Duke Kunshan’s International Student Acceptance Exceeds Expectations

Nearly 90 students from around the world have formally accepted admissions offers from Duke Kunshan University, where they will be part of the university’s inaugural undergraduate class. 

The final number, 89, represents a 78 percent increase over the university’s original estimate of 50 international students. Students from the United States make up 45 percent of the total, highlighting an increased interest in studying in China among American students, said Denis Simon, Duke Kunshan’s executive vice chancellor.  

“The number of high-caliber international students clearly exceeded our expectations,” said Simon. “We are extremely excited about both the quality and diversity of our first group of international undergraduate students. This is why we decided to significantly increase the number of international students for this special first class. They are absolutely the high achievers we set out to attract from the beginning.” 

Representing 28 countries on six continents, these students will join talented students from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan to start their undergraduate studies on the Duke Kunshan campus in August. Many gave up opportunities to attend prestigious universities in the U.S. to be part of Duke Kunshan’s first undergraduate class, said Simon. Duke Kunshan plans to admit 175 students from the Chinese mainland.

“I chose Duke Kunshan because I wanted to be a part of something special,” said Rachel Darius, an incoming student from New Rochelle, New York. “Unlike other universities, Duke Kunshan offers a unique interdisciplinary component that allows its students to explore a broad range of topics, in addition to a typical disciplinary focus.”

Paula González, of Peru, said studying at Duke Kunshan provides a chance to become a global citizen. 

“I am excited about spending the next four years with people from all over the world who will become friends and interchange cultural knowledge and experiences,” González added. “Also, I can’t wait to be among the first generation of undergraduate students who will make an impact in the Duke Kunshan community, acting as pioneers for this amazing project.”

Jacob Kodner, from Saratoga, California, said he looks forward to the unique leadership opportunities on campus. “As a member of the inaugural class, I look forward to collaborating with others and utilizing our shared passions in developing clubs, from cross-cultural to educational that will create a difference on campus for current and future students.”

A large number of these accepted students made their decision after attending an International Student Campus Experience weekend event at Duke Kunshan in late April. The event gave them the opportunity to experience life on campus, with guided tours, sample classes, academic panels and more. The students embraced the event, bonding quickly with each other and making friendships that will spill over into the fall semester, said Simon.

Nomunsor Soronzonbold, of Mongolia, said her first encounters with faculty only further solidified Duke Kunshan as her first choice. “I was convinced after two 45-minute sample classes that the professors are amazing. You can clearly see their passion for teaching, which in turn helps to keep students focused and engaged.”

Over three weekends in March, 765 students from the Chinese mainland visited Duke Kunshan for tours, lectures and other activities. The official admission of Chinese mainland applicants will not be finalized until they take the national college entrance exam (Gaokao) in June.

Students from Taiwan and Hong Kong follow a similar testing schedule, with their admittance notices scheduled to be released later this month.

Duke Kunshan University -- a partnership of Duke University, Wuhan University and the city of Kunshan -- offers a highly interdisciplinary liberal arts and science curriculum that emphasizes critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and exploration. Among the many distinguishing characteristics of Duke Kunshan are that all classes are taught in English, students will spend a semester and a summer studying at Duke University in the United States and, upon graduation, students will earn a degree from both Duke University and Duke Kunshan.

Duke Kunshan recently announced the addition of more than 20 new faculty and expanded the number of undergraduate majors approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education to 15. By their sophomore year, when students declare a major, there will be able about 20 majors from which to choose. Eventually, each first-year class will number roughly 500 students. 

Duke Kunshan has offered graduate-level programs for the past four years in areas such as the environment, management studies, medical physics and global health.