Duke University vs Berkeley

Duke University and University of California-Berkeley, two prestigious institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Duke, a private research university in Durham, North Carolina, boasts a lower acceptance rate (8.2%) compared to Berkeley's (17.5%), a public research university in Berkeley, California. While both universities excel in various disciplines, Duke is renowned for its strengths in the social sciences, humanities, and engineering, while Berkeley is known for its preeminence in engineering, computer science, and the natural sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further differences, including student body demographics, popular majors, graduation rates, and more, to determine which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Duke University logo

Duke University

University of California-Berkeley logo

University of California-Berkeley

Overview

Location Durham, North Carolina Berkeley, California
Campus setting City: Large City: Midsize
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Public
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 98.0% 96.0%
Common app member Yes No
Religious affiliation Methodism

Admission

Acceptance rate 5.9% 14.4%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $85

Graduate: $95
Undergraduate: $70

Graduate: $120
SAT range 1468 - 1558 N/A
ACT range 33 - 35 N/A
Students submitting SAT score 47.0%
Students submitting ACT score 46.0%
Total number of applicants 49,703 112,843
Total number of admissions given out 2,927 16,295
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,744 6,931
Yield rate 59.6% 42.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Required
Recommendation letters Required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Not required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $79,860
In state: $37,920

Out of state: $67,674
Average net price $27,297 $17,652
Tuition $58,085
In state: $11,442

Out of state: $41,196
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $9,164

Meal plan: $6,862
$20,236
Available payment plans
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

46.0%
Average amount $50,731
52.0%
Average amount $21,406
Students receiving federal student loan 20.0%
Average amount $4,537
15.0%
Average amount $4,586
Students taking out private loans 3.0%
Average amount $22,957
6.0%
Average amount $7,122

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 6,883
Men 48.4% Women 51.6%
31,814
Men 45.4% Women 54.6%
Graduate students 10,737
Men 45.5% Women 54.5%
13,222
Men 51.7% Women 48.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students N/A 16.9%
International students 21.4% 18.0%
Campus local/setting City: Large City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity 5,718 9,630
First year students are required to live on campus? Yes No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A California New Jersey Texas Virginia New York

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Legal Profession
  • Social Sciences
  • Engineering
  • Business
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Legal Profession
  • Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio 6:1 20:1
Institutional accreditation Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 95.9% 92.8%
Dropout rate 4.0% 6.3%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
International Business (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $151,472
  • Year 2: $213,978
  • Year 3: $201,782
Law (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $155,031
  • Year 2: $168,098
  • Year 3: $200,300
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $143,622
  • Year 2: $148,189
  • Year 3: $163,560
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: $163,977
  • Year 2: $138,342
  • Year 3: $159,598
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $115,135
  • Year 2: $106,898
  • Year 3: $134,542
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $123,138
  • Year 2: $116,541
  • Year 3: $124,406
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $108,817
  • Year 2: $97,071
  • Year 3: $117,262
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $94,699
  • Year 2: $90,856
  • Year 3: $112,646
Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $97,661
  • Year 2: $91,078
  • Year 3: $108,736
Economics (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: $104,348
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $171,936
  • Year 3: $191,597
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $122,038
  • Year 3: $167,052
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $125,250
  • Year 2: $125,388
  • Year 3: $161,399
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $126,367
  • Year 2: $128,868
  • Year 3: $160,666
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $160,390
  • Year 2: $142,470
  • Year 3: $143,984
Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $119,358
  • Year 3: $143,516
Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $107,442
  • Year 2: $63,005
  • Year 3: $112,973
Optometry (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $74,750
  • Year 2: $91,363
  • Year 3: $104,601
Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $95,600
  • Year 2: $85,760
  • Year 3: $103,738
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $71,282
  • Year 2: $65,387
  • Year 3: $102,543

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