Duke Kunshan University received a record 8,006 international undergraduate applications – separate from applications from China, which follow a different admissions timeline – for fall 2026 entry, a 36% jump from a year earlier and the eighth consecutive year the university has set a new high for international demand.
Applicants came from 147 countries, including four new to DKU’s applicant pool: Cyprus, Guinea, Djibouti and Suriname, underscoring the continued appeal of a Duke education in China.
The U.S. remained the largest single source, with 3,059 applications, or over 38% of the total. Other sources included Italy, Canada, Germany, Morocco, Nigeria, India and Mongolia.
A group of international students has already committed through early decision, with the U.S. the top source country in that pool. DKU’s international regular decision deadline fell on Jan. 5, 2026, aligning with the main U.S. college admissions calendar.
The university expects to enroll about 550 students in the Class of 2030, including about 165 international students. Applications from students in China follow a separate timeline and close later in February.
Chancellor Yaolin Liu called the milestone a vote of confidence in DKU’s academic model and in the long-term value of Sino-foreign cooperative higher education.
“Continued growth in international applications reflects global students’ recognition of DKU’s educational philosophy and outcomes,” Liu said. “We remain committed to cultivating critical thinking, innovation and social responsibility, and to educating future leaders who can understand China, connect with the world and respond to the challenges of our time.”
Executive Vice Chancellor John Quelch said the rise reflects what students are seeking as they weigh options in an increasingly competitive global higher-education market.
“The growth suggests that more students are looking for an education that truly prepares them for the future—not just with knowledge, but with judgment, adaptability and leadership,” Quelch said. “At DKU, we help students develop interdisciplinary strengths in a multicultural environment that encourages students to collaborate across differences and apply what they learn to real-world challenges.”
Founded by Duke University and Wuhan University in partnership with the Kunshan municipal government, DKU is a U.S.-China joint-venture university in eastern China. Graduates earn bachelor’s degrees from both Duke Kunshan University and Duke University.
DKU has graduated four undergraduate classes since launching its four-year undergraduate program in 2018. According to career reports for the first three classes, about 84 percent continued graduate studies at the world’s top-ranked universities – with roughly 80 percent at the top 10 and Ivy League universities in the U.S. Some students were accepted into some of the world’s most prestigious scholarship and fellowship programs: Rhodes at Oxford University, Schwarzman at Tsinghua University, Yenching at Peking University, the U.S. National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, Erasmus Mundus of the European Union, and McCall MacBain Scholarship at McGill University.
DKU’s fourth undergraduate class, which graduated in May 2025, also posted strong outcomes, with graduates securing offers for further study at institutions including Harvard, Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge, and Yale. Dozens were admitted to Ph.D. programs, while others accepted job offers from employers including Meta and JPMorgan Chase.
