Duke Fuqua

Durham, NC · Private · 2-year full-time (Daytime MBA)

Average GMAT Focus: 660 (605–715 (middle 80%))
Average GPA: 3.52
Class size: 359 (Class of 2028)
Median base salary: $160,000 (Class of 2025)
Program tuition: $167,400 (≈ 2 × first-year tuition)

Deadlines

Early Action: Sept. 2, 2026
Round 1: Sept. 30, 2026
Round 2: Jan. 5, 2027
Round 3: March 25, 2027

Essays

Required short answer (100 words)

What are your post-MBA career goals? Share with us your first-choice career plan and your alternate plan.

First required essay: 25 random things (2 pages (750 words maximum); numbered list, 1 to 25)

The 'Team Fuqua' spirit and community is one of the things that sets the MBA experience apart, and it is a concept that extends beyond the student body to include faculty, staff, and administration. Please share with us “25 Random Things” about you. The Admissions Committee wants to get to know YOU - beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript. Share with us important life experiences, your hobbies, achievements, fun facts, or anything that helps us understand what makes you who you are.

Second required essay: the Fuqua community and you (1 page (500 words maximum))

Fuqua prides itself on cultivating a culture of engagement. Our students enjoy a wide range of student-led organizations that provide opportunities for leadership development and personal fulfillment, as well as an outlet for contributing to society. Our student-led government, clubs, centers, and events are an integral part of the student culture and to the development of leaders. Based on your understanding of the Fuqua culture, what are 3 ways you expect to contribute at Fuqua?

Optional essay: tell us more (1 page (500 words maximum))

If you feel there are circumstances of which the admissions committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g. unexplained gaps in work, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance). Note that you should NOT upload additional essays nor additional recommendations in this area. The Optional Information section is intended to provide the admissions committee with insight into your circumstances only.

Reapplicant essay (reapplicants only) (1 page (500 words maximum))

It is not uncommon for it to take more than one try to achieve a goal. Please share with us the self-reflection process that you underwent after last year's application and how you have grown as a result. How did it shape your commitment to Fuqua and inspire your decision to reapply?

Editor's notes

Round 1 closes Sept. 30, and Early Action has passed. On-campus interviews in Durham are offered only through Round 2; Round 3 interviews are virtual. If you're international, don't wait for Round 3: Fuqua's dates page tells international applicants to use Early Action, Round 1 or Round 2 to leave time for visas.
Treat the scholarship decision as a one-time event. Fuqua considers every admitted applicant for merit money, but it says it has no funding for new second-year awards, and named scholarships replace your award rather than add to it. What you're offered at admission is most of what you'll get.
Read the formatting rules before you upload. Fuqua runs essays through plagiarism and AI-detection software, and pasting the question into your document can get it flagged. Its AI rule is clear: tools can help with editing and clarity, not content.
The interviewer sees only your resume, and Fuqua's interviews run up to an hour. That's a lot of time to fill with stories your interviewer hasn't read. Your "25 Random Things" list is a good inventory: several of those items should be stories you can tell well out loud.