Key differences on Getting in

1
U. Chicago's yield is 29 pts higher than Duke's
Yield rate
2
Duke's SAT midpoint is 10 points higher than U. Chicago's
SAT midpoint
3
U. Chicago admits 4.5% vs. 4.7% at Duke
Acceptance rate

Admissions

Getting in, fall 2024

Acceptance and yield, test score ranges, test policy, and what each college weighs.

The funnel

Acceptance rate

U. Chicago4.5%Most selective

Duke4.7%

Applicants

U. Chicago43.6K

Duke61.9KMost

Admitted

U. Chicago2K

Duke2.9KMost

Yield rate

U. Chicago88%Highest

Duke59%

Quad's selectivity

U. ChicagoUltra selective
DukeUltra selective

Men and women

Acceptance rate for men and women who applied, where a college reports admissions by sex.

Women admitted

U. Chicago3.7%

Duke5.7%

Men admitted

U. Chicago5.6%

Duke5.7%

Test scores

SAT total,

U. Chicago

1500–1560

Duke

1510–1570

Axis runs 1400–1600. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

ACT composite,

U. Chicago

34–35

Duke

34–35

Axis runs 30–36. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

Submitted SAT

U. Chicago57%

Duke48%

Submitted ACT

U. Chicago25%

Duke27%

Test policy

U. ChicagoTest-optional
DukeTest-optional

How they read a record

U. Chicago
is very important; GPA, class rank, and tests are all considered. This college reports (average 4.54), so its GPA figures can't show how crowded unweighted GPAs are.
Duke
GPA, the high school record, and a college-prep program are required.

What they look at

Factor	U. Chicago	Duke
High school GPA	Considered	Required
High school record	Required	Required
Class rank	Considered	Not considered
College-prep program	Required	Required
Recommendations	Very important	Required
Essay	Very important	Required
Legacy status	Considered	Considered
Work experience	Considered	Considered
Demonstration of competencies	Considered	Not considered
English proficiency test	Considered	Not considered
Other tests	Not considered	Not considered

All admissions numbers in the table

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;University of Chicago Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;University of Chicago Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;University of Chicago Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;Duke University (Fall 2026), Fall 2026;Duke University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;Duke University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why