Duke University

Duke University is a young university that just celebrated their Centennial last year. This is a school that ends up on one of my students’ lists every year. The campus is comprised of 8000 acres of history, academics, and wellness. Duke has a very engaged student body in a community unlike anywhere else. It is a midsize university with 6500 students, 50% are students of color, and 14% come from international countries. Each class has about 1700 students. Duke hosts pre-orientation week for students to get acclimated. There are 22 experiential orientation programs and a carnival.
All first year students live on East campus, which is fully inclusive with dining, laundry, and a gym. It is a great way for first year students to build a sense of community! Students will stay with the same quads that they had their first year for the following year when they live on West campus. (That is the area pictured in my attached photos from the tour.) Students are required to live on campus for three years, and then seniors can choose to live off campus. About 50% of them choose to move off campus. The remaining half prefer to stay on campus because they will get the best dorms. Duke has a 98% retention rate with 85% of the students living on campus which leads to that community feeling. They offer 33 dining options, a 55 acre garden, and a lemur sanctuary with over 200 lemurs.