Duke Kunshan University

Duke Kunshan University (DKU; 昆山杜克大学) is a university in Kunshan, Jiangsu, China. It was established in 2013 by a joint venture between Duke University and Wuhan University. The university is an independent legal entity and is not accredited by the same accreditor as Duke University U.S. Upon graduation, undergraduate students receive degrees from both Duke University and Duke Kunshan University, and are considered alumni of both institutions. Duke Kunshan offers a four-year, fully residential undergraduate program, along with two masters programs in conjunction with Duke University. Its undergraduate program features an experimental curriculum in which students choose from a set of interdiciplinary majors and tracks across three academic divisions towards the end of sophomore year. The university has 2,080 enrolled students as of Spring 2026, consisting of 1,530 domestic students and 550 international students. The inaugural undergraduate class of 2022 consisted of 234 students entering in 2018, but the class size has been consistently expanded and class of 2029 has about 600 students. The most recent acceptance rate of the university was 5%. History and timeline Jan. 2010 – A Cooperation Agreement signed between Duke University and the People's Government of Kunshan Sep. 2010 – Construction of Phase 1 campus started Jan. 2011 – Cooperation Principles Statement signed between Duke University and Wuhan University Jun. 2011 – Application for Preparation Approval of Duke Kunshan University submitted to Jiangsu Provincial Bureau of Education Aug. 2012 – Preparation Approval from China's Ministry of Education Sep. 2012 – Appointments of Duke Kunshan Chancellor and Executive Vice Chancellor Dec. 2012 – Celebration Ceremony of Preparation Approval in Kunshan Apr. 2013 – Application for formal establishment of Duke Kunshan University submitted to Jiangsu Provincial Bureau of Education Sep. 2013 – Duke Kunshan Establishment Approval granted by China's Ministry of Education Nov. 2013 – First meeting of Duke Kunshan Board of Trustees held at Wuhan University Dec. 2013 – Duke Kunshan legal entity registration completed Jan. 2014 – Duke Kunshan Advisory Board established Apr. 2014 – Second Meeting of Duke Kunshan Board of Trustees held in Kunshan May 2014 – First meeting of Duke Kunshan Advisory Board held in Beijing Jul. 2014 – Duke Kunshan Master of Management program began in Durham Aug. 2014 – Inaugural Convocation and Orientation Week held at Duke Kunshan University Aug. 2018 – Inaugural undergraduate program begins Aug. 2019 – Innovation Building opened, construction of Phase 2 campus begins Jan. 2020 – COVID-19 forces international students off campus, DKU switches to hybrid classes Aug. 2020 – First group of DKU undergraduates begin study abroad at Duke's main campus. May 2022 – Inaugural undergraduate of 2022 graduates in hybrid ceremony at Duke and DKU's campuses July 2023 – Creation of university mascot called the “Trailblazers” which is a Duke blue-colored deer Administration and organization Duke Kunshan University is governed by an independent board of trustees, with members from Duke University and Wuhan University. Academics Admissions Duke Kunshan University admitted its first undergraduate students as part of the Class of 2022. Significantly exceeding its original target of 1,500 applicants, the university received a total of 3,143 applications for an estimated 225 first-year spots, including 2,551 applications from China and 332 from the United States. There were 80 countries represented in the applicant pool, including Kazakhstan, South Korea, Pakistan, and Ethiopia. In March 2025, DKU admitted 550 students from a pool of 11,884 total applicants, making the acceptance rate about 5%, a selectivity similar to the 4.8% acceptance rate at Duke University. Of those applications, 165 international students were chosen from a pool of 5,882, and 385 Chinese students from a pool of 6,002. For the Class of 2029, DKU received an unprecedented number of international applications, making this cycle the most rigorous. All undergraduate applications for Duke Kunshan are submitted using the Common Application. Students applying to Duke University can also check a box on the Duke application to apply for admission to Duke Kunshan University. International students, including those from the United States, typically submit transcripts, SAT or ACT standardized test scores, and application essays. However, a test-optional policy was in effect for applications submitted in 2020 