Fuqua School of Business – Duke University
The Fuqua School of Business in Durham, North Carolina is the business school of Duke University. Fuqua is noted for its strong healthcare education, and the emphasis it places on teamwork among its MBA students. Along with other postgraduate offerings in business, Fuqua provides students several routes to completing the MBA: the full-time MBA, the full-time Accelerated Daytime MBA, and Weekend Executive MBA.
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FAQ
What is the tuition for Fuqua's MBA program?
The tuition for Fuqua's MBA program is $81,000 per year. The total cost of the Fuqua MBA program is $114,952 per year; this includes budgeted living expenses.
How hard is it to get into Fuqua's MBA program?
The acceptance rate for Fuqua is 22.1%. It is important to consider the acceptance rate in the context of the student profile of those who are admitted.
What is the average GMAT score for admission to Fuqua's MBA program?
The average GMAT score for the incoming class at Fuqua is not available. The GMAT middle 80% range is 680 - 770.
Does the Fuqua MBA program accept the GRE?
Yes. The Fuqua MBA program has accepted the GRE for a few years now.
What is the average GRE score for admission to Fuqua's MBA program?
The GRE range of scores for the incoming class at Fuqua is 307-328.
What is the minimum number of years of work experience required for admission to Fuqua's MBA program?
Fuqua does not state a minimum requirement for years of work experience. However, it is important for candidates to be aware that they are being considered against other candidates with an average of 5.8 years of experience.
What is the average number of years of work experience for admission to Fuqua's MBA program? (or, What is the average age of a Fuqua student?)
The average number of years of work experience among students in Fuqua's MBA program is 5.8. The average age of a Fuqua student is 29.
What is the median starting salary for graduates of the Fuqua MBA program?
The median starting salary for Fuqua MBA graduates is $160,000 with a median signing bonus of $30,000. The salary will vary by industry, with consulting and finance jobs generally commanding the higher salaries.
How long is Fuqua's full-time MBA program?
Fuqua offers a traditional 2 year MBA program, which is 22 months long.
What are the application deadlines for Fuqua's MBA program?
The Early Action round MBA deadline is September 4, 2025. The Round 1 application deadline is September 30, 2025. The Round 2 application deadline is January 8, 2026. The Round 3 deadline is February 24, 2026. The Round 4 deadline is April 1, 2026.
What percent of Fuqua MBA students are women?
The percentage of the class at Fuqua that are women is 47%.
What type of interview does Fuqua use for MBA admissions?
Fuqua offers interviews by invitation. The interviews are resume-based. This means the interviewer has not had access to the application materials.
When does Fuqua release MBA interview invites for Early Action?
The first 2025-2026 Early Action interview invite from Fuqua was reported on LiveWire on September 12, 2025. Fuqua posts that interview invitations for Round 1 will be released by September 25, 2025.
When does Fuqua release MBA interview invites for Round 1?
The first 2024-2025 Round 1 interview invite from Fuqua was reported on LiveWire on October 17, 2024. Fuqua posts that interview invitations for Round 1 will be released by November 12, 2025.
When does Fuqua release MBA interview invites for Round 2?
The first 2024-2025 Round 2 interview invite from Fuqua was reported on LiveWire on January 22, 2025. Invitations continued to be received through February 13. Fuqua posts that interview invitations for Round 2 will be released by February 13, 2026.
When does Fuqua release MBA decisions?
For Early Action, Fuqua posts a decision date of October 16, 2025. For Round 1, Fuqua posts a decision date of December 11, 2025. For Round 2, Fuqua posts a decision date of March 13, 2026. For Round 3, Fuqua posts a decision date of April 10, 2026. For Round 4, Fuqua posts a decision date of May 8, 2026.
Admissions
The Class Profile
Fuqua’s Class of 2027 numbers 426 students who averaged 5.8 years of work experience and 29 years of age at the time of matriculation. The class’s 80% range of GMAT scores spanned from 680 to 770, while the 80% range for undergraduate GPAs was 3.16 to 3.91. The middle 80% of GRE scores spanned 307-328. Forty-seven percent of first-year students are women, and 55% identify as U.S. students of color. Thirty-five percent of the Duke Daytime MBA student body are international citizens by U.S. status. Eleven percent hail from a military background and another 11% are members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Application Procedures
Those interested in the Fuqua MBA program can submit an application in an early action pool or during any of Fuqua’s four other application rounds. The submission deadline for Early Action (EA) students occurs in early September, and applicants learn of their admissions status by mid-October. Upon acceptance, EA applicants must withdraw their bids to all other programs.
