UNDERGRADUATE STUDY AT DUKE UNIVERSITY
THE VISITING INTERNATIONAL STUDENT PROGRAM
Duke University has its origins in 1838 with the founding of an educational academy in North Carolina. This academy was reorganized in 1851 and then again in 1859 to form Trinity College, a liberal arts college which was then moved to Durham, North Carolina. In 1924 James B. Duke selected Trinity College as the recipient of a major fortune, which provided the endowment funds for a university organized around Trinity College and named for the Duke family.
The city of Durham has evolved from a tobacco and textile town into an international center for scholarship, medicine, the arts, biotechnology and electronics. Located in central North Carolina, Durham is just a half-day's drive from the North Atlantic beaches to the east, and the mountains to the west.
The undergraduate portion of Duke University consists of two divisions: the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences and the Pratt School of Engineering. Approximately 6,100 students are enrolled within the undergraduate divisions of the university. Overall, the university boasts an undergraduate international population of approximately 5 %.
The undergraduate academic majors in Trinity College are Afro-American Studies, Art, Art History, Biology, Biological Anthropology, Canadian Studies, Chemistry, Classical Studies, Computer Science, Cultural Anthropology, Drama, Economics, English, French, Geology, Germanic Languages and Literature, Greek, History, International Comparative Area Studies, Italian Studies, Latin, Literature, Mathematics, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Music, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Public Policy Studies, Religion, Russian, Sociology, and Spanish. Certificate programs are offered in The Arts, Dance, Early Childhood Education, Film and Video, Genetics, Health Policy, Human Development, Judaic Studies, Latin American Studies, Markets and Management Studies, Neurosciences, Marxism and Society, Primatology, Science and Human Values, and the Study of Sexualities.
The undergraduate majors in Pratt School of Engineering are biomedical engineering, civil and environmental engineering, electrical and computer engineering, mechanical engineering. and materials science.
Course listings in Undergraduate Bulletin
The average course load for degree-seeking Duke undergraduates per fall or spring semester is 4 or 5 one-credit courses. The academic year includes a fall and spring semester of four months each. Visiting international students are limited to 4 academic courses plus one to two non-academic courses (e.g. physical education or house course) per semester.
Students admitted to the Visiting International Student Program join regular Duke undergraduates in the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences or Pratt College of Engineering of Duke University as non-degree students for a period of one semester or one year. Applicants should be full-time students of a university or college in their home country, usually in their second or third year of studies. While here, Visiting International Students are treated as full-time students at Duke University. They take classes and examinations as home students do. However, it is not possible to stay longer than one year, or to transfer to the four-year degree program at Duke. Students will only be able to enroll in university courses taught on the Duke campus in Durham, North Carolina during the academic year. No financial aid or scholarships are available for the Visiting International Student Program.
Students sponsored by institutions with which Duke University has a signed undergraduate exchange agreement may be admitted for a semester or academic year of studies according to the terms of the agreement. Admissions requirements (below) are the same for all visiting international students; applications should be complete at the time of submission. In addition to the requirements listed, all exchange students must submit a letter of nomination from their home institutions. Written agreements and/or sponsorship agreements exist at the undergraduate level between Duke University and the following institutions and organizations (the details of the agreements vary): Freie University (Berlin), International Christian University (Tokyo), Landerziehungsheim Schondorf, McGill University (Montréal), Open Society Institute, Institut d'Etudes Politiques (Paris), and Humboldt University (Berlin).
Students admitted to the Visiting International Student Program or as an undergraduate exchange student will be housed on West Campus in double rooms or Central Campus in 1-2 bedroom apartments with U.S. roommates. Housing will be arranged by university administrators based on preferences indicated by the student once accepted. Students in university housing are required to purchase meal plans.
Students from abroad who do not use English as their primary language must demonstrate the ability to deal with idiomatic English as spoken in an academic setting. The students must have the ability to express thoughts quickly and clearly in both spoken and written English. Candidates for the Visiting International Student and Exchange Programs, therefore, must be completely fluent at the time the application is submitted. The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is required of all applicants who are not native speakers of English. The minimum required score on the TOEFL is 600 (or 250 on the computer score scale or 100 on the new IB test).
To register for the TOEFL, contact Educational Testing Service. Be sure to register early, because some test centers fill up very quickly. Please include a photocopy of your test results with your applications materials.
To obtain a visa for study in the United States, a foreign national must furnish his country's United States consulate with proof of his/her ability to meet his/her educational expenses. The foreign national should not plan to work in the United States since one's ability to pay must be based upon resources available at the time of application. A certificate of eligibility (I-20 or DS-2019) for a visa application will be issued only to foreign nationals who have been accepted, paid reservation fees, and provided sufficient financial documentation.
Candidates must meet the following requirements for admission and/or provide the items indicated. Please note that all documents must be in English. Translations should be certified true copies.
Expenses at Duke depend somewhat upon a student's individual needs, but there are certain basic charges that apply to all students. The following are the estimated costs for the 2008-2009 academic year.
| EXPENSE | Fall Semester 2008 |
Academic Year 2008-2009 |
| Tuition | est. $18,033 | est. $36,066 |
| Room and Board | 5,000 | $10,000 |
| Books and Equipment | 500 | 1,000 |
| Health Fee (mandatory) | 300 | 600 |
| Health Insurance (mandatory)* | 1,600 | 1,600 |
| Student Activity Fee | 200 | 400 |
| Recreation Fee | 100 | 200 |
| Miscellaneous | 500 | 1,000 |
| TOTAL | est. $26,233 | est. $50,866 |
NOTE: These figures do not include housing and meals during vacation periods. Housing is available at Duke only during the academic semesters, and is not available during the summers and vacations. Personal living expenses are not included in these estimates.
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: All international students are required to purchase the Duke Student Health Insurance Plan, regardless of coverage by other insurance plans. Students attending Duke for the fall semester only may request a prorated refund for the spring portion of the premium.
No financial aid or scholarships are available for the Visiting International Student Program. Financial arrangements with exchange partners vary. Please see your home institution or contact VIS Program administrators for details.
The Application for Admission included here is downloadable using Adobe Acrobat software. Adobe Acrobat software may be downloaded free of charge at http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html
APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION (.pdf format)
Questions? Contact Dr.Amanda Kelso at the Office of Study Abroad, Duke University, 2016 Campus Drive, Box 90057, Durham, NC 27708-0057, Tel. 919-684-2174, Fax 919-684-3083.
NOTE: Under the Campus Security Act (20 U.S.C. 1092f), prospective students may obtain a copy of the University's annual security report by visiting the Duke University Police Department at 502 Oregon Street, Durham, NC 27708 or by calling 919-684-4602. This report includes campus crime statistics and the University's safety and security policies.
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The information on this page is maintained by Amanda Kelso. Last revised: 27 February 2008