So who are these MBA students? Here, we break down Duke MBA class profile data for the class of 2024.
By understanding data points like the Duke MBA average GMAT and GPA, you’ll get a better sense of the quality of students on the Duke MBA and improve your chances of admission.
What is the Duke MBA class size and profile?
The Duke Fuqua MBA class of 2024 consists of 399 students.
Duke MBA students have an average of six years of work experience. 18% come from financial services backgrounds and 14% from consulting.
The remaining 68% of students come to Fuqua from careers in industries such as technology, health services, nonprofit management, and government.
The diversity of professional backgrounds found at Fuqua is likely because Duke MBA offers a large variety of courses and specialties for students of all interests. The program’s six-week term length allows students to take a large number and variety of courses during the two-year tenure.
The Fuqua class profile also demonstrates a diversity of identities and personal backgrounds. 48% percent of the 2024 class self-identify as women–a much larger percentage than you’ll find at other top-ranked business schools in the US. Among the US citizens in Fuqua’s class of 2024, 43% identify as minorities and 25% identify as underrepresented minorities.
The class also includes 39% international students (by citizenship, including Foreign National US status, US permanent resident, and Dual Citizen).
Students in the Duke Daytime MBA come from 55 countries across the world.
What is the Duke MBA acceptance rate?
Duke’s MBA acceptance rate for the class of 2024 is around 20.5%.
Compare this to the acceptance rates at the world’s top business schools, and you will see that Duke MBA admissions are incredibly competitive. Only nine business schools have more competitive admissions rates.
And while 20.5% is significantly less prohibitive than the sub-10% MBA acceptance rates of Stanford and Harvard, it’s still not an easy road to Duke admissions. In the Fuqua class of 2024, there were 3,539 applicants, with 727 admits.
What is the Duke MBA average GMAT and GMAT score range?
The middle 80% of the Duke MBA class of 2024, who submitted GMAT scores as part of their application, scored somewhere between 680 and 760 on the GMAT.
The Duke average GMAT score is 718. This is in line with the average GMAT scores of the top business schools in the world.
Another way to think about this score range is using GMAT score percentiles. Scoring a combined 670 on Verbal and Quant puts you around the 80th percentile of GMAT test takers, and scoring 750 puts you in the 98th percentile.
The great thing about the Duke MBA class profile is that it provides a GMAT score range, rather than just an average score. Because applications are considered holistically, you may not need a 700+ score to be admitted to Fuqua.
As long as the other components of your application are strong, you could reasonably score in the 670-700 range and still earn admission. However, if you have less work experience and haven’t had a chance to demonstrate your passion for business leadership in other ways, a GMAT score over 700 will almost certainly improve your chances of admission.
Read: Duke MBA Jobs & Salary Review
(c)Duke Facebook
What is the Duke MBA average GRE score?
The Fuqua admissions committee will also accept GRE scores in place of GMAT scores. The average combined Verbal and Quant score of the class of 2024 was 318.
Duke does not provide average scores for each GRE section. Nor do they provide GRE score ranges. So what can this statistic tell us?
Well, by comparison, Stanford MBA’s class of 2023 scored an average of 165 on the Verbal and Quant sections, for an average combined score of 330. Stanford is known for having the most competitive business school application standards and a 330 is a top-percentile GRE score.
Luckily, you don’t need a near-perfect GRE score to earn admission to Fuqua’s top-notch MBA program.
Let’s think about this score of 318 another way. ETS acknowledges that the mean GRE Verbal score is 150.37, and the mean GRE Quant score is 153.66. So, let’s say that the mean combined GRE score is approximately 304.
Fuqua students are performing approximately 14 points higher than the mean GRE test-taker. If you were to score equally well on GRE Verbal and Quant, you’d need to score about 159 per section to achieve a combined score of 318. In other words–yes, this is a high score.
What is the Duke MBA average GPA?
The Duke Fuqua class of 2024 earned between a 3.1 and a 3.9 average undergraduate GPA.
This represents a wide range of undergrad performances amongst the current enrollees. A 3.9 is a near-perfect, straight-A undergrad report card, whereas a 3.1 leaves room for some Bs and maybe a C or two.
Again, this provides evidence that Fuqua’s admissions committee looks at the whole application when accepting students. Yes, the program is competitive, but there is room for a diversity of backgrounds and experiences.
If your GPA falls within the lower end of the Duke MBA GPA range, try to bolster other pieces of your application, such as your test scores, your recommendation letters, or your personal statements.
What are the Duke MBA admission requirements?
The Duke MBA application is entirely online, and the requirements differ very slightly for US residents and international students. In addition to personal information, the admissions committee wants to learn more about your background, your goals, and why you wish to attend this specific business school.
Duke MBA Requirements include:
- Transcripts
- One required short answer essay (100 words)
- Two required long essays (750 words and 500 words)
- One optional essay (500 words)
- Resume
- One required letter of recommendation (+1 optional)
- Optional endorsement letters from Fuqua students and alumni
- GRE, GMAT, and/or Executive Assessment (EA) scores
- $225 application fee
- 30-45 minute interview
The application process is very similar to those of other top business schools. Note that there are several rounds of application deadlines, plus an early decision option.
The Round 1 deadline is September 28th 2023, Round 2 is January 9th 2024, Round 3 is in February 2024, and early decision is due September 7th 2023. Refer to the official admissions website for more detailed information, as well as admissions office contact information.
Duke MBA Class Profile | Key Takeaways
Duke Fuqua offers something for students of varied interests and backgrounds. As you can see from the Duke MBA class profile, students come to the program from an enormous range of professional backgrounds, to pursue a variety of career paths.
Duke MBA students can choose from 14 concentrations or opt for a generalized path.
The Duke Fuqua MBA is also recently STEM-designated (replacing the prior MSTeM track), which is great news for international students hoping to stay and work in the US after graduating from the program.
Duke Fuqua’s culture encourages students to embrace innovation and challenge and to be hands-on participants in their education.
If this sounds like you, and you want to apply to Duke Fuqua, check out our BusinessBecause MBA Application Guide for more information and guidance to support your application.
This article was originally published in February 2022 and updated in September 2023.
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