Duke University

Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina, established under that name in 1924. Its institutional history begins with Union Institute Academy, a small school opened in Randolph County in 1838; it became Normal College in 1851, Trinity College in 1859, and moved to Durham in 1892. James B. Duke’s 1924 indenture and the Duke Endowment transformed Trinity into a comprehensive university named in memory of his father, Washington Duke. [1] [2]

The resulting expansion included a new Gothic West Campus, which opened in 1930, while the original Durham site became East Campus. Duke later merged its men’s and women’s undergraduate colleges in 1972 into the present Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. The university’s current schools include Trinity, Pratt Engineering, Law, Divinity, Graduate, Medicine, Nursing, Fuqua Business, Nicholas Environment, and Sanford Public Policy. [1] [2]

Duke’s stated mission combines liberal education, graduate and professional preparation, advancement of knowledge, open inquiry, international scholarship, medical research, patient care, and service to local, national, and global communities. Its academic structure therefore links undergraduate and graduate education with professional schools, university-wide institutes, and Duke University Health System activities. [2] [3]

The university reports 6,525 undergraduate students and 10,800 graduate and professional students for fall 2025, or 17,325 students in total. Duke Facts also reports 4,236 faculty members and 48,313 employees across the university and health system using its stated 2024–25 reporting periods. These figures help place Duke’s research, teaching, clinical, and civic roles in the context of a large institution rather than a standalone undergraduate college. [1]