William & Mary (W&M) vs Duke University

When it comes to choosing the right university, it's essential to compare institutions that align with your academic aspirations and personal preferences. William & Mary and Duke University, both renowned for their academic excellence, offer distinct experiences for prospective students. While William & Mary boasts a lower acceptance rate and a smaller student body, Duke University stands out with its higher graduation rate and a more diverse student population. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into the specifics of each university, including popular majors, student demographics, and financial aid opportunities. Discover which institution aligns best with your academic goals and personal aspirations, ensuring you make an informed decision that sets you on the path to success.
William & Mary logo

William & Mary

Duke University logo

Duke University

Overview

Location Williamsburg, Virginia Durham, North Carolina
Campus setting Suburb: Small City: Large
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Public Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 93.0% 98.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation Methodism

Admission

Acceptance rate 36.5% 5.9%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $75

Graduate: $50
Undergraduate: $85

Graduate: $95
SAT range 1360 - 1520 1468 - 1558
ACT range 31 - 34 33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score 51.0% 47.0%
Students submitting ACT score 19.0% 46.0%
Total number of applicants 17,475 49,703
Total number of admissions given out 6,386 2,927
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,684 1,744
Yield rate 26.4% 59.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Not required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Not required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $40,624

Out of state: $63,850
$79,860
Average net price $18,399 $27,297
Tuition
In state: $17,434

Out of state: $40,089
$58,085
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $8,490

Meal plan: $5,246
Room/dormitory: $9,164

Meal plan: $6,862
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Prepaid tuition plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

44.0%
Average amount $21,700
46.0%
Average amount $50,731
Students receiving federal student loan 22.0%
Average amount $5,132
20.0%
Average amount $4,537
Students taking out private loans 4.0%
Average amount $27,548
3.0%
Average amount $22,957

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 6,543
Men 41.6% Women 58.4%
6,883
Men 48.4% Women 51.6%
Graduate students 2,974
Men 42.7% Women 57.3%
10,737
Men 45.5% Women 54.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Moderate
Out-of-state students 35.2% N/A
International students 6.2% 21.4%
Campus local/setting Suburb: Small City: Large
Dormitory capacity 4,755 5,718
First year students are required to live on campus? No Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Virginia New Jersey Maryland Pennsylvania New York N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Legal Profession
  • Education
  • Social Sciences
  • Multidisciplinary Studies
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Legal Profession
  • Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio 12:1 6:1
Institutional accreditation Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome

Graduation rate 91.0% 95.9%
Dropout rate 2.1% 4.0%
Transferred out 6.3% N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $71,208
  • Year 2: $71,202
  • Year 3: $87,886
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,972
  • Year 2: $66,087
  • Year 3: $81,526
Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $85,399
  • Year 2: $82,440
  • Year 3: $80,518
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $73,897
  • Year 2: $68,499
  • Year 3: $80,071
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $66,977
  • Year 2: $65,610
  • Year 3: $69,021
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $54,979
  • Year 2: $53,108
  • Year 3: $57,485
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $43,630
  • Year 2: $44,117
  • Year 3: $51,824
Public Policy Analysis (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $37,566
  • Year 2: $39,153
  • Year 3: $50,454
Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $34,517
  • Year 2: $29,685
  • Year 3: $48,118
History (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $26,414
  • Year 2: $29,685
  • Year 3: $47,651
International Business (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $151,472
  • Year 2: $213,978
  • Year 3: $201,782
Law (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $155,031
  • Year 2: $168,098
  • Year 3: $200,300
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $143,622
  • Year 2: $148,189
  • Year 3: $163,560
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: $163,977
  • Year 2: $138,342
  • Year 3: $159,598
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $115,135
  • Year 2: $106,898
  • Year 3: $134,542
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $123,138
  • Year 2: $116,541
  • Year 3: $124,406
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $108,817
  • Year 2: $97,071
  • Year 3: $117,262
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $94,699
  • Year 2: $90,856
  • Year 3: $112,646
Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $97,661
  • Year 2: $91,078
  • Year 3: $108,736
Economics (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: $104,348

