Duke Pre-College (FAQs)

GPA recommendations

Students must have a 3.0+ GPA to successfully participate in Duke Pre-College programs.

Age and current grade requirements by program

• Current Grades: 6-12
  • Middle School: Current 6-8 grade
    • Students must be at least 11 years old (by session start date) to attend.
    • Students must be at least 13 years old (by session start date) to reside on campus.
    • Students must have completed one year of middle school before attending.
  • High School: Current 9-12 grade
    • Students must be at least 14 years of age (by session start date) to attend.
    • Students must have completed one year of high school before attending.  
      Students may attend the summer after high school graduation. 

Immunization Requirements

All students are required to have immunizations in accordance with North Carolina state law.  

VISAS & LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT  (International Students)

Applicants who are not U.S. Citizens must demonstrate English Language Proficiency.   A B-2 Tourist Visa is required to attend in-person sessions.

Click here to get started! Duke Pre-College applications are completed online and require a deposit with a credit or debit card. If you would like to place your deposit with a check, please email precollege@duke.edu.

Duke Pre-College is a non-credit-bearing summer enrichment program. While students do not receive college credit, they gain an academically rigorous and rewarding experience designed to challenge and inspire them.

Our summer programs offer students the opportunity to dive deeply into a subject area, engage with dynamic instructors, and participate in hands-on learning experiences that mirror the intellectual energy of a college classroom. Beyond academics, students develop critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and independence—skills that support future success in high school, college, and beyond.

Equally important, students experience life on Duke’s campus. They learn in university classrooms, explore campus facilities, and connect with peers from around the world. This immersive environment allows students to grow both academically and personally while discovering what it feels like to be part of a vibrant college community.

To request a transfer, log in to your student portal and navigate to the Manage Registration section. There, you will see the option to change your course or transfer to a different session. 

Please note that all transfers are subject to space and availability.  The portal will provide live enrollment counts to let you know if the course or session is waitlisted.

No, eligibility for the high school program is: 

• The applicant must be a current 9th-12th grade student.
• Students must have completed one year of high school before attending.  
• Students must be at least 14 years of age (by session start date) to attend.
• Students may attend the summer after high school graduation. 

Duke Pre-College students will stay in supervised dormitory housing and will be assigned keys or cards for access to the building and their room. During the day, programs are broken up into smaller classes and other small groups with dedicated TAs that accompany the students throughout their activities. TAs double as Resident Advisors and reside on the same floors as students for overnight supervision. 

Duke Pre-College and all participants are required to align with all Duke Youth Protection guidelines and policies.   

No.  Duke Pre-College programs are residential and all high school participants are required to live in the dorms. This allows students to truly experience college life — living in a dorm away from home, meeting and interacting with fellow students, and acting independently and responsibly. It is common for students to work on their group projects with their peers during non-scheduled times within the dormitory.  

We offer a commuting option for our middle school students only.

Duke Pre-College is pleased to collaborate with local and state scholarship organizations dedicated to enhancing college access and attainment for low-income and first-generation students. Annually, a selection of organizations throughout the state will be chosen to assist in identifying students requiring partial or full scholarships to participate in our summer programs.  Unfortunately, this means that we do not have an individual scholarship application process for enrolling students.  

Yes! All enrollments submitted prior to May 1, 2026, will be automatically placed on a convenient monthly payment schedule. After your program deposit, any remaining tuition costs will be divided into equal payments automatically charged to the credit card you used to sign up.

Want to remove autopay or adjust your payment dates? Contact us to easily make the changes that work best for you. Final payments are due no later than 30 days before the session begins.

Cancellation requests may be submitted through the Manage Registration section of your online student portal.

Duke Pre-College will not charge additional payments. Payment plans will automatically end at the time of cancellation.

We will send you an email as soon as a space becomes available in your session or course. You are also able to check your current session waitlist status at any time in your student profile.

We allow students to remain on the waitlist all the way until a program begins in case there is a short-notice cancellation. With that said, we recommend setting a personal deadline for when you’ll need to hear back from us so you can solidify your summer plans. If you haven’t received an email by that time, you can remove your name from the list and receive a refund of your deposit.

Plan to arrive on the first listed day of your program.  Registration will take place 1:00pm – 4:00pm EST.

Check out the Travel section of your student profile for further details and instructions for reserving an airport shuttle to/from RDU.  

Plan to arrive on the first listed day of your program and depart on the final listed day of your program.

For students traveling from out of state, airport shuttles will be available for an additional fee within specific time frames on arrival and departure days. Check out the Travel section of your student portal before booking your flights.   

Our dedicated and experienced team will be present at the airport on the arrival date to facilitate student arrivals and will assist with each student's return to Raleigh/Durham International Airport (RDU) on the departure date. For high school students specifically, this presents an ideal (and secure) opportunity to gain experience traveling independently. Parental accompaniment to Durham is unnecessary unless you have other family or professional obligations in the area. For those who opt to drive to Durham, parents are permitted to attend registration from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM on the arrival date and to assist with student move-out from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM on the departure date.

Airport & Fee: Raleigh Durham Airport (RDU) - $45
Flight Must Arrive By: 3:00 PM EDT

Staff at Airport: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM EDT
Est. Commute to Campus: 20-40 minutes 

Sign up for the shuttle on your Student Portal under Travel. Staff will meet students in baggage claim and accompany them to campus. Please review the Airport Instructions provided on the Student Portal before booking your travel. Students flying from the West Coast may elect to arrive a day early. Please see the "Early or Late Stay Requests" section on the next page. 

Unless delayed by the airline, students scheduled to arrive after 3:00 PM should make alternate airport transportation arrangements and not book a shuttle.  

On arrival day, our staff will be waiting in the baggage claim area (wearing bright blue Duke Pre-College Staff t-shirts) with a list of all student arrivals – so we will know exactly when to start looking for you! We’ll help you grab your luggage and take you to the shuttle, and you’ll head straight to campus to get checked in.

On departure day, you will be assigned a shuttle based on your flight’s departure time and dropped off at your correct terminal. Our staff members are not able to accompany you through security, but we are a phone call away if you need any assistance.

Yes! A detailed packing list is available in your student profile that outlines everything you will need.

For summer 2026, parents and guardians will not be invited to attend final presentations and closing ceremonies.  The Duke Pre-College program is strategically designed to cultivate essential skills in exploration, independence, and self-directed learning among its participants. A core tenet of this educational philosophy is ensuring that students have the opportunity to fully engage with the academic and leadership components of the experience without external pressure.

Final presentations serve as a critical, high-value academic component of the program. During these sessions, students are expected to present their final projects or research and receive direct, constructive, and comprehensive feedback. This feedback loop involves only the program's academic personnel—instructors, Teaching Assistants (TAs)—and the students' peers, creating a focused, professional, and low-stakes environment essential for genuine intellectual growth.

Immediately following the final presentations, the students will transition into a reflective leadership session. The overall impact and effectiveness of both the presentation feedback session and the subsequent leadership activities are considered to be significantly more impactful and profound when conducted exclusively among their teammates and program staff, without parental involvement. This structure ensures that the program components maximize their aim of promoting self-reliance and fostering a truly independent academic and leadership identity in every participant.

You’ll receive your finalized schedule the day you arrive on campus for the program. Class syllabi will be uploaded to your student drive and mobile app.  

New for summer 2026!  Students will not need a Duke NetID or have a Canvas account.  All course materials will be provided on campus by your instructor and on a shared drive you will gain access to on the first day of class.