For the first time in the program's history, more than half of the students in Duke Fuqua University's daytime MBA program will be women.
History is now being made at Duke University: After receiving a record number of applications for its daytime MBA program, the Fuqua School of Business's 2026 MBA class, which began classes earlier this month, is 51% women, marking the first time the program has achieved gender parity in its illustrious history.
After coming close to winning for many years, Duke Fuqua joins an exclusive club of business schools that includes the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business, the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, the George Washington University Graduate School of Business and the Johns Hopkins University's Carey School of Business.
“We are pleased to see that for the first time, we have equal gender representation in our daytime MBA class,” said Shari Hubert, associate dean for admissions at the Fuqua School. The poet and the quantum“It is fitting that we celebrate this special milestone just weeks after Mary Frances Luce assumed her role as interim dean, making her the first woman in the college's history to be appointed dean.”
Duke Fuqua Daytime MBA by the Numbers, 2018-2024
Duke Fuqua |
2024 |
2023 |
2022 |
2021 |
2020 |
2019 |
2018 |
Application acceptance |
3,808 |
3,292 |
3,539 |
3,762 |
3,356 |
3,036 |
3,557 |
admit |
744 |
729 |
727 |
723 |
838 |
695 |
798 |
Class size |
427 |
385 |
399 |
447 |
408 |
395 |
440 |
Pass Rate |
19.5% |
22.1% |
20.5% |
19.2% |
25.0% |
22.9% |
22.0% |
GMAT 80% range |
660-760 |
670-760 |
660-760 |
670-750 |
660-740 |
600-770 |
650-750 |
GPA Range |
3.17-3.89 |
3.10-3.89* |
3.1-3.9* |
3.06-3.86* |
2.70-4.00 |
2.65-4.00 |
3.10-3.88 |
Average undergraduate GPA |
3.54 |
3.49 |
3.46 |
3.48 |
3.50 |
3.50 |
3.49 |
GRE Average Score |
318 |
317 |
317 |
317 |
315 |
319 |
319 |
GRE Percentage |
47% |
37% |
35% |
33% |
38% |
twenty three% |
14% |
woman |
51% |
45% |
48% |
48% |
46% |
43% |
42% |
URM students |
40% |
27% |
twenty five% |
twenty five% |
twenty three% |
17% |
16% |
international student |
41% |
47% |
57% |
47.0% |
38.0% |
28.6% |
38.0% |
First Generation Students |
18% |
18% |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Earning an Advanced Degree |
16% |
twenty one% |
18% |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Military/Veterans |
11% |
19% |
9% |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Representative country |
45 |
51 |
55 |
54 |
44 |
44 |
44 |
*80% range
Source: Duke Fuqua
Duke University received 3,808 MBA applications in the last cycle, a 15% increase from the previous year.
Shari Hubert, associate dean for admissions at Duke University's Fuqua School. Duke University photo
Hubert said Fuqua School alumni and current students have played a major role in creating a pipeline of female applicants for the program.
“This year we held several events featuring women from our community and piloted a new campaign involving alumni through our premier alumni committee to provide outreach and connection to admitted women,” she says. “We hope this helps female applicants develop the sense of connection and belonging that is at the core of Fuqua’s culture.”
The school is currently ranked 6th. P&QFuqua, which ranks atop the rankings of the top U.S. business schools by the University of Pennsylvania, received 3,808 MBA applications for the 2023-2024 cycle, the most in the school's history, up more than 15% from the previous year. The school had seen a 12.5% drop in applications between 2021 and 2023. The turnaround allowed Fuqua to house its largest class (427 students) since the pandemic year of 2021, while maintaining a level of diversity that likely placed it among the top in that metric. 40% of the class are underrepresented minorities, up from 27% last year, and 56% are U.S. students of color.
“Our Team Fuqua values are built on the foundation of embracing differences and leveraging the power that diverse teams can achieve to solve the world’s most pressing problems, and those values haven’t changed,” Hubert says.
“We are extremely proud of our ongoing efforts to create a class that reflects the many facets of diversity that exists not only in the United States but around the world,” she added. Eighteen percent of the new class are first-generation college-goers, which is in line with the levels of the MBA Class of 2025.
Tech layoffs contribute to surge in domestic apps
The Fuqua School's acceptance rate fell to 19.5% for the first time since 2021, but its acceptance rate rose to 57.4% from 52.8% last year. The school admitted 744 students, its most since 2018, before the pandemic.
The increase in applicants was driven by increased domestic interest, which in turn led to a drop in international applicants, resulting in a drop in international enrollment from 47% to 41%. Shari Hubert noted that “several factors” could have influenced the increase in domestic applicants, pointing to overall market growth due to changes in the economy. She also noted that tech layoffs have led many in the industry to return to school in search of new skills.
