news-record.com

DURHAM — Want to go to Duke? You're not the only one -- by a long shot.

A record number of high school seniors -- more than 31,500 -- want to attend the university next year. That's 1,800 more applicants, an increase of 6.2 percent, over last year, which had been the most ever.

It's the fifth year in a row in which the number of applications to the university has set a record. Applications to Duke have increased by 55 percent -- more than 11,000 -- in the past four years alone.

"We're pleased to see this level of interest in Duke," Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Christoph Guttentag said.

"What's perhaps most gratifying is the wide range of backgrounds and places our applicants are applying from; more than ever our applicant pool spans the country and the world."

Of the 31,565 applicants, 2,656 applied early decision, and 648 of those students were admitted earlier this academic year. That means the 28,909 who applied through the regular decision process are fighting for around 1,060 places in the university class of 2016.

"It'll be a challenge choosing among them." Guttentag said.

Duke's Pratt School of Engineering saw the biggest jump in the number of applicants, an increase of 13.8 percent. Trinity College of Arts & Sciences had a 4.6 percent increase in applications.

California again provided the largest number of applicants, with North Carolina second and New York a close third, followed by Florida and Texas.

The greatest growth among applicants in recent years has been among students from the West Coast and from overseas, with China first among foreign countries in the number of applicants, followed by Korea and Canada.

The applicant pool is fairly evenly divided between males and females. Among students of color, the greatest increases were among Latino students and students of Asian descent.

Admissions decisions will be made available to applicants online in early April.