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

Duke4.7%

U. Chicago4.5%Most selective

Applicants

Duke61.9KMost

U. Chicago43.6K

Admitted

Duke2.9KMost

U. Chicago2K

Yield rate

Duke59%

U. Chicago88%Highest

Quad's selectivity

DukeUltra selective
U. ChicagoUltra selective

Men and women

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

Women admitted

Duke5.7%

U. Chicago3.7%

Men admitted

Duke5.7%

U. Chicago5.6%

Test scores

SAT total,

Duke

1510–1570

U. Chicago

1500–1560

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

ACT composite,

Duke

34–35

U. Chicago

34–35

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

Submitted SAT

Duke48%

U. Chicago57%

Submitted ACT

Duke27%

U. Chicago25%

Test policy

DukeTest-optional
U. ChicagoTest-optional

How they read a record

Duke
GPA, the high school record, and a college-prep program are required.
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.

What they look at

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

All admissions numbers in the table

Sources:Duke University (Fall 2026), Fall 2026;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;Duke University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;Duke University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;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 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