Quad

Head-to-head

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Dartmouth's yield is 12 pts higher than Duke's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    Duke is a bit larger (6,434 vs. 4,541)

    Undergrads
  3. 3

    Duke is more diverse (index 0.79 vs. 0.75)

    Diversity index
  4. 4

    Duke's SAT midpoint is 40 points higher than Dartmouth's

    SAT midpoint
  5. 5

    Dartmouth has 4 pts more first-gen students than Duke (17% vs. 13%)

    First-generation students
  6. 6

    Duke admits 4.7% vs. 6.0% at Dartmouth

    Acceptance rate

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Duke admits 4.7%, Dartmouth 6.0%; Dartmouth's yield is higher, at 71%.

Acceptance rate
Dartmouth6.0%
Duke4.7%
Quad's selectivity
  • DartmouthUltra selective
  • DukeUltra selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1300–1600
Dartmouth
1440–1550
Duke
1510–1570
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • DartmouthRigor, GPA, rank, and tests very important
  • DukeGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Duke is a bit larger than Dartmouth (6,434 vs. 4,541 undergrads); both have the same Pell share, 14%.

Undergrads
Dartmouth4.5K
Duke6.4K
Pell Grant share
Dartmouth14%
Duke14%

Majors and faculty

Computer Science leads at Dartmouth, and Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies at Duke; Duke has 5 students per faculty member to Dartmouth's 7.

Students per faculty member
Dartmouth7 to 1
Duke5 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • DartmouthComputer Science10%
  • DukeMulti-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other15%

What each costs

Dartmouth costs about $2.6K less a year than Duke on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Dartmouth$56K
Duke$58.6K
Aid generosity
Dartmouth36%
Duke33%

What each pays off

Duke's former students earn more, a median $97.8K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 90% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Dartmouth$97.4K
Duke$97.8K
Graduation rate
Dartmouth95%
Duke97%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • DartmouthGrowing+64%
  • DukeGrowing+64%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

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