Vanderbilt vs Duke University

Vanderbilt University and Duke University, two prestigious private research universities in the southeastern United States, offer distinct educational experiences. Vanderbilt, located in Nashville, Tennessee, boasts a slightly higher acceptance rate (10.3%) compared to Duke's (8.2%). Both universities excel in various academic disciplines, with Vanderbilt known for its strong programs in engineering, music, and medicine, while Duke is renowned for its business, law, and public policy schools. While Vanderbilt's student body is slightly larger, both universities maintain a diverse and vibrant campus community. With comparable graduation rates, both institutions ensure that their students receive a top-notch education that prepares them for successful careers. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about the unique strengths and offerings of Vanderbilt and Duke, helping you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Duke University	Vanderbilt University
Overview
Location	Durham, North Carolina	Nashville, Tennessee
Campus setting	City: Large	City: 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%	97.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	5.9%	7.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $95	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $95
SAT range	1468 - 1558	1480 - 1570
ACT range	33 - 35	34 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	47.0%	25.0%
Students submitting ACT score	46.0%	32.0%
Total number of applicants	49,703	47,152
Total number of admissions given out	2,927	3,368
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,744	1,626
Yield rate	59.6%	48.3%
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	$79,538
Average net price	$27,297	$27,553
Tuition	$58,085	$54,840
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,164 Meal plan: $6,862	Room/dormitory: $12,000 Meal plan: $6,376
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	46.0% Average amount $50,731	64.0% Average amount $49,730
Students receiving federal student loan	20.0% Average amount $4,537	10.0% Average amount $4,979
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $22,957	2.0% Average amount $27,798

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,883 Men 48.4% Women 51.6%	7,111 Men 48.9% Women 51.1%
Graduate students	10,737 Men 45.5% Women 54.5%	6,685 Men 39.5% Women 60.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	89.5%
International students	21.4%	11.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	5,718	5,598
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Tennessee California New York Florida Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Engineering Legal Profession Social Sciences	Health Professions Education Engineering Business Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio	6:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	95.9%	93.4%
Dropout rate	4.0%	6.4%
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	Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,041 Year 2: $122,038 Year 3: $169,145 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $129,825 Year 2: $130,517 Year 3: $144,008 Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $131,102 Year 2: $117,572 Year 3: $133,025 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $128,494 Year 2: $127,087 Year 3: $132,454 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $132,293 Year 2: $114,324 Year 3: $130,516 Marketing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,764 Year 2: $111,620 Year 3: $121,754 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $126,876 Year 2: $119,805 Year 3: $112,193 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $91,224 Year 2: $104,192 Year 3: $108,525 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,979 Year 2: $93,249 Year 3: $101,010 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,609 Year 2: $80,309 Year 3: $95,754

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