Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business maintained strong diversity with its Daytime MBA Class of 2027. Of the 426 new students, 47 percent are women. The school also posted impressive representation of U.S. minorities, with 55 percent students of color and 39 percent underrepresented students of color.
Here are some key elements of the profile:
| Women | 47% |
| Countries & Territories Represented (by citizenship) | 43 |
| International Students* | 35% |
| U.S. Underrepresented Students of Color** | 39% |
| Average Work Experience | 5.8 years |
*By primary citizenship outside the U.S., does not include dual citizenship.
**U.S. domestic or permanent residents students who identify as African American or Black, Hispanic American or Latinx, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and those who are multiracial or multiethnic.
| Average Undergraduate GPA (Middle 80%) | 3.16-3.91 |
| GRE Verbal/Quant Combined Range (Middle 80%) | 307-328 |
| GMAT Score Range (Middle 80%) | 680-770 |
| Executive Assessment Range (Middle 80%) | 149-158 |
Women, Minority and International Representation
Women make up 47 percent of the Duke Daytime MBA Class of 2027, only a four percent dip from last year’s record for the school. U.S. Students of Color—U.S. domestic or permanent resident students who identify as African American or Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian American, Hispanic American or Latinx, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and those who are multiracial or multiethnic—number 55 percent, nearly matching last year’s also-impressive 56 percent. Historically underrepresented U.S. minority students— U.S. domestic or permanent residents students who identify as African American or Black, Hispanic American or Latinx, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and those who are multiracial or multiethnic—make up 39 percent of the class, which represents another near-match with last year’s 40 percent. A closer look under Federal reporting guidelines shows 19 percent reporting as Hispanic or Latinx and 18 percent as African American or Black. Fourteen percent identify as Asian American and four percent as two or more races.
The new cohort represents 29 U.S. states and 43 countries & territories. The international student contingent continued to decline, landing at 35 percent this year, down six percent from 41 percent last year and 47 percent for the Class of 2025 (this year does not include dual citizenship).
Academic and Professional Background
During their undergraduate years, the middle 80 percent of their GPAs landed between 3.16 to 3.91. Engineering/natural sciences were the most popular majors at 35 percent. Business & accounting followed at 29 percent. Eighteen percent earned degrees in liberal arts and 12 percent in economics. Fourteen percent of students hold advanced degrees and 22 percent of Duke candidates reported being first-generation college students.
This year’s incoming class had a bump in GMAT scores, with the range of scores increasing 10 points over last year, 680 to 770. For those who opted to take the GRE, the combined Quant and Verbal range came in at 307 to 328. Finally, the middle range (80 percent) of scores for students who took the Executive Assessment landed at 149 to 158. The program does not report the overall average GMAT, GRE or EA scores.
Prior to matriculating at Fuqua, the MBA Class of 2027 averaged 5.8 years of work experience. Twenty-one percent of the class comes from the financial services industry and another 16 percent from consulting. Twelve percent had worked in tech, followed by nine percent in health. Eight percent hailed from government work and seven percent from non-profit/education fields. Eleven percent served in the military.
