Dean’s List: Duke receives record number of applications after free tuition offer

Duke University’s offer of free tuition to financially eligible students from North Carolina and South Carolina appears to have directly contributed to the record number of early-admissions applications the university received this fall.

That initiative, announced in June, covers the cost of tuition — more than $63,000 this academic year — for students from the Carolinas whose families have an annual income of $150,000 or less. The program covers additional expenses for students whose family income is $65,000 or less.

The university this fall received 6,240 applications for early decision admission — a binding application process, in which applicants must attend Duke if they are accepted. That’s a 28% increase from last year, and the university’s highest-ever number of early-decision applicants, topping the previous record by more than 1,000.

Duke, in an announcement Thursday, said the increase in applicants was “driven by students from the Carolinas.”

So, how many applicants were accepted? And how many of those were from North Carolina or South Carolina?

Welcome to Dean’s List, a weekly roundup of higher education news in the Triangle and across North Carolina from The News & Observer and myself, Korie Dean. We plan to publish this roundup in an email newsletter format in the new year, but we wanted to first give you a taste, on our website, of the insights on higher education trends and research you can expect each week.

This week’s edition includes more information on Duke’s record number of applications, salary information for the new interim chancellor at UNC-Chapel Hill, a new president at Alamance Community College and more.

Let’s get started.

Duke receives record number of early applications

Of the more than 6,200 students who applied to Duke this fall, the university accepted 806 of them. That equals an acceptance rate of about 12.9%, which is the lowest-ever rate for the early decision period at the university, the Duke Chronicle reported.

Of those students accepted, 145 — a 25% increase from last year — were from the Carolinas. The bulk of those applications came from North Carolina, with 121 students from the Tar Heel State admitted, while 24 students from South Carolina were admitted.

“Duke always attracts phenomenally talented students,” Duke Provost Alec Gallimore said in an announcement Thursday. “Our goal in providing more equitable access to a Duke education was to help more academically outstanding students from the Carolinas see Duke as an option. I’m so pleased that we will be admitting more students from the region we call home.”

The university also saw an uptick in applications through the QuestBridge National College Match program, which helps top-performing students with low incomes apply to top universities. Of the pool of early decision applicants, 97 — almost twice as many as last year — were admitted through QuestBridge.

“That increase is another representation of our commitment to expanding access to a Duke education and strengthening the economic diversity of our student body while maintaining the highest standards of academic excellence,” Gallimore said.

Besides North Carolina and South Carolina, Duke received the most applications from students in California, New York, Texas and Florida.

Of the admitted students, 625 plan to enroll in Duke’s Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, while 181 plan to enroll in the Pratt School of Engineering.

Duke Dean of Admissions Christoph Guttentag said the process “was as challenging an early decision process as I’ve experienced.”

The deadline to apply to Duke in the non-binding regular decision process is Jan. 2.

UNC interim chancellor salary

Lee Roberts, who was named interim chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill on Friday, will make an annual base salary of $684,053 in his new role, according to his appointment letter provided by the UNC System.

That’s the same amount that current Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz makes following a legislative salary increase for state employees, passed in the state budget. Guskiewicz, who was hired this month as the next president of Michigan State University, made $620,000 per year when he became chancellor of UNC in 2019. He will make close to $1 million at MSU.

Roberts is also entitled to use either a university vehicle or receive a vehicle allowance of $750 per month. He may also use the chancellor’s residence and receive reimbursement for “reasonable relocation expenses.”

Roberts, a former state budget director under Republican Gov. Pat McCrory and a member of the UNC System Board of Governors since 2021, is an investment manager who has spent most of his career in the private sector. He has been a public policy course instructor at Duke University since 2020, but has no experience in university administration.

Roberts begins his new role Jan. 12. He will resign from the Board of Governors to serve as interim chancellor.

A&T band named HBCU band of the year

The Blue and Gold Marching Machine (BGMM), North Carolina A&T State University’s marching band, on Friday was crowned the Division I HBCU (historically Black college or university) Band of the Year.

The band faced off against Jackson State University’s Sonic Boom of the South to claim the title. The winning performance is available on YouTube.

Next up: BGMM, the largest student organization at A&T, will perform in the Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day.

Alamance Community College gets a new president

Ken Ingle will be the next president of Alamance Community College.

Ingle moves to ACC from Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, where he was the chief officer of information services. In that role, Ingle “played a pivotal role in spearheading strategic planning, enhancing institutional effectiveness, and leveraging information technology to advance educational objectives,” per an announcement from ACC.

Ingle holds a bachelor’s degree from UNC Charlotte and a master’s degree from Bellevue University in Nebraska. He holds a doctorate in community college leadership from NC State University.

“I am humbled and thrilled to embark on the journey as President of Alamance Community College. I have witnessed the transformative impact of community college in my own family and strive each day to help students realize their full potential through education,” Ingle said. “I look forward to building relationships, collaborating to meet the evolving needs of our area, and shaping a brighter future for our students, faculty, staff, and the entire Alamance County community.”

Higher ed news I’m reading

• From the U.S. Supreme Court striking down race-conscious admissions to a dip in first-year student enrollment, 2023 was a “disruptive” year for college admissions, Inside Higher Ed reports, which could pave the way for “reflection and evaluation” in 2024.

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That’s all for this week’s roundup of North Carolina higher education news, the last of 2023. I hope you’ll stay tuned for more in the new year.

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