Admissions & selectivity
Duquesne University Acceptance Rate & Admissions
What is the acceptance rate at Duquesne University?
Duquesne University’s reported acceptance rate is 83.6%.
- Acceptance rate · Fall 2024
- 83.6%
Source: College Scorecard · Fall 2024 admissions. Acceptance rates can change from year to year; this figure does not predict the current or next admission cycle.
Source: Duquesne University Common Data Set 2025-26, C1 · first-time, first-year students.
How to interpret the acceptance rate
Duquesne University admitted 83.6% of applicants, above the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 13,270 first-year applicants, 11,464 admitted applicants, and 1,404 enrolled first-year students.
What SAT and ACT scores do enrolled Duquesne University students report?
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported SAT scores from enrolled first-year students who submitted them. The middle half scored between 1130 and 1333, and 14% of the entering class submitted scores.
Applicants can compare their own SAT scores to the university's 1130 to 1333 range. ACT submitters made up just 3% of enrolled first-year students; the middle half of that group scored between 25 and 30.
Applicants can weigh their own ACT scores against the university's 25 to 30 range. The numbers describe submitters, not the entire class and not any bar for admission.
Among enrolled first-year students with a reported high-school class rank, 28% ranked in the upper tenth of their class, 56% in the upper quarter, and 83% in the upper half. 39% of the entering class reported a rank.
The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at Duquesne University. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle.
14% of entering students submitted SAT scores
- 25th percentile
- 1130
- Median
- 1250
- 75th percentile
- 1333
CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
3% of entering students submitted ACT scores
- 25th percentile
- 25
- Median
- 27
- 75th percentile
- 30
CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
Source: Duquesne University Common Data Set 2025-26, C9 · Enrolled first-time, first-year score submitters.
Who enrolls at Duquesne University?
- Pell Grant recipients
- 20.2%
- Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group
- 12.7%
- First-year retention
- 84.2%
Retention source: College Scorecard; full-time first-year retention.
About these student measures
The entering-student group includes part-time entrants as well as other attendance patterns.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, Duquesne University reported 646 degree-seeking transfer applicants, 570 admitted, and 130 enrolled. Its undergraduate enrollment is 5,350, with Pell Grant recipients accounting for 20.2% of undergraduates and an estimated 12.7% share of entrants outside the first-time, full-time group.
The figures describe a campus that includes both Pell Grant recipients and people continuing college study after transferring. Pell-eligible applicants and prospective transfers should verify aid eligibility and map prior coursework before applying.
Pell Grant receipt is a financial-access measure, not a description of academic background.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, Duquesne University reported a retention rate of 85% for the first-time, full-time fall 2024 entering class. For the first-time, full-time fall 2019 entering class, it reported a six-year graduation rate of 75.0%, with Pell recipients at 62.0%, below the overall rate.
Federal figures put first-year retention at 84.2%, above the peer median of 83.4% for comparable institutions. The federal six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 77.5%, above the peer median of 68.8%.
Pell recipients complete at 72.1%, below the overall rate by 5.4 percentage points. Enrolled students can expect federal retention and completion measures that exceed their respective peer medians.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Admission rates describe past applicants, not an individual’s chance of admission; confirm requirements and deadlines with the institution.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.