Duke UniversityFacts & Information

Duke, founded in 1838, is a private research university. Its academic mission is to expose students to a variety of subject areas and modes of inquiry. Students learn to access, synthesize, and communicate knowledge effectively, to acquire perspective on current and historical events, to conduct research and solve problems, to develop a capacity for hard and sustained work, and to serve the community. All first-year students live and learn in the East Campus, where designated faculty members live in residence halls with freshmen to increase opportunities for student-faculty interaction. Duke''s 8,500-acre campus, known for its Gothic architecture, is located in Durham.