Fuqua requires applicants to submit its online application form, a one-page résumé, one short answer question and two essays, and GMAT, GRE, or EA test results. One letter of recommendation is also required, along with official academic transcripts, and an application fee of $225. Applicants can qualify for the Duke MBA Application Fee Waiver through various avenues, including student recommendations or by attending a qualifying campus visit or event. English language proficiency test scores are not accepted. While Fuqua used to have an Open Interview period, all interviews are by invitation only beginning in the 2024-2025 admissions season. Both in-person and virtual interview options are available through the Round 2 admissions deadline, but applicants in Round 3 and Round 4 can only interview virtually.
Application Checklist
- Online Application
- GMAT/GRE/EA Score(s)
- Official Transcripts
- Résumé
- Essays
- One Recommendation Letter
- Non-refundable Application Fee
Essay Topic Analysis
Recommendation Questions
Duke / Fuqua Q&A's
Duke / Fuqua LiveWire and DecisionWire
Academics
Faculty
Fuqua employs over 150 full-time faculty members across eight academic areas of concentration. The areas are accounting, decision sciences, economics, finance, management and organizations, marketing, operations management, and strategy. Fuqua faculty contribute to the research agendas of the school’s centers, which include the Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics (COLE), the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE), Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E), the Center for Energy, Development and Global Environment (EDGE) and Health Sector Management (HSM).
Curriculum
The school’s guiding concept is “Team Fuqua,” and the academic environment of the MBA program certainly mirrors this cooperative, team-based mentality. Fuqua’s MBA classes of around 400 students are divided into six sections, and students are further placed into learning teams of four to five peers. These study groups are changed up mid-year, all the while working together to complete assignments throughout the core curriculum.
Fuqua’s pre-term and orientation schedule begins in July. An optional Business, Communications and Culture Program is offered in early to mid-July, and MBA students in the Health Sector Management program take a weeklong, for-credit class in July that has become known as HSM Bootcamp. A mandatory orientation period takes place over three days at the end of July. Classes commence the following week for first-year students with an intense month of orientation and immersion in a rigorous, hands-on program of three courses that emphasize leading and managing in an uncertain world. Second-year students begin classes at the conclusion of the first-years’ mandatory introductory program, or sometime near the beginning of September.
Fuqua’s schedule is organized into four six-week terms per year, and classes do not meet on Wednesdays in order to provide students with a mid-week break. Full-time MBA students must earn a minimum of 79 credits to graduate, 44.5 of which are earned through electives, and maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher. In addition to completing 34.5 core credits, which can be earned through electives should students earn exemptions from core courses, students must complete an Applied Learning Requirement, which consists of an internship over the course of at least six weeks in a business that aligns with a student’s sector and function interests. Fourteen courses comprise the core and, along with at least four electives, round out students’ first year at Fuqua. The means to core exemptions vary by course, though many can be earned based on a student’s undergraduate coursework or results on exams offered by Fuqua in July and August. The entire second year curriculum is comprised of elective courses.
Students may also opt to focus their studies by undertaking up to two academic concentrations within 14 fields of study. Each concentration is comprised of six courses in total. Fuqua further offers two certificate programs: the Certificate of Academic Excellence in Finance, and the Health Sector Management Certificate. In addition, second-year students can take their studies abroad through a variety of international study options. Fuqua’s Outgoing Exchange Programs (OEPs), for instance, can vary in length from a single short program to an entire semester or summer break. Meanwhile, Integrated Global Academic Travel Experience (GATE) courses give students the chance to spend six weeks studying a country or region in a three-credit elective course before traveling to that location for 12 days.
Other MBA Degree Options
Fuqua’s 22-month full-time MBA is the longest of its four programs, tied with its 22-month Weekend Executive MBA that uses Durham residencies and hybrid learning to help executives earn their management degrees on the weekends. Fuqua also offers a 10-month Accelerated Daytime MBA, designed for students who have already earned their master’s degree in management and thus skip the business fundamentals. Fuqua also provides five dual degree options for full-time MBA students through other schools at Duke University and one dual degree in partnership with Seoul National University.
Concentrations at Fuqua
- Decision Sciences
- Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
- Energy & Environment
- Energy Finance
- Entrepreneurship & Innovation
- Finance
- Financial Analysis / Accounting
- Fin Tech (Financial Technology)
- Leadership & Ethics
- Management
- Marketing
- Operations Management
- Social Entrepreneurship
- Strategy
Certificates at Fuqua
Finance
Health Sector Management
Degree Offerings at Fuqua
Full-time MBA Programs
Daytime, Health Sector Management
http://www.fuqua.duke.edu/programs/daytime-mba/
Dual Degree Programs
Doctor of Medicine, Juris Doctor, Master of Environmental Management, Master of Forestry, Master of Public Policy
https://www.fuqua.duke.edu/programs/daytime-mba/dual-degrees
Executive MBA
Weekend
https://www.fuqua.duke.edu/programs/weekend-executive-mba
Campus Life
Clubs, Conferences & Competitions
MBA students matriculating at Fuqua have over 60 student organizations and clubs to choose from and are encouraged to create organizations that match their interests. The Duke MBA Association, or MBAA, is the student governing body for these organizations. Fuqua offers activity, professional and diversity clubs, such as the MBA Energy Club, the Marketing Club and the Asian Business Club. In addition, many students and faculty, staff and community members meet informally at the student center each Friday for food and conversation at “Fuqua Fridays.”
