Discover the big questions you’ll explore this year—and how innovation can supercharge your answers.
Duke University.
The upgraded way.
Duke Supplemental Essays
— The Class of 2026 Guide —
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Start your Supplemental Essay Success below by previewing this guide’s three sections:
Information ⋄ Inspiration ⋄ Innovation
Discover strategies designed by an Ivy Alum and over three hundred success stories!
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— Supplemental Essay Prompts —
Through Guide Section 1 of 3—Information—explore this college’s supplemental essay prompts for Class of 2026 applicants, along with this college’s Supplemental Styles to streamline your essay-building process!
Supplemental Length
250 Word Maximum
Supplemental Style
College & Curriculum
Required Supplemental Essay
— Duke University —
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— Duke Supplemental Prompt 1 —
The following question is required for all first-year applicants to Duke University during the 2025-26 application cycle. (250 word limit)
What is your impression of Duke as a university and community, and why do you believe it is a good match for your goals, values, and interests? If there is something specific that attracts you to our academic offerings in Trinity College of Arts and Sciences or the Pratt School of Engineering, or to our co-curricular opportunities, feel free to include that too.
— 250 Word Maximum —
Supplemental Length
250 Word Maximum
Supplemental Style
Unique & Uncommon
Optional Supplemental Essay
— Duke University —
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— Duke Optional Prompts —
We want to emphasize that the following questions are optional. We invite you to answer one of the four if you believe that doing so will add something meaningful that is not already addressed elsewhere in your application. (250 word limit)
— Prompt Option 1 —
We believe a wide range of viewpoints and experiences is essential to maintaining Duke’s vibrant living and learning community. Please share anything in this context that might help us better understand you and your potential contributions to Duke.
— Prompt Option 2 —
Meaningful dialogue often involves respectful disagreement. Provide an example of a difference of opinion you’ve had with someone you care about. What did you learn from it?
— Prompt Option 3 —
What’s the last thing that you’ve been really excited about?
— Prompt Option 4 —
Duke recently launched an initiative “to bring together Duke experts across all disciplines who are advancing AI research, addressing the most pressing ethical challenges posed by AI, and shaping the future of AI in the classroom.” Tell us about a situation when you would or would not choose to use AI (when possible and permitted). What shapes your thinking?
— 250 Word Maximum —
Supplemental Essay Information
— Duke University —
Supplemental Strategy
Class of 2026 Applicants
Supplemental Essay
Insider Information
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— Supplemental Essay Strategy —
Streamline your supplemental essay process with our Supplemental Strategy—and bring Duke within your reach!
Throughout our Supplemental Essay Guides, we provide clarity through our Supplemental Essay Styles. The Styles streamline the entire supplemental essay-building process—and create more success stories.
Streamline your application process with the Supplemental Style Strategy—upgraded for Class of 2026 Students who dream of studying at Duke!
— Upgraded Class of 2026 Essentials —
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— Supplemental Essay Examples —
Through Guide Section 2 of 3—Inspiration—read Successful Supplemental Essays from our Accepted Alumni! Discover ideas that stand out to admissions at Duke, and find inspiration for your own success story.
Accepted Alumni
Essay Example
Supplemental Style
College & Curriculum
Supplemental Essay Example
— Duke University —
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Featured Supplemental Essay Prompt For Duke University Applicants:
Please share with us why you consider Duke a good match for you. Is there something in particular about Duke’s academic or other offerings that attract you? 200 Word Maximum.
Successful Supplemental Essay Example From Our Accepted Alumni Student:
My science curiosities were, admittedly, born from childhood idealism. But from seeing Ammamma search for remedies and conducting service in downtown [City], I became determined to practice medicine with an empathy toward diverse backgrounds, difficulties, and stories.
As an aspiring physician and biomedical researcher, I hope to learn and innovate through Duke Biology, concentrating in Biochemistry. Duke courses, projects, and service would bridge disciplines, revealing ways I could contribute to innovation—from enzymatic treatments to potential atherosclerosis cures. Through grabbing FLUNCH and conducting research, I can explore interdisciplinary discovery—like microbial stress interactions with Dr. Amy Schmid or cellular responses to DNA damage with Dr. Paul Modrich.
Through Bass Connections, I hope to collaborate across fields to work against systemic healthcare injustices. In the past, shadowing at a [City] hospital and conducting outreach showed me glaring inequities only miles away. Bass Connections research in Global Health or Race & Society would help us ultimately dissolve entrenched barriers—both locally and globally. I also hope to conduct DukeEngage outreach, empowering communities through STEM education, nutrition initiatives, and healthcare access.
At Duke, I would chase more than curiosities—I would be part of a community that embraces diversity, drives discovery, and promotes equality with every action.
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— Supplemental Essay Strategy —
Through Guide Section 3 of 3—Innovation—learn success-proven methods to streamline your entire supplemental essay process. Our methods are designed by an Ivy Alum and 300+ student success stories!
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— Duke Application Upgrade —
From guiding hundreds of students, we know that your success story takes much more than one essay—especially in 2025.
We are passionate about helping students master the process from start to submission—and to have clarity and confidence at every step. That’s why our innovative guides are curated for Class of 2026 students with big dreams.
A successful Duke University Application requires the Supplemental Essays you see above, and much more. Below, learn what success looks like—from start to finish.
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— Start-To-Submission Success —
Embrace our success-proven methods to build your application essays—and find inspiration to help you at every step.
During the Upgraded Process, College Application Phase Five is the time to embark on some of the most challenging yet rewarding college application components—the specific Supplemental Essays essential for most colleges.
During this phase, learn to master the process of crafting successful College-Specific Supplemental Essays—and bring more colleges within your reach!
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— Upgraded Application Process —
Start your admissions success story with methods built by our Ivy League Founder and over 300 student success stories!
Our success-proven Five Phases Application Approach helps students streamline the entire college application process through success-shaping frameworks and more opportunities for aligned action.
We are passionate about guiding students through our start-to-submission application approach—because success stories require much more than one essay.
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— Supplemental Essay Strategy —
Streamline your supplemental essay process with our Supplemental Strategy—and bring Duke within your reach!
Throughout our Supplemental Essay Guides, we provide clarity through our Supplemental Essay Styles. The Styles streamline the entire supplemental essay-building process—and create more success stories.
Streamline your application process with the Supplemental Style Strategy—upgraded for Class of 2026 Students who dream of studying at Duke!
