How to Apply to Public Health at Duke University: There Is No Bachelor’s Degree Named “Public Health” in the Majors List, and the Closest Path Is the Global Health Co-Major (Paired With Another Major) and Minor at the Duke Global Health Institute, You Apply to Trinity or Pratt, for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Duke University’s admissions “majors, minors and more” page lists 69 majors, 59 minors and 23 certificates, and none is a bachelor’s degree named Public Health. The closest option is the Global Health co-major and minor offered by the Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI). The co-major must be paired with another major; it is not a standalone major. The list also includes a Health Policy certificate and a Public Policy (BA), which we mention only briefly. One caveat: the DGHI page does not say how you enter the co-major (whether you apply, any GPA threshold, capacity), so that is not published on the pages we read; ask a DGHI undergraduate advisor. Below, the main points for fall 2027 entry are split into U.S. applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, followed by transfer students.

1. Degrees and programs

• Global Health co-major: DGHI says it is paired with another major, and students have combined it with more than 40 different majors. It stresses the ethically informed study of health disparities experienced by people around the world, social determinants of health, and the relationship between health and environmental, social and cultural factors, explored through coursework, overseas study programs and fieldwork. Degree type (BA or BS) and STEM status are not stated on the pages we read.
• Global Health minor: Fundamentals and Ethics plus three electives (see section 3).
• Practice requirement: global health majors complete an experiential learning activity before the spring semester of senior year, applying classroom skills through hands-on experience. DGHI says its faculty, students and partners work on research projects in more than 40 countries, many faculty can involve students, and some research centers hire student interns. Required hours are not stated.
• Distinction: DGHI says advisors can help you explore graduation with distinction, independent study and study away.
• Accelerated MS in Global Health: open only to Duke undergraduates, a Master of Science in Global Health with one additional year; you apply during junior year and begin graduate coursework senior year; contact the DGHI Education Team no later than the fall semester of junior year, and earlier planning is encouraged; students typically do a field project the summer after the undergraduate degree. Whether international students are accepted is not stated. This is a graduate bridge mentioned in one line, not an undergraduate admission condition.
• Related options include the Health Policy certificate and the Public Policy BA; we did not read their requirements; see the Duke bulletin.

2. How you get into the program

• You choose a school, not a major, when you apply: admissions says you choose between the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and the Pratt School of Engineering. Trinity is Duke’s liberal arts core, every undergraduate takes classes in it, about 80% of undergraduates are enrolled in it, and it offers 48 majors, 50 minors and 23 certificates plus the option to design your own major.
• When you declare: the admissions pages we read do not say when Trinity students declare a major. A Trinity news item (March 27, 2025) says sophomores in the Class of 2027 held a “Halfway There” celebration after declaring their majors. We do not infer a specific semester from that; ask Trinity’s undergraduate office.
• Entry to the Global Health co-major (whether you apply, minimum GPA, prerequisites, capacity, whether Pratt students can take it): the DGHI page only says to meet an advisor to understand your curriculum options; other conditions are not published.
• Duke also says 82% of students pursue more than one major, 83% of Trinity students double major, minor or earn a certificate, and you can choose up to three academic pathways (majors, minors, certificates).