“After several years of fewer campus visits, we are now seeing more in-person visits again,” says Hubert. “Our location in Durham, North Carolina, allows prospective students to see the campus and experience our unique Team Fuqua culture first-hand, giving them a taste of student life that has led to an increase in applications.”
Regarding the decline in international student enrolments, she added: “From our perspective, this is a natural fluctuation in the market and has more to do with an increase in domestic applications to Fuqua than a decline in international student interest. We recruit talented people from all over the world every year and are fortunate that this talent comes from a wide range of regions and countries.”
See the Duke Fuqua Daytime MBA class profile here.
Q&A with Shari Hubert, Associate Dean of Admissions at Duke Fuqua University
Poets&Quants: Obviously the big news in this class profile is that 51% of the freshmen are women. This marks the first time the Fuqua School has reached parity between men and women after several years of coming close. What do you think about this historic achievement?
Shari Hubert: “We are pleased to announce that for the first time, our daytime MBA class is gender-balanced. It is fitting that we celebrate this special milestone just a few weeks after Mary Frances Luce assumed the role of interim dean, becoming the first woman to be appointed dean in the school's history.
I am especially proud of how alumni and current students have supported our efforts to build a pipeline of female applicants. This year we hosted several events featuring women from our community and piloted a new campaign that engaged alumni across our top alumni committees to provide outreach and connect with admitted women. We hope this helps female applicants foster the sense of connection and belonging that is at the core of Fuqua's culture.
We'll have to wait to see how future classes unfold over the next few years to get a clearer picture of what will make the biggest impact in terms of supporting women throughout the application process, but we're excited to see our classes become more diverse and will continue to work toward that goal.
Fuqua University has been successful in retaining high levels of underrepresented minorities in its daytime MBA program, but what does this say about the institution's priorities at a time of widespread political attacks on DEI and other diversity efforts in higher education?
Our Team Fuqua values are built on a foundation of embracing differences and leveraging the power that diverse teams can achieve to solve the world's most pressing problems. And those values haven't changed. We are incredibly proud of our ongoing efforts to create a class that reflects the many facets of diversity that exist not only in the United States but across the globe. For example, we are equally proud that 18% of our class identify as first generation to attend college. Once enrolled, these students will find familiarity and support through our Low-Income, First-Generation Experience Club.
Has Fuqua ever received as many applications as it did this year? The 3,808 applications are the most ever, dating back to at least 2018. What do you think about this big increase (more than 15%) from last year?
This is a record number of applications in the program's history. The increase in domestic applications can be attributed to several factors, including overall market growth due to changes in the economy and layoffs in the tech industry. After several years of reduced campus visits, many are now visiting us in person again. Because we are located in Durham, North Carolina, the ability for prospective students to see the campus and experience our unique Team Fuqua culture firsthand has led to an increase in applications as applicants get a taste of student life.
Our Fuqua Impact Scholars program launched four years ago and has since grown in market recognition and become a strong draw for applicants. The program is a collaboration between the admissions office and Fuqua's five research centers, and is a unique and dynamic hub for academic research, experiential learning, and leadership development.
Our admissions team has also returned to a more robust travel schedule and seen increased interest and attendance at in-person events. We have adapted our support for applicants, including offering more office hours for one-on-one or small group chats, and hosted events, like interview and essay workshops, that provide immediate value to participants as they move through the application process.
Is the large increase in class size this year due to an increase in applications? Is this the size that schools are looking for in their MBA classes?
Compared to last year, we've seen an increase in applications and enrollments, as well as an overall increase in class sizes. Historically, class sizes have fluctuated between 390-450 students. Our flexibility in class size allows us to foster a student-led, team-focused culture where students can thrive.
However, international students dropped from 47% to 41%. What do you think caused this, and what is the impact on Fukua (and other business schools that have seen or been affected this year)?
From our perspective, we believe this is a natural fluctuation in the market and has more to do with an increase in domestic applications to Fukua than a decline in international student interest. We recruit talented people from all over the world every year and are fortunate that this talent comes from a wide range of regions and countries.
Last year was a very successful year for us in finding the right international talent, with the class attracting the most international participants we have ever had in the program, and we are very fortunate to have international talent join us this year as well, from 45 countries – notable for the second highest percentage of international students in the class ever.
Duke Fuqua University reports decline in MBA applications, third-largest decline among major U.S. business schools (2023) with first-gen, LGBTQ+, military and more: Don't miss key MBA class profile data from top U.S. business schools
The article Duke Fuqua University receives more MBA applications than ever for fall 2024 semester, resulting in historic results originally appeared on Poets&Quants