Duke University vs Notre Dame

Duke University and the University of Notre Dame stand as two of the most prestigious private research universities in the United States, each offering a unique educational experience. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in several key aspects. Duke boasts a slightly higher acceptance rate, a more diverse student body, and a wider range of undergraduate majors, including engineering and computer science. Notre Dame, on the other hand, has a stronger focus on the liberal arts and offers a renowned business program. Both universities have impressive graduation rates, with Duke slightly edging out Notre Dame. To help you make an informed decision about which university is the right fit for you, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these differences in greater detail.
Duke University logo

Duke University

University of Notre Dame logo

University of Notre Dame

Overview

Location Durham, North Carolina Notre Dame, Indiana
Campus setting City: Large Suburb: Large
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 98.0% 98.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation Methodism Catholic

Admission

Acceptance rate 5.9% 15.1%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $85

Graduate: $95
Undergraduate: $75

Graduate: $75
SAT range 1468 - 1558 1410 - 1550
ACT range 33 - 35 32 - 35
Students submitting SAT score 47.0% 33.0%
Students submitting ACT score 46.0% 36.0%
Total number of applicants 49,703 23,642
Total number of admissions given out 2,927 3,562
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,744 2,059
Yield rate 59.6% 57.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Not required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Not required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $79,860 $78,347
Average net price $27,297 $30,513
Tuition $58,085 $58,336
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $9,164

Meal plan: $6,862
$16,304
Available payment plans
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

46.0%
Average amount $50,731
57.0%
Average amount $46,306
Students receiving federal student loan 20.0%
Average amount $4,537
30.0%
Average amount $4,134
Students taking out private loans 3.0%
Average amount $22,957
12.0%
Average amount $8,564

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 6,883
Men 48.4% Women 51.6%
8,973
Men 51.6% Women 48.4%
Graduate students 10,737
Men 45.5% Women 54.5%
4,166
Men 56.5% Women 43.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students N/A 93.1%
International students 21.4% 12.1%
Campus local/setting City: Large Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 5,718 6,919
First year students are required to live on campus? Yes No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A Illinois California Texas Indiana New York

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Legal Profession
  • Social Sciences
  • Business
  • Engineering
  • Multidisciplinary Studies
  • Social Sciences
  • Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio 6:1 9:1
Institutional accreditation Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 95.9% 95.9%
Dropout rate 4.0% 3.9%
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 (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $124,439
  • Year 2: $123,601
  • Year 3: $135,572
Finance and Financial Management Services (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $89,269
  • Year 2: $89,674
  • Year 3: $126,773
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $120,074
  • Year 2: $108,092
  • Year 3: $123,182
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $87,638
  • Year 2: $85,243
  • Year 3: $110,135
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $80,593
  • Year 2: $89,968
  • Year 3: $105,831
Mathematics and Statistics, Other (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $74,224
  • Year 2: $80,273
  • Year 3: $99,815
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $84,618
  • Year 2: $86,375
  • Year 3: $95,904
Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $74,178
  • Year 2: $74,307
  • Year 3: $92,866
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $73,118
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: $87,393
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $69,070
  • Year 2: $69,338
  • Year 3: $85,821

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