Duke Fuqua MBA

01 · Class profile

Who is in the Duke Fuqua MBA class

Class of 2028, the class that began in August 2026 and the newest class profile on Fuqua's class-profile page. Fuqua has not posted a profile for the class that the open cycle would produce.

Fuqua's pages differ: its class profile shows 38% international citizens, meaning primary citizenship outside the U.S., while its Career Development page says nearly 37% of students are non-U.S. citizens. This page uses 38%.

Fuqua gives an average age of 29, and a middle 80% range of 3.17 to 9.50 years of work experience. It says 14% of the class hold advanced degrees, and the class comes from 244 undergraduate institutions and 253 employers.

Fuqua counts 46 countries and territories by citizenship, and says not every country is represented every year. By residence at the time of application, 30 U.S. states are represented. Fuqua says the data follow GMAC reporting standards.

What the class did before the MBA (share of students, by industry)

Share of the Class of 2028, with the industry names as Fuqua gives them. Fuqua's own bucket 'Other' is last.

Others: Fuqua lists the 'Other' industries by number of students: Marketing 4, Real Estate 4, Social 3, Transportation and Logistics 3, Law 2, Engineering 1, Fin Tech 1, Info Tech 1, International Development 1, Research and Development 1, Other 9.

Test scores

Fuqua publishes middle 80% ranges only. It publishes no average, median or number of test-takers for any test, and no range for the previous GMAT edition. It sets no minimum score.

Undergraduate GPA

Fuqua gives a middle 80% range of 3.15 to 3.90.

Who else is in the class

Fuqua also shows 50% U.S. students of color, 19% first-generation students (an optional question), 24% U.S. military, 7% LGBTQ+ and 25% partnered. It defines U.S. military as domestic students who have served or are serving, and partnered as married, engaged and domestic partners.

Programme

Fuqua's Daytime MBA is a two-year, full-time programme in Durham, North Carolina. Fuqua says it does not offer an MBA program that is exclusively online or part-time, and that the whole Daytime MBA carries STEM designation.

02 · Placements

Where Duke Fuqua MBA graduates go

Class of 2025, from Fuqua's Daytime MBA Employment Report 2025, the newest report. Fuqua has not published a Class of 2026 report. All pay figures are in US dollars.

Fuqua defines the $160,000 as the median base salary for one year only. It does not include discretionary bonuses, options or carried interest in partnerships. Fuqua publishes no mean and no highest salary.

The report also gives a median signing bonus of $30,000, and 85.1% reported receiving a signing bonus. It is separate from the base salary, so do not add the two.

The offer and acceptance shares are of graduates pursuing full-time jobs. By graduation, 72.4% had an offer and 68.6% had accepted. Fuqua says its figures use job outcomes collected within 4 months of graduation, and it prints no response rate.

Of 350 graduates, 315 were seeking employment, 12 were not seeking (9 company-sponsored or already employed, 3 starting a new business) and 23 had no recent information available.

Industry of the job (share of accepted full-time jobs)

Share of full-time hires who accepted, Class of 2025, with the industry names as Fuqua gives them. Fuqua's own bucket 'Other' is last. Fuqua shows no hires in Media/Entertainment, and names the transportation bar Transportation and Logistics Services.

Function of the job (share of accepted full-time jobs)

Share of full-time hires who accepted, Class of 2025. Fuqua's own bucket 'Other' is last.

Median base salary by industry

Share of jobs and median base salary, by function

Fuqua shows no pay for categories reported by less than 1% of students seeking employment. The report prints the private equity figure as $127.500, which we read as $127,500. Percentages may not add to 100 because of rounding.

Where the job is (share of accepted full-time jobs)

Share of full-time hires who accepted, Class of 2025, by the regions Fuqua uses.

Summer internships

The same report gives median monthly internship pay by industry. The largest are consulting at 26.1% of internships ($15,167 a month), financial services at 20.4% ($14,583) and technology at 18.6% ($10,079).

Recruiting

Fuqua's Career Development page says it arranges for more than 200 companies to recruit its students each year. It says first-round on-campus interviews usually begin in January for summer internships and in October for full-time positions.

Employers

Fuqua says graduates accepted full-time positions with 106 employers in 2025. Under the caption 'These employers hired 3 or more Fuqua MBA graduates in 2025', the report shows 17 logos.

Accenture, American Airlines, Amazon, Bain & Company, Bank of America, Barclays, BCG, Deloitte, DaVita, Eli Lilly, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, McKinsey & Company, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, PepsiCo, Walmart.

All employers in the Class of 2025 report, in alphabetical order as Fuqua prints them. Only the 17 above are shown as hiring three or more.