3. Prerequisites and coursework

• High school course advice (admissions; recommended, not strict): four years of English; at least three years each of mathematics, natural sciences, world language and social studies; generally five academic courses a year; Pratt applicants must have calculus and physics is strongly recommended. No separate high school prerequisites are published for Global Health.
• Co-major courses (DGHI course page): 4 core courses—Fundamentals (GLHLTH 101), Ethics (PUBPOL 330/GLHLTH 210 or GLHLTH 373), Research Methods (GLHLTH 371/PSY 309) and 1 statistics course (any STA course, or BIOLOGY 204/304, BME 244, ECON 204D, MATH 230, PSY 201, PSY 204L/205L, PUBPOL 190 or SOCIOL 333); 3 foundation courses (one course from each of three of the four categories: arts and humanities, global health systems and policy, natural science, social sciences); 3 electives (200 level or above with a GLHLTH prefix or cross-listing, or a pre-approved course); an experiential learning activity; and a capstone (GLHLTH 499, taken after all core courses and the experiential activity). Listed foundation courses include History of Public Health in America (HISTORY 369), Global Health Systems (GLHLTH 303), Global Health Policy (GLHLTH 306/PUBPOL 324), Introduction to US Health Care System (PUBPOL 165) and Population, Health, and Policy (PUBPOL 290).
• Minor: Fundamentals, Ethics and 3 electives; majors and minors choose from the same electives; a course cannot double-count within the major; pre-approved overseas-study courses may count as electives; only one global health independent study may count.
• AP/IB credit (Registrar, 2026–27 table): AP Statistics 5 earns STA 20, with STA 101, 102, 198 or 199 as the eligible courses; AP Calculus BC 4 earns MATH 21 and 5 earns MATH 21 & 22; AP Biology 4 earns BIOLOGY 20 and 5 earns BIOLOGY 21; AP Psychology 5 earns PSY 11; AP Environmental Science 4 or 5 earns ENVIRON 20. IB is accepted at the higher level only: Biology HL 6 earns BIOLOGY 20 and 7 earns BIOLOGY 21; Psychology HL 7 earns PSY 11. AP scores must come directly from the College Board to the Registrar; self-reported scores cannot earn credit. Whether these count toward the co-major is not stated.

4. Rounds, fees and materials (first-year)

• Dates (admissions “2026–27 cycle”): Early Decision (binding) is due November 2, with decisions in mid-December; Regular Decision is due January 4, with decisions in late March or early April. Financial aid: the aid page gives November 3 for the Early Decision CSS Profile and FAFSA, while the admissions checklist lists financial aid applications under the November 2 column (a small difference between pages; follow the aid office); Regular Decision is February 1.
• Platforms: the Common App, or the QuestBridge application for eligible students; transfer applicants use the Duke Transfer Application or the Coalition (Scoir).
• Fee: $85, nonrefundable; students with high financial need can request a fee waiver through the Common App.
• Essays: a one-page personal essay; two short Duke essays are required (250 words): “Why Duke” and “Communities”; one of three optional prompts.
• Recommendations: three—one from a school counselor and two from teachers in major academic subjects (preferably from the last two years of secondary school); Pratt applicants need at least one from a math or science teacher; one optional personal recommendation. The school sends the transcript; Early Decision applicants need first-quarter grades; everyone sends midyear grades by February 15.
• Testing: optional in the 2026–27 cycle; not submitting is no disadvantage; if you submit, Duke considers your best section scores. The page adds that AP/IB scores already on file are not suppressed.
• Interviews: alumni interviews are optional and cannot be requested; not everyone is offered one. Admissions says it also considers InitialView interviews from international applicants. Glimpse (a 60–90 second video, $22) is currently available only to students at high schools in the United States.
• Date reminder: the admissions dates print no year; the transfer section also says the test-optional option is for transfer students who “apply during the 2026-2027 admissions cycle for enrollment in the fall of 2026,” which differs in year from fall 2027 entry; check the university’s website.

5. Three groups of readers

U.S. applicants

• Duke is a private university; the admissions and aid pages we read do not distinguish in-state and out-of-state costs and mention no in-state preference; not published.
• 2026–27 estimate (financial aid office, first-year students, before aid): tuition $73,740; estimated fees $3,019; housing (double room) $11,560; food $10,469; a separate $60 line for engineering dues (Pratt students only); total billed expenses $98,788–$98,848; unbilled books and supplies $536, miscellaneous personal expenses $3,274 and domestic transportation $582–$1,318 depending on home address; estimated cost of attendance $103,180–$103,975. No surcharge for the Global Health co-major is listed; not published.
• Aid: for U.S. citizens, permanent residents and eligible noncitizens, needing or applying for aid does not disadvantage you; aid is need-based and typically includes grants, federal loans and work study; all applicants are automatically considered for a small number of merit scholarships. Admissions says about 50% of undergraduates receive aid.

International applicants

• Process: there is no separate international application; testing policy is the same for everyone. Transcripts needing translation can use an official service, an EducationUSA adviser or a school official, and both original and translated documents must be submitted; transcripts and School Report forