U.S. News #7 · 2026
Duke University
Student size 6,442 · admission rate 5.7%
Data methodology
School-level earnings use institutional College Scorecard data, prioritizing median annual earnings 10 years after entry. Major-level earnings below use program-level College Scorecard data, measured in the fourth full year after completing the credential.
- In-state tuition / year
- $68,758
- Out-of-state or international tuition / year
- $68,758
- Tuition year
- 2025-2026
- Tuition source
- College Scorecard Most-Recent-Cohorts-Institution.csv
- Ranking source
- U.S. News & World Report Best National Universities 2026
- Earnings source
- College Scorecard Most-Recent-Cohorts-Institution.csv
- Earnings measure
- 10 years after entry median earnings
- Completion rate
- 96.8%
- Median debt
- $12,000
Tuition residency and loan estimate
U.S. colleges commonly price tuition differently for in-state and out-of-state students. This model uses four years of tuition as the loan principal and excludes room, board, scholarships, taxes, and opportunity cost. Fixed-payment formula: payment = principal x monthly rate / (1 - (1 + monthly rate)^-months).
| Annual tuition | $68,758 | |
| Four-year tuition | $275,032 | ROI percentages use this as the denominator |
| 5-year ROI | $213,968 | 78% |
| 8-year ROI | $507,368 | 184% |
| Monthly payment estimate | $3,053 | 10 years, 6% APR |
| Total interest estimate | $91,378 | Fixed-rate amortization estimate only |
Major earnings, tuition, and loan-adjusted ROI
Major-level earnings are College Scorecard program data: median annual earnings in the fourth full year after completing the credential among people who are working and not enrolled. Loan-adjusted ROI equals cumulative earnings minus estimated total loan repayment, with the percentage shown against four-year tuition.
| Major | Major earnings | Four-year tuition | Total loan repayment | 5-year ROI | 8-year ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mathematics Sample 83 · quality 3/5 | $297,029 | $275,032 | $366,410 | $1,118,735 407% | $2,009,822 731% |
Computer Science Sample 410 · quality 5/5 | $195,809 | $275,032 | $366,410 | $612,635 223% | $1,200,062 436% |
Computer Engineering Sample 110 · quality 5/5 | $174,522 | $275,032 | $366,410 | $506,200 184% | $1,029,766 374% |
Economics Sample 199 · quality 5/5 | $161,149 | $275,032 | $366,410 | $439,335 160% | $922,782 336% |
Statistics Sample 83 · quality 3/5 | $152,782 | $275,032 | $366,410 | $397,500 145% | $855,846 311% |
Mechanical Engineering Sample 73 · quality 5/5 | $120,991 | $275,032 | $366,410 | $238,545 87% | $601,518 219% |
History Sample 45 · quality 3/5 | $112,377 | $275,032 | $366,410 | $195,475 71% | $532,606 194% |
Biomedical/Medical Engineering Sample 102 · quality 5/5 | $105,921 | $275,032 | $366,410 | $163,195 59% | $480,958 175% |
Public Policy Analysis Sample 144 · quality 5/5 | $103,071 | $275,032 | $366,410 | $148,945 54% | $458,158 167% |
Public Health Sample 33 · quality 3/5 | $101,771 | $275,032 | $366,410 | $142,445 52% | $447,758 163% |
Political Science and Government Sample 111 · quality 4/5 | $88,459 | $275,032 | $366,410 | $75,885 28% | $341,262 124% |
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services Sample 29 · quality 3/5 | $88,098 | $275,032 | $366,410 | $74,080 27% | $338,374 123% |