Accenture Strategy; Adobe, Inc.; Africa Finance Corporation; Aiga Capital Partners; Airbnb; Alfred; AlixPartners; Altas Cumbres; Alvarez & Marsal; Amazon; American Airlines; Amgen; Apis and Heritage Capital Partners; Apple; Arthur J Gallagher; Assetplan; Bain & Company; Bank of America; Barclays; BCG; Bessemer Trust Company; Bip; BMO Financial Group; Bridgewise; Capital Group; CCS Consulting - Chicago; Chevron; Citi; Clark Construction Group, Inc.; Clorox Company, The; Conagra Brands; Cordelio Power; Cornerstone Building Brands; DaVita; Dell, Inc.; Deloitte Consulting; diio; Duke Capital Partners; Edwards Lifesciences; Eli Lilly and Company; Empire Capital Holdings; EY-Parthenon; Fleet Glass Services/Equipment Armor; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); Foundervine; Frontier Airlines, Inc; FTI Consulting; General Motors; Goldman Sachs; Guggenheim Securities; H&A Farms; Harris Williams; Heelstone Energy Holdings, LLC; Honeywell International; IBM Corporation; Integra; Intuit; Johnson & Johnson; JPMorgan Chase; K50 Ventures; Kearney; Latino Community Credit Union; Lucid Software; M&T Bank; Marathon Capital, LLC; Mattel; May Davis Partners; McKinsey; Mercuria Energy America, LLC; Meta (Facebook); Microsoft Corporation; Moelis & Company; Morgan Stanley; Nestle USA; Nike; Nissan; Oak Street Health; Oliver Wyman; Oracle Corporation; P&G (Procter & Gamble); PA Consulting Group; Pacifico Energy; PepsiCo; Pfizer; PineTree Therapeutics; PwC; Ramona Optics; RBC Capital Markets; Reuse; Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.; SCAN Health Plan; Siemens Corporation; Silicon Foundry; Sprecher Brewing; Starbucks Coffee Company; SteelFab, Inc.; The Chartis Group; The Kraft Heinz Company; The Widewaters Group; Tracbel Agro; UBS; UBS Securities LLC; UnitedHealth Group; Vertex; Visa; Walmart.

03 · Fees and scholarships

What it costs, and how to pay less

These are Fuqua's figures for students who began in August 2026 (the Class of 2028), for the first-year 9-month period, in US dollars. Fuqua has not published tuition for the open cycle, and it states no two-year total.

First-year costs, 2026-27

Fuqua gives $216 of federal loan origination fees on top of the total, which makes its student loan borrowing eligibility $119,190. On request, it can add a one-time computer purchase of up to $2,000 and a one-time trip home of up to $1,000 domestic or $3,000 international, economy only.

Fuqua says there are two non-refundable tuition deposits, one after the round of admission and one in June before the programme starts. The first is $4,000, due on admission and credited to fall tuition. The pages we read do not state the second amount.

The application fee is $225, non-refundable, paid by VISA or MasterCard. Fuqua takes $75 off for attending a qualifying information event or having an endorsement from a current student or alumnus. Only one discount or waiver applies.

Fuqua may waive the fee for, among others, Early Action applicants, reapplicants, military applicants, Duke alumni and citizens of UN least-developed countries.

Scholarships and funding

Loans

Fuqua's financing page carries a notice that, effective 1st Jul 2026, federal student aid loan options changed significantly, including the elimination of the Graduate PLUS loan programme for new borrowing.

04 · Rounds and deadlines

Which round, and by when

Fuqua has an Early Action round and three regular rounds in the 2026-27 cycle. Early Action and Round 1 have closed, and Round 2 is the next deadline.

Fuqua's pages do not print the entry year or a class label for this cycle. We understand it to be for entry in 2027, the Class of 2029 by Fuqua's own labelling of the Class of 2028, though Fuqua does not say.

Early Action is binding and closed on 2nd Sep 2026. Interview invitations were due by 23rd Sep 2026 and decisions came on 15th Oct 2026. If admitted you commit to attend and must withdraw other applications. Its deposit is due on 30th Nov 2026.

Fuqua's pages differ on the Early Action deposit: its facts-and-dates page gives 30th Nov 2026, while its FAQ says the deposit, official transcripts and official test scores are due by December 2026. This page uses 30th Nov 2026.

Deposit deadlines are 16th Feb 2027 for Round 1, 23rd Apr 2027 for Round 2 and 1st Jun 2027 for Round 3. Fuqua's countdown runs to 23:59 on 5th Jan 2027 for Round 2, and it does not state a time zone.

