Duke University vs University of Pennsylvania

Durham, NC · Philadelphia, PA · largest Scorecard gap: median debt at graduation

Scorecard match plate

Pair NC:PA

PRIVATE-NP-PAIR · CROSS-STATE · ACCEPT-TIGHT · NET-PAR · EARN-SPLIT · DEBT-SPLIT · COMPLETE-HIGH · GAP-DEBT

  • PRIVATE-NP-PAIR Private nonprofit pair
  • CROSS-STATE NC × PA
  • ACCEPT-TIGHT Tight admission
  • NET-PAR Net near-par
  • EARN-SPLIT Earnings split
  • DEBT-SPLIT Debt split
  • COMPLETE-HIGH High completion
  • GAP-DEBT Largest gap · Median Debt at Graduation

Instrument codes from this pair's College Scorecard ownership, geography, acceptance, net price, earnings, debt, and completion, plus the TWIN-TIGHTEN · adm · 2013–2023 decade-path stamp below, not a ranking or recommendation.

Decade path · College Scorecard

Both acceptance rates tightened, 2013–2023

TWIN-TIGHTEN · adm · 2013–2023

Duke University and University of Pennsylvania each posted a directional decline in acceptance rate over the same College Scorecard window. The squeeze is shared; the magnitude is close.

  • University of Pennsylvania: acceptance rate tightened -52.0% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.89).
  • Duke University: acceptance rate tightened -49.5% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.93).
  • Duke University: net price ranged $23,442–$36,415 across 11 years (2013–2023); endpoint change +22.8% is not a trend (r² 0.06).
  • University of Pennsylvania: net price ranged $14,851–$31,229 across 11 years (2013–2023); endpoint change +36.1% is not a trend (r² 0.03).

College Scorecard institution series; dollars are nominal. Direction claims require r² ≥ 0.40 on the fitted annual slope, otherwise the page reports the observed range. Descriptive history, not a recommendation.

Scorecard metrics

Cards ordered by relative gap on this pair. Teal = better side.

Largest gaps: Duke University vs University of Pennsylvania

  1. MEDIAN-DEBT-AT-GRA Duke University leads on median debt at graduation ($13,000 vs $15,715 at University of Pennsylvania)
  2. MEDIAN-EARNINGS-(1 University of Pennsylvania leads on median earnings (10 yr) ($111,371 vs $97,800 at Duke University)
  3. ACCEPTANCE-RATE University of Pennsylvania leads on acceptance rate (5.4% vs 5.7% at Duke University)

Duke University profile · University of Pennsylvania profile · Compare other colleges

Median Debt at Graduation and other Scorecard questions

On median debt at graduation, who leads between Duke University and University of Pennsylvania?
Duke University leads on median debt at graduation at $13,000 versus $15,715 at University of Pennsylvania. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On median earnings (10 yr), who leads between Duke University and University of Pennsylvania?
University of Pennsylvania leads on median earnings (10 yr) at $111,371 versus $97,800 at Duke University. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On acceptance rate, who leads between Duke University and University of Pennsylvania?
University of Pennsylvania leads on acceptance rate at 5.4% versus 5.7% at Duke University. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard College Scorecard institution outcomes (earnings, completion, debt); median debt at graduation focus for this pair · 2025