COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · DURHAM, NC

Is Duke University worth the money?

Yes — at resident pricing. A Duke University degree clears +$2.75M in 30-year projected net value over skipping college and investing the difference.

A private nonprofit four-year school in Durham, North Carolina, priced at its published tuition (identical in-state and out-of-state) — earnings rolled up from 26 FREOPP-reported programs.

IPEDS 2023 cost · FREOPP 2021 earnings · BEA 2023 cost-of-living · same model as /worth-it · this school clears positive net value.

Duke University · Durham, NC

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$2.75M
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$91,218
Breaks even by age
37
Annual tuition · published (in- & out-of-state)
$65,805
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$333,052
FREOPP program coverage
26 programs
How this is computed (and what it isn’t)

Duke University runs through the /worth-it model at its published tuition, with the standard loan assumptions, a 30-year horizon, and North Carolina’s own cost-of-living on the skip-college path. The “30-year net value” is the projected accumulated value of going vs. skipping and investing the difference, in real dollars.

What it isn’t: a verdict on every major. The school-level number averages across 26 FREOPP-reported programs — the field you pick swings it by over a million dollars on its own. We only publish school pages that clear positive net value at resident pricing; earnings roll up from at least three FREOPP programs (ADR-0032), so a single high-earning major can’t fake the number.

Questions

Is Duke University worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: Duke University clears +$2.75M in 30-year projected net value versus skipping college and investing the difference. That is computed from a total cost of attendance of $333,052 and median earnings of $91,218 ten years after entry (IPEDS 2023 cost, FREOPP 2021 earnings, BEA 2023 cost-of-living — the same model as the LE TEEN calculator).
How much is tuition at Duke University?
Duke University's annual sticker tuition is $65,805, the same in-state and out-of-state, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $333,052 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of Duke University?
Over 4 years, Duke University's sticker cost of attendance is $333,052 — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at North Carolina prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $91,218.
How long until a Duke University degree pays for itself?
The degree path overtakes the skip-college path around age 37 under our defaults — from there the gap only widens, ending +$2.75M ahead at the 30-year horizon.
What could change the number for Duke University?
Tuition at a private is the same wherever you're from, so the big lever is the major: the field you pick swings lifetime ROI by over a million dollars on its own (see the majors pages). Loan share and time horizon move it too — both are editable on the calculator.

Keep going

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Is Duke University worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/duke-university