Fuqua says the interview dates fall within the period for each round. Consortium applicants have deadlines of 15th Oct and 5th Jan, and applicants to the Accelerated Daytime MBA can apply only in Rounds 1 to 3.

Fuqua's pages differ for international applicants: its facts-and-dates and FAQ pages say to apply in Early Action, Round 1 or Round 2 for visa processing, while its application-instructions page says to apply by the Round 3 deadline. This page uses the first advice.

Fuqua encourages reapplicants to apply in Early Action or Round 1. It names no Round 4.

05 · Clubs and activities

Life outside class

Fuqua's pages differ on the number of clubs: its Clubs + Activities page says 50 active clubs and organizations, its Daytime MBA page says 60+. Fuqua shows only a sample of each group, so this page gives no count.

Fuqua describes the MBA Association (MBAA) as 100% student-run. Its leadership team typically includes Co-Presidents and vice presidents for areas such as student life, student organizations, career affairs, diversity and international affairs.

Professional clubs

Fuqua gives this example of a professional club activity: a Tech Trek during Fall Break and Winter Break visiting companies and start-ups in Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Diversity clubs

Also listed (not described here): American Latinx Management Association (ALMA); Asia Business Club; Black Business Student Association (BBSA); Business in Africa Club; Duke Armed Forces Association; European Club; Jewish Business Association; Latin American Student Association; Latter-day Saints Student Association; Low-Income, First-Generation Experience Club (LIFE).

Fuqua gives this example of a diversity club activity: an Inter-Faith Discussion Panel with Catholics @ Fuqua, Christian Business Fellowship, Jewish Business Association and the Latter-day Saints Student Association.

Activity clubs

Also listed (not described here): Arts @ Fuqua; Beer Club; Fuqua Hoops; Fuqua Fit & Run; Improv Club; Rugby Club; Wine Club.

Flagship events

Service

Described as Fuqua describes them on its Clubs + Activities page. Clubs change what they run each year.

06 · Process

From application to decision

1. Submit the application

   The application is online only. You create a profile and get a PIN, and can return as often as you need before you submit. Fuqua does not evaluate it until it is submitted and all supporting materials are received and verified.

2. Interview invitation

   Interviews are by invitation only, released on a rolling basis. Fuqua tells you by the published date for your round. An invitation is not a final decision.

   Fuqua says the timing of an invitation is not significant in the evaluation and is not an indicator of the likelihood of admission.

3. InterviewAfter the invitation

   Generally 45 to 60 minutes, in English, in business casual dress. Your interviewer may be an alumnus, a staff member or a trained second-year MBA student (an Admissions Fellow), and sees only your resume.

   All admitted applicants must interview before receiving an offer.

4. Decision

   Fuqua emails the decision on the round's decision date.

5. Waitlist, if it appliesAfter the decision

   Waitlisted applications are reviewed in later rounds. Fuqua limits the number of waitlist offers and will not share numbers. You may send updates and retake the GMAT, GRE or EA.

   Fuqua says it has admitted from the waitlist as late as the start of orientation in July.

6. Deposits and documentsAfter admission

   To reserve a place you pay two non-refundable tuition deposits, with deposit dates set by round (see section 04), and send official test scores from the testing agency and official transcripts from every institution you attended. Fuqua says the due date for official transcripts is noted in your admitted student portal.

Fuqua grants a deferral only after 1st May, only to students who have paid the deposit, and only for a significant, unanticipated and unavoidable personal emergency. It is once only, with a $3,000 non-refundable fee credited to tuition, and scholarships are not guaranteed.

Reapplicants may clone a previous application from the last two cycles, must submit the reapplicant essay and interview again, and are eligible for a fee waiver. Fuqua's application instructions give the last two cycles for cloning, while its FAQ says 2019 and later; this page uses the application instructions. Consortium applicants apply through the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management instead.

07 · What you need

What goes into the application

1. Eligibility

You need a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, earned or in progress, and completed before the programme starts. Fuqua has no preferred major, no minimum work experience, and considers all post-undergraduate work experience.

Fuqua's FAQ says it generally accepts international bachelor's degrees, most of them 4-year, and that 3-year degrees from England, Scotland, Wales and Australia are acceptable. For India, it says the 3-year bachelor of commerce is usually considered the equivalent of a U.S. business degree.

2. Test score

Fuqua accepts the GMAT, GMAT Focus, GRE and Executive Assessment (EA), with no preference between them and no minimum score. Scores are valid for 5 years. Self-reported scores are enough when you apply, and official scores are required if you are admitted. Home and test-centre versions are accepted.