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
William & Mary W&M vs Alabama A & M University Alabama A & M University
William & Mary W&M vs University of Denver University of Denver
William & Mary W&M vs University of Connecticut University of Connecticut
William & Mary W&M vs Georgetown University Georgetown University
William & Mary W&M vs Emory University Emory University
William & Mary W&M vs Northwestern University Northwestern University
William & Mary W&M vs University of Notre Dame University of Notre Dame
William & Mary W&M vs McNeese State University McNeese State University
William & Mary W&M vs Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University
William & Mary W&M vs Boston College Boston College
William & Mary W&M vs Harvard University Harvard University
William & Mary W&M vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology
William & Mary W&M vs Tufts University Tufts University
William & Mary W&M vs Dartmouth College Dartmouth College
William & Mary W&M vs Rowan University Rowan University
William & Mary W&M vs Cornell University Cornell University
William & Mary W&M vs Binghamton University Binghamton University
William & Mary W&M vs SUNY College at Geneseo SUNY College at Geneseo
William & Mary W&M vs Davidson College Davidson College
William & Mary W&M vs Duke University Duke University
William & Mary W&M vs Elon University Elon University
William & Mary W&M vs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
William & Mary W&M vs University of North Carolina Wilmington University of North Carolina Wilmington
William & Mary W&M vs Wake Forest University Wake Forest University
William & Mary W&M vs Miami University-Oxford Miami University-Oxford
William & Mary W&M vs Bucknell University Bucknell University
William & Mary W&M vs Brown University Brown University
William & Mary W&M vs Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University
William & Mary W&M vs Rice University Rice University
William & Mary W&M vs Texas State University Texas State University
William & Mary W&M vs University of Vermont University of Vermont
William & Mary W&M vs Christopher Newport University Christopher Newport University
William & Mary W&M vs Hampton University Hampton University
William & Mary W&M vs Liberty University Liberty University
William & Mary W&M vs University of Mary Washington University of Mary Washington
William & Mary W&M vs University of Richmond University of Richmond
William & Mary W&M vs Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University
William & Mary W&M vs Virginia Military Institute Virginia Military Institute
William & Mary W&M vs Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University
William & Mary W&M vs Stanford University Stanford University
Duke University Duke vs University of Arizona University of Arizona
Duke University Duke vs University of California-Berkeley University of California-Berkeley
Duke University Duke vs Samuel Merritt University Samuel Merritt University
Duke University Duke vs University of Southern California University of Southern California
Duke University Duke vs Georgetown University Georgetown University
Duke University Duke vs Emory University Emory University
Duke University Duke vs University of Georgia University of Georgia
Duke University Duke vs Northwestern University Northwestern University
Duke University Duke vs University of Notre Dame University of Notre Dame
Duke University Duke vs Tulane University of Louisiana Tulane University of Louisiana
Duke University Duke vs Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University
Duke University Duke vs University of Maryland-College Park University of Maryland-College Park
Duke University Duke vs United States Naval Academy United States Naval Academy
Duke University Duke vs Boston College Boston College
Duke University Duke vs Brandeis University Brandeis University
Duke University Duke vs Harvard University Harvard University
Duke University Duke vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Duke University Duke vs Wellesley College Wellesley College
Duke University Duke vs University of Michigan-Ann Arbor University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Duke University Duke vs Michigan State University Michigan State University
Duke University Duke vs Washington University in St Louis Washington University in St Louis
Duke University Duke vs Colgate University Colgate University
Duke University Duke vs Cornell University Cornell University
Duke University Duke vs New York University New York University
Duke University Duke vs University of Rochester University of Rochester
Duke University Duke vs United States Military Academy United States Military Academy
Duke University Duke vs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Duke University Duke vs University of Tulsa University of Tulsa
Duke University Duke vs The Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University