Get to know the incoming freshmen at Duke, NC Central, NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill

Universities around the Triangle are welcoming a new class of students to campus over the next few weeks.

N.C. State University received the highest number of first-year applications and transfer applications in its history, totaling nearly 40,000. From that pool, NCSU will welcome its largest incoming first-year class of about 5,600 students.

Duke University also received the highest number of applications in its school history.

Here’s a look at some other facts and figures of new students and the future Class of 2026:

N.C. State University

(These numbers are for the incoming class of first-year students)

▪ 5,601 first-year students

▪ 39,874 total applications this year compared to 37,025 last year (including transfer students)

▪ 46.9% acceptance rate for first-year students

▪ 4.31 average weighted GPA

▪ 52% women and 48% men (2,897 vs. 2,704)

▪ 21% increase in students of color (includes Black, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and Multiracial) (1,685 vs. 1,387 in 2021)

▪ About 19% are first-generation students, meaning they will be the first in their families to earn a four-year degree

▪ 2.4% increase in rural students (1,750 vs. 1,709 in 2021)

▪ 98 of 100 N.C. counties represented

▪ 43 states represented

▪ 41 countries represented

▪ Top 10 programs: Engineering, Exploratory studies (undecided/undeclared), Management, Life sciences, Animal science, Sport management, Psychology, Fashion & textile management, Political science and Criminology

UNC-Chapel Hill

(Unless specified, these numbers are for first-year and transfer students)

▪ 4,455 first-year students

▪ 939 transfer students

▪ Among all incoming students, 80% are from North Carolina and 20% are from out-of-state

▪ 48 states represented

▪ 95 of the state’s 100 counties are represented

▪ 85 different countries represented

▪ About 18% are first-generation college students

▪ Of those who reported a class rank, 73.6% of first-year students ranked in the top 10% of their high school class

N.C. Central University

(Unless specified, these numbers are for the incoming class of first-year students)

▪ 1,296 first-year students

▪ 393 transfers and 2nd-degree students

▪ 84% Black or African American

▪ 5.2% Hispanic

▪ 5% More than one race

▪ 3.6% White

▪ <1% each for Asian, American Indian and Native Hawaiin or Pacific Islander

▪ 67% female and 33% male (among all new students) (1,139 vs. 550)

▪ 3.21 average high school GPA

▪ 923.5 average SAT score

▪ 17.78 average ACT score

▪ 450 graduate and 163 professional students

▪ Top high schools: Hillside High School, J.D. Clement Early College, Rolesville High School, Charles E. Jordan Sr. High School and Olympic High School

▪ Most represented counties: Wake, Durham, Mecklenburg, Guilford and Cumberland

▪ Most represented states outside of NC: Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina and New York

Duke University

(These numbers are for the incoming class of first-year students)

Duke officials did not yet finalize these facts and figures for the Class of 2026 at the time of publication, but here is some information about students who were admitted.

▪ 855 first-year students accepted who applied Early Decision, which means they will enroll if admitted

▪ Of those students, 695 plan to enroll in the Trinity School of Arts & Sciences and 160 in the Pratt School of Engineering

▪ 4,015 early decision application, which is a 21% admit rate

▪ Most represented states among early decision: New York, North Carolina, California, Florida and Texas

▪ 50,002 total applications

▪ 2,120 students admitted through regular decision, a 4.6% admit rate

▪ Another 110 students who were initially deferred in Early Decision were admitted later

▪ $134 million given out in need-based financial aid to support undergraduate students

▪ Average grant offer is more than $54,000 per year for aid applicants

Information was provided by each university.