Fuqua asks you to list the individual scores as well as the GMAT Superscore if one is shown. The GMAT and EA programme code is Q13-N5-32. The GRE code is 5156, with department code 4201 (Business Administration and Management). Fuqua's FAQ advises allowing 2 to 3 weeks for score processing before your deadline.

The pages we read describe no test waiver.

3. English test

Fuqua does not accept English-as-a-second-language tests such as the TOEFL or IELTS. It uses other parts of the application to assess language proficiency. Transcripts not in English must be translated and attested, and uploaded with the originals.

4. Written application

These are Fuqua's questions and limits as printed on its application-instructions page. All written submissions use 1.5-line spacing and a font no smaller than 10-point. Do not repeat the question in your uploaded document, because it causes a plagiarism flag.

Short answer: Post-MBA career goals (required, 100 words)

Essay 1: 25 Random Things (required, 750 words maximum, 2 pages)

Fuqua asks for a list numbered 1 to 25. Some points may be brief and others longer.

Essay 2: The Fuqua community and you (required, 500 words maximum, 1 page)

Optional essay: Tell us more (500 words maximum, 1 page)

Fuqua says to use this for circumstances the admissions committee should be aware of, for example unexplained gaps in work, your choice of recommenders, or inconsistent or questionable academic performance. Do not upload additional essays or recommendations here.

Reapplicant essay (reapplicants only, 500 words maximum, 1 page)

Fuqua says all essays are scanned with plagiarism detection and may be reviewed with AI-detection tools. It accepts tools such as Grammarly or ChatGPT for editing and clarity, but says AI should help refine your content, not generate it, and heavy reliance on AI-generated content may count against you.

5. One recommendation

One recommendation is required for new applicants. Fuqua wants someone who knows your professional skills and abilities and can reflect your performance in your most recent professional setting. A volunteer or service role in which you are deeply involved can also be a good source. It strongly discourages relatives and friends, and calls academic recommendations less helpful.

The recommender completes the form in the online application, and email or mail submissions are not accepted. Fuqua advises using the recommender's work email address. The form asks about their interaction with you, how your performance compares with other well-qualified people in similar roles, the most important piece of constructive feedback they have given you and how you responded, and, optionally, anything else we should know. Fuqua states no word limit.

Fuqua does not evaluate the application until all materials are received. You can also ask Fuqua alumni or current students for optional endorsements, which make you eligible for the $75 fee discount if submitted before you apply. Fuqua's endorsement section calls this an application fee waiver, while its fee section calls it a $75 discount. Reapplicants may reuse last year's letter and submit one new letter.

Fuqua's pages differ for reapplicants: its application-instructions page says one new letter, while its FAQ says one or two. This page uses the application-instructions page.

6. Video or assessment

Fuqua's application instructions list no video essay and no separate written assessment. The interview is the only live assessment.

7. Other documents

A one-page business resume with the location, title, dates and responsibilities of each job and volunteer position, most recent first, and an education section with dates and degrees. Upload unofficial scanned transcripts for every college or university where you earned or will earn a degree, and where you attended classes that relate to your graduate study interests. Official transcripts are needed only if you are admitted. WES transcripts are accepted in addition to originals. The application fee is $225.

08 · What Fuqua wants

How Fuqua reads your file

Fuqua says a good match is important from both sides, so it takes a holistic approach to each candidate. It considers you a strong applicant if it is confident you will succeed in the programme, you will add value to your peers and to Fuqua, you believe diversity in thought and background are important, and you show competence, character and purpose and the potential to be a leader who is a positive force for change.

Fuqua publishes no percentage or weighting for any part of the application.

09 · Interview questions

What candidates say Fuqua interviewers ask

Five types of question that candidates describe, based on candidates' own accounts of their Fuqua interviews from 2021 to 2026. Nobody gets a fixed list. The tag says how likely that type of question is: high means it comes up in close to half of candidate accounts or more, medium in roughly a quarter to just under half, and low in fewer than a quarter.

Candidates describe the interview as a conversation about culture and community fit. No account describes a case, a guesstimate or a business exercise. A few accounts end with a one-minute pitch to the admissions team.

Fuqua's own pages are the authority for the current format. The group of accounts is moderate in size and small in the most recent years, so treat year-to-year changes as signals, not trends.

10 · Interview experience

What the interview is actually like

What Fuqua says

What candidates report

Based on candidates' own accounts from 2021 to 2026. Interviewers differ in style, so length and the amount of small talk vary a lot. Most accounts come from people who describe a positive interview.

11 · FAQs

Questions students ask about Duke Fuqua MBA