Fuqua’s student clubs sponsor many conferences and events, ranging from the lauded Heath Care Conference—Fuqua’s largest conference—to the MBA Games, which have engaged top business schools in charitable competitions and supported Special Olympics North Carolina for over 20 years. Meanwhile, , the annual Private Equity Venture Capital Conference from the Fuqua PEVC Club and the Southeast Entrepreneurship through Acquisition Conference offer perspectives on developments in VC and entrepreneurship.
Campus Spaces
Fuqua lies within the West Campus of Duke University. The cornerstone of Fuqua’s campus is the Fox Student Center, which joins the main wings of the school while also providing living spaces such as dining centers and an indoor winter garden. One of Fuqua’s main buildings is Breeden Hall, which opened its doors in 2008 and includes class and meeting rooms as well as the Ford Library and MBA admissions offices. Additionally, the Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship’s hub opened in 2023, creating classroom, office, and event spaces for collaboration. The school does note the limited availability of on-campus graduate housing options provided by the university. Most MBA students live in the greater Durham area, and those accepted to Fuqua can access Duke’s Community Housing Office for guidance in securing accommodations.
MBA Careers
Career Services
Fuqua’s Career Management Center serves students and alumni through a variety of career resources, including on-campus, regional and virtual workshops as well as on-campus recruiting options. Many of the staff members at the center specialize in different regions, functions and industries and also in advising students of Fuqua’s different MBA programs. The online CareerBridge service allows recruiters to directly post openings for Fuqua students in a centralized database of upcoming events and job fairs, employer profiles and more. Fuqua students can also contribute to a Résumé Book compiled by the Career Management Center. On-campus interviews for second-year students formally begin in early October, though networking nights and corporate presentations begin in mid-September. For first-year students seeking internships, interviews begin in early January.
Career Statistics
Of the 350 members of the Duke Fuqua MBA Class of 2025, 315 reported seeking employment. Just over 82% had received job offers within three months of commencement, and 79% had accepted offers by then. The median reported salary was $175,000 with a median signing bonus of $30,000.
By industry, consulting was the top draw for 2025 Fuqua graduates; 26.1% of the class entered the industry. The next most popular industry for Fuqua graduates was financial services at 20.4%, followed by technology at 18.6%. Healthcare took in 13.5% of graduates while 6.3% pursued roles in CPG. By function, consulting also led the pack at 30%. Finance/accounting followed consulting at 24.6%, and 18.6% of students entered general management functions. Another 15.1% took on marketing/sales roles.
Roughly 93% of graduates chose to remain in the U.S. for their post-MBA roles, while the rest accepted positions across the globe. Twenty-one percent of Class of 2025 Fuqua graduates took positions in the Northeast U.S. The South drew 17% of graduates, and the Southwest region hired 16%. The West took in 15.7% of Fuqua MBA grads while 12% settled in the Mid-Atlantic region. Another 10% landed in the Midwest.
Financing
Tuition for Fuqua’s Daytime MBA costs $81,000 for the 2025-2026 academic year. Fuqua estimates that first-year students of the Class of 2027 will pay $114,952 in total to attend the program for a year, parsing out the cost to include $24,624 in living expenses and $9,328 in fees, insurance and supplies.
Fuqua automatically considers applicants for its range of merit-based scholarships. U.S. citizens and permanent residents can also finance the cost of their MBA through federal or private loans. These applicants must complete the FAFSA to be considered for aid. Finally, international applicants can apply for international student loan programs to gain financial assistance with or without a co-signer.
Duke Daytime MBA Cost of Attendance (first year)
- Tuition: $81,000
- Living Expenses: $24,624
- Estimated Educational Supplies: $882
- Estimated Medical Insurance & Other Fees: $8,446
- Total: $114,952
Recent News
Contact
Mailing Address:
Duke University
Fuqua School of Business
100 Fuqua Drive
Durham, NC 27708-0120 USA
Phone: 919-660-7705
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.fuqua.duke.edu/
Blog: https://blogs.fuqua.duke.edu/duke-mba
X (Twitter): @DukeFuqua