So i did some research to find out that alot of duke undergrads are from NC. Even though its a private, is it easier for someone from NC to get in than someone from another state?
I have wondered the same thing. My gut feeling is that its a disadvantage as geographic diversity is likely importan t.
@SouthernHope Well there are 214 students at duke class of 2019 from NC and the second top state is NY with 163. So either alot of people apply from NC or the admissions have a preference
Supposedly the Duke charter requires that 15% of the acceptances be for NC residents. I’m sure a large number of NC residents apply due to geographic proximity as well though.
The initial Duke charter mentions serving the residents if the Carolinas, but does not specifically call out a quota. There never has been and currently is not a requirement for a certain percentage of students to come from NC although somehow that myth has caught on. Having said that, being a resident of NC IS considered and can be a slight “advantage” but not nearly to the extent of a state school. Duke does want to appeal to and reach out to students living nearby and have a robust local alumni network and giving a slight boost to in state students helps to achieve that goal.
Just a guess but perhaps the alumni preference would booster the NC admission stats. I assume many grads stay in the state.
So, I did a bit of Google searching over lunch. Mostly I found forum discussions and rumor mongering. However, I did find a reference to a 13% quota for NC residents in excerpts of the book “Admissions Confidential” by Rachel Toor, a former Duke Admissions officer (see link below).
So, there may have been a NC resident quota (maybe unofficially), at least back in the 90’s when Toor was an admissions officer. I don’t see anything more recent that has any real credibility.
There definitely is a high percentage for NC and SC residents. Aside from Toor’s book if you look at the class profile from the last few years the percentage of matriculated students from the Carolinas stays relatively constant.
There probably are more students from the Carolinas who apply though.
Duke does encourage NC/SC residents to apply. Each June, there is an NC/SC Open House program on campus for high school juniors. Also, the Duke Endowment funds the BN Duke Scholarship which awards approximately 10 full merit scholarships each year for NC/SC residents. And, of course, everyone in the area knows and respects Duke. Thus, there are many Carolina residents who apply.
Would be interesting to see the number of applicants relative to acceptances. I’d guess the ratios may be the same for the states with big numbers but I bet NC leads with applicants and acceptance.
NC is probably top 3 states in terms of applicants (and number 1 in terms of acceptances); however, the amount of qualified applicants from NC is also probably significantly lower than states like California or New York.
Yes there is a regional advantage for competitive applicants from NC, but nothing extremely significant like being a URM or developmental case.
As someone from SC I checked the 2019 profile and it doesn’t seem like SC has any advantage compared to being from NC. Probably just more applicants because of proximity.