Duke University, School of Medicine Admission
Duke University, School of Medicine Undergraduate Program
Duke University, School of Medicine Application

The Facts

Duke University is a rather large, private institution located in the town of Durham, North Carolina, and has a combined graduate and undergraduate population of over 22,000 students. The university's School of Medicine, however, is significantly smaller, and is home to about 400 graduate medical students. The average age of enrollment is around 25, and it is fairly rare for any of the students to enter the school directly from their undergraduate education. The school is perhaps best known for its extensive clinical clerkship program, its terrific research facilities, as well as for its emphasis on hands-on learning. Aside from the basic MD, the school offers several joint degrees including the MD/JD, the MD/MBA, the MD/MPH, the MD/MPP, the Medical Historian Program which leads to a joint MD/MA or an MD/PhD in history. The school also offers the MD/PhD in the areas of anatomy, biochemistry, biomedical engineering, cell biology, genetics, immunology, microbiology, molecular biology, neuroscience, pathology, pharmacology, as well as physiology.

Admission to Duke University's School of Medicine is extremely competitive among the many students who apply; last year, over 2,565 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 180 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 100 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming semester. The admitted students had average MCAT scores of 12.0 in Biology, 12.0 in Physics, and 11.0 in Verbal, as well as an average undergraduate GPA of about a 3.8. Students are notified of their admissions status by the months of April, and there is currently no early application program in place.

Graduates of Duke University's School of Medicine frequently are accepted into some of the most prestigious residency programs in the nation. Students often specialize in areas including primary care, pediatrics, family medicine, neurology, cardiology, as well as pathology and immunology.

Clinical Programs

Students at the School of Medicine are required to complete an extensive clinical training, beginning as early as their first year with the Introduction to Critical Care course, which provides them with extensive clinical experience throughout the year. Formal clerkships include 8 weeks of medicine, 8 weeks of ob/gyn, 8 weeks of pediatrics, 6 weeks of psychiatry, 2 weeks of cost-effective care, 8 weeks of surgery, 8 weeks of family medicine, as well as 4 weeks of neurology. Students complete their clinical clerkships at affiliated hospitals including Duke Hospital, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Lenox Baker Children's Hospital, as well as the Durham Regional Hospital.

What's Good

"The clinical training you receive here is incredible, and it really prepares you for your residency."

"The faculty here is incredibly supportive, and they are always available to listen to your questions and concerns."

"There are a lot of opportunities for hands-on experience. You aren't always standing around on the sidelines."

What's Bad

"The school is phenomenally expensive, and the financial aid given out is not significant in comparison."

"There is a lot of competition that goes on here between students."

"There isn't any on campus graduate housing, and it can be difficult to find anything affordable near the school."

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