I always remember that whatever I have done in the past or may do in the future, Duke University is responsible in one way or another. — Richard Nixon
Official motto: "Erudition and Religion."
Unofficial motto: "Work Hard, Play Hard"
6,542 Undergraduate Students
48/52 Male/Female split
Famous Alums (Good and Bad)
- 1958 Elizabeth Dole: Former U.S. senator, cabinet member
- 1961 MD Ron Paul: U.S. congressman who ran for president multiple times
- 1979 William Kaelin Jr.: 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- 1987 Melissa Bernstein: Cofounder, Melissa & Doug toys
- 1988 MD Rand Paul MD: U.S. senator
- 1990 Ken Jeong: Comedian, TV and film actor
- 2000 Luis von Ahn: Inventor of CAPTCHA Internet security system
- 2007 Stephen Miller: Senior Advisor to the President Trump
Rankings
- Top majors
- Computer Science
- Economics
- Public Policy
- Top home states
- North Carolina
- California
- New York
- Top home Countries (other than U.S.)
- China
- India
- Korea
- Schools with the most faculty
- Arts and Sciences
- Engineering (Pratt)
- Divinity
- Oldest schools
- Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
- School of Law
- Divinity School
Historical Notes
- Duke was established by the Methodists and Quakers in 1838.
- Named after the father of the tobacco industry, James B. Duke when he gave $40 million in 1924 to help with the endowment.
- Excluding Madagascar, Duke’s Lemur Center is the largest and most diverse collection of Lemurs in the world.