<p>I think Duke would be a great choice. People may be surprised to learn that it’s 45% minority (AA, Asian, Hispanic, etc.); 66% of freshmen from public, not private, schools. Admissions are need-blind - they promise to meet 100% of your need. About half of the students get need based aid (42%), or merit aid (7%, includes athletic scholarships).</p>
<p>It’s exceedingly diverse geographically too - all states and over 50 foreign countries. It’s not Catholic and not far from home. It’s reasonably large (over 6000 undergrads and a large graduate population). I would not characterize it politically but it’s large enough to have all stripes and would probably be considered liberal by many (common with most large elite schools). </p>
<p>UNC and UVA are larger and meet most of your other criteria as well. There may be some summer programs your kids could attend at these schools which would help them get a feel for what they like. I don’t see a problem looking when still relatively young - there are so many good choices out there, every little bit of experience and info helps in the process, even if it just gives you a campus vibe.</p>