and 2021. Students can apply separately to each of DKU's five graduate programs. Programs, Divisions, and Centers Undergraduate Program The undergraduate program at DKU is conceived as a research-inflected liberal arts education. It is composed of three academic divisions and a center: Division of Arts and Humanities Division of Social Sciences Division of Natural and Applied Sciences The Language and Culture Center DKU does not offer traditional diciplinary majors. Instead, it offers a set of interdiciplinary majors drawing intellectual resources from one or more of its divisions. For example, a major in Computation and Design offers tracks across all three divisions: Computer Science track (Natural and Applied Sciences), Digital Media track (Arts and Humanities), and Computational Social Science track (Social Sciences). Graduate Programs Currently, DKU offers five graduate programs in conjunction with Duke University: Master of Engineering in Electrical and Computer Engineering Master of Environmental Policy Master of Management Studies Master of Science in Global Health Master of Science in Medical Physics Research Centers Source: Global Health Research Center (1st research center at Duke Kunshan) Environmental Research Center Humanities Research Center Center for the Study of Contemporary China Institute of Applied Physical Sciences and Engineering Zu Chongzhi Center for Mathematics and Computational Sciences Conferences International Meteorite Conference, Meteorite China – Duke Kunshan University hosted China's first-ever international meteorite conference on 15 September 2017. Over 80 scientists from China, the U.S., the U.K., Australia, and Russia met at the three-day event. Enthusiasts and meteorite collectors also participated in the conference. Study Away All students spend a semester in their junior year studying away, for which the most popular choice is at Duke University in Durham, NC. An additional summer of study away is also possible. Controversies A 2017 article in the Financial Times stated that although Duke Kunshan University had signed legally binding agreements with the Education Ministry of China that guaranteed academic freedom on campus, many academics had doubts that the agreements would be upheld. Campus Duke Kunshan is located in a 200-acre campus in Kunshan, a city in southeastern Jiangsu province. The campus will become the center of the Duke Creative Park, part of the city's "Five Zones, One Line" plan for urban renewal. The area will host the Sino-US (Kunshan) Technology Innovation Center and serve as a mixed-used project integrating R&D centers, business services, and ecological parks. Kunshan's location between Shanghai and Suzhou allows easy access to these major metropolitan centers by highways and high-speed railway. The campus is being constructed in phases, with Phase I designed by American design and architecture firm Gensler. Phase 1 facilities include an academic building with a variety of classroom configurations, a 200-bed dormitory building, a conference center and hotel, a faculty residence, and an administration building. An innovation center equipped with a library, classrooms and team rooms was opened in 2019. Phase 2 was completed in 2023. Designed by Perkins and Will, Phase 2 features an expansion of undergraduate, graduate, and faculty housing, a community center, recreation center, the WD Research Institute, and a library. The 71.3 acre Duke Kunshan Gardens are also currently under construction, and are scheduled for completion in 2023. The construction was completed in 2024 and doubled the size of the campus. Later plans call for Phase III and IV construction to take place in the coming decade. As part of the partnership between Duke University, Wuhan University, and the city of Kunshan, the municipal government has leased the Duke Kunshan University campus to the university at no cost for the first ten years as well as paying for construction of the buildings. Alumni Duke Kunshan University students are conferred Duke University undergraduate or graduate degrees (accredited by SACSCOC) upon graduation. Undergraduates also receive a graduation certificate and diploma officially approved by the Chinese MOE. Therefore, DKU alumni are considered Duke alumni, and are considered part of the Duke alumni community. Alumni include 1 Rhodes Scholar, 7 Yenching Scholars, and 4 Schwarzman Scholars. See also Duke University Wuhan University References External links Official website (in English) Official website (in Chinese) 31°25′3.67″N 120°53′35.96″E