your demonstrated interest and willingness to try new things is valued, in conjunction with your strong academics, extracurriculars, recommendations, and other components of the CommonApp.

7

Duke Kunshan is a unique undergraduate program within the Duke community for a myriad of reasons, 3 of which I’d like to highlight.

  1. Location. Duke Kunshan’s campus is located in the suburbs of Shanghai in Kunshan, a city of nearly 2 million. Kunshan is a model city, similar to Singapore in terms of its infrastructure and greenspace, and proximity to Shanghai means that you’re never more than an hour away from any kind of food, entertainment, or cosmopolitan experience. What is more, you have all of China at your fingertips via a cheap and efficient high speed rail network, and most of the world’s population within a 4 hour flight of you.
  2. Curriculum. Duke Kunshan’s academics seek to redefine what an international, liberal arts education looks like. Duke Kunshan takes the Duke curriculum and revamps it with the 21st century in mind. It focuses heavily on interdisciplinary work and application-based learning, and implements progressive ideas like 4-day workweeks and 7-week sessions instead of the more typical semesters.
  3. Duke. Duke plays a huge role in your experience at DKU, and is a truly fantastic community to be a part of. You’ll have opportunities to study at our main campus in North Carolina, take advantage of fellowships, clubs, and networking opportunities with your fellow Duke alumni, all the while building the first generation of Duke graduates from Duke Kunshan.
8

Hi! I am applying through early decision, do you know when the result comes out… I took the interview, but I do not know how well it went and can not help but feeling nervous, thanks in advance

1 Like
9

Hey! I believe ED notifications will come out in the next few days. You’ll probably get an email telling you to check your portal—best of luck with it all.

1 Like
10

Thanks, the waiting is killing me :"(

1 Like
11

You should have a response within 24 hours (hopefully today on Eastern Time at some point)!

1 Like
12

I am peruvian so I think my time zone is the same, so nervous!

1 Like
13

I mean my time zone coincides with ET not with the time zone of China haha

1 Like
14

Thank you very much, I got accepted, can not be more excited!

2 Likes
15

ED Decisions have been released! Congratulations!!!

1 Like
16

My daughter applied to DKU under regular decision. As someone keenly interested in Sinology and international relations she feels the school is ideal and a perfect fit! She previously attended the British International School of Shanghai in Puxi and is familiar and comfortable with the environment.

She interviewed with the school earlier this month… and can’t stop researching and talking about the program!

She is wondering if it is possible to join a class or talk to a teacher in her targeted major? Does anyone know? If so, should she request this through admissions at Duke?

1 Like
17

Hey! So happy to hear your daughter is interested. Have her email admissions and they can put her in touch with current students, professors, and see about scheduling her to audit a class—with all of our current classes online, this shouldn’t be too difficult.

1 Like
18

Hey y’all, I applied regular decision. The waiting is going to stress me out but hopefully I get accepted!

3 Likes
19

I applied regular too and im stressed out lol. Dku is my first choice

2 Likes
20

My son just got a notification for an interview.

Does everyone get interviewed?

Any tips?

Thank you in advance!

1 Like