Undergraduate Coursework

Duke Continuing Studies works with local Triangle area residents with a variety of educational needs: 

  1. Who want to take a few courses for career development.
  2. Who eventually plan to enter graduate or professional school.
  3. Who seek courses to complete degree programs from other institutions.
  4. Who wish to resume study towards a bachelor’s degree. 

 We also work with current juniors and seniors enrolled at other U.S. colleges and universities who would like to spend one or two semesters at Duke as full-time students focusing on a subject area of unique strength and prominence—typically a subject area not available at their home institutions.

Those with unique educational circumstances should contact the Office of Continuing Studies.

Admitted students are given academic counseling by the Office of Continuing Studies and Summer Session, and are subject to the regulations set forth for degree candidates, unless explicitly noted otherwise. 

Duke employees, please visit the Duke Employee Tuition Rates page for more information on special rates for employees enrolled in Duke undergraduate coursework.

Eligibility

To take a course for credit (i.e. for a grade) you need to apply for admission. Applicants must meet at least one of the following criteria to be eligible: 

  • Earned a bachelor’s degree from a college or university accredited by a national or regional accrediting body recognized by the Department of Education. 
  •  Age 25-years or older, and intend to initiate or complete academic study in a Duke University academic program. 
  • Junior or senior who is currently enrolled at another U.S. college or university and would like to pursue an academic discipline unique to Duke University for one or two semesters.   

Successful applicants are expected to have earned a minimum 3.0 GPA in their most recent program. 

Applicants who fail to meet the minimum GPA requirement are subject to additional review and may be admitted on a provisional basis. As part of the additional review, the following will be taken under consideration: 

  • You have not been enrolled as a full-time student in the last 4 years. 
  • You demonstrate the ability to successfully complete college level coursework by earning a passing grade (B or better) in a minimum of 4 courses during the last 2 years. 

If admitted on a provisional basis, you must earn a minimum 3.0 GPA in the semester immediately following your provisional admission. 

Application Directions 

Your complete application includes: 

  •  Application form
  • At least one letter of recommendation
  • An official copy (or copies) of your transcript(s)
  • Application fee

Key Application Dates:

  • August 1 for admission to Fall Semester 
  • December 1 for admission to Spring Semester
  • April 15 for admission to Summer Term I
  • June 1 for admission to Summer Term II

For applicants with special circumstances, there may be some flexibility with regard to the application dates above. We strongly encourage applicants to consult with our Director of Academic Services prior to submitting their application. Note: Email is not an appropriate medium for sharing sensitive data.

To apply: Download the application form, and fill it out. Please name your completed application and any supporting documentation as lastname_firstname.  Then, return it using this upload link

Individuals who have earned a college degree and desire to take a course numbered between 500 - 999 must apply for admission as a non-degree graduate student. 

2023 - 2024 Tuition

Non-degree Undergraduate Tuition fall and spring semesters:   
$7,932.00 per course credit (One Duke undergraduate course credit is equivalent to a 3-4 credit undergraduate course at most other institutions). 

***Duke Employees should refer to Special Tuition Rates for Duke Employees to learn more about paying $975 to take an undergraduate course (numbered 001-499) for credit.

 Audit Fee (Fall and Spring semesters only):  

$535 per one course credit.

***Duke Employees should refer to Special Tuition Rates for Duke Employees to learn more about paying $100 to audit.

 Tuition Summer 2024:

  • $2,840 - regular or non-science lab course
  • $3,635 - science course with lab
  • $302 - audit

Please see the Summer Session website for more information.

 Transcript Fee

$120 - a one-time fee charged of all students the first term of enrollment for credit.

Continuing Studies students are not eligible to apply for need-based financial aid from the university or from the federal government until they are admitted as degree-seeking candidates.

Undergraduate instruction is focused upon the traditional arts and sciences and engineering. Undergraduate degree opportunities include the Bachelor of Arts, the Bachelor of Science, and the Bachelor of Science in Engineering. The official Course Schedule is available online only. 

We do NOT offer undergraduate preparation in nursing, social work, journalism, business administration, or accounting.  Although we do not offer a major in education, you may choose to pursue teacher licensure at the elementary or secondary level.

Continuing Studies students are not eligible to take courses that are offered through the Duke Medical School, Law School, or the Fuqua School of Business.

Almost all regular university courses are offered only during the daytime.  No science or technical courses (such as in engineering) are offered in the evening.  A small number of courses—typically in humanities areas such as History, English, and Religion—are offered as evening courses.

The official Course Schedule  is available online only. Please contact us if you want to know whether a particular course is being offered in an upcoming semester and what its schedule is.

A number of our Continuing Studies students intend to complete their undergraduate degree at Duke. To be eligible:  

  • You must be a local Triangle NC resident to be considered for admission through Duke Continuing Studies. 
  • You must have taken at least 4 college level courses within the past several years and have earned a minimum 3.0 GPA to be considered for admission as a potential degree-seeking student. At this time Duke does not recognize online coursework.

Degree-seeking Continuing Studies students must complete a minimum of 4 academic courses at Duke and achieve a 3.3 grade point average to be eligible to apply for degree candidacy. At least 2 out of the 4 courses required must be taken during the Fall and/or Spring semesters.

Transfer Credits 

The evaluation of possible transfer credits will only be done after you have completed a minimum of four courses at Duke as a Continuing Studies student and then have been officially admitted as a degree candidate:

  • No more than 17 transfer course credits may count towards the 34 course credits required for graduation.
  • Even with 17 transfer course credits, you will most likely need to take more than 17 course credits at Duke in order to satisfy major and General Education Requirements. 
  • Many academic departments will require that most – possibly all – of the 10 courses required for the major be done while at Duke.
  • Transfer credits may count towards the 34 course credits required for graduation and may be used to fulfill the General Education Requirements (please see the Graduation and General Education Requirements). Documentation will be required. 

IMPORTANT DATES:
Please visit the Duke University Office of the Registrar’s Academic Calendar to review important dates. 

Got an academic question? Try the Academic Policies and Procedures for Undergraduates.

Duke Employees with at least two years of full-time, continuous service may be eligible to participate in the Employee Tuition Assistance Program. This program provides a reimbursement of tuition for a maximum of two classes per semester, up to $5250 per calendar year.  In order to qualify for reimbursement you must receive a grade of  “C” or better in the course, and remain at Duke for at least two years. For more detailed information and an application, please visit the HR website.

Also see section on Special Tuition Rates for Duke Employees

Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports

The Annual Security Report and Annual Fire Safety Report include institutional policies concerning campus safety and security, as well as statistics for the previous three years concerning reported crimes that occurred on Duke University property and on public property adjacent to campus and fires that have occurred in residence halls. A copy of these Reports can be obtained by contacting the Duke Police Department at 684-4602 or writing to 502 Oregon Street, Durham, NC 27708 or by accessing: https://police.duke.edu/news-stats/clery