Duke University

What are the graduation rates for students at Duke University?

Duke's reported six-year graduation rate is 97% for the measured cohort of first-time, full-time undergraduates. Its four-year rate is 87%, while reported first-year retention is 98%.

The four- and six-year measures answer different questions: a student who finishes in a fifth year contributes to the six-year rate but not the four-year rate. These federal graduation measures do not describe every pathway through Duke, such as transfer entry, and they cannot predict an individual student's completion date. Program requirements, approved study away, and changes of major may affect a personal timeline.

What is the earning potential for graduates at Duke University?

Early-career earnings reported for Duke alumni differ considerably by field. In College Scorecard program data measuring earnings about one year after completion, the reported figure is $115,135 for computer science and $94,699 for economics; the corresponding figure for public policy analysis is $51,435.

These are program-level reported earnings measures for the graduates represented in the federal data, not starting-salary offers to every graduate. For comparison, the reported one-year figure is $20,909 for biology. Such a difference does not, by itself, establish the long-term value of either major: graduate study, employment patterns, geography, and the number of graduates included can all affect an early-career measure. Students should compare a program's earnings data with its likely career paths and any further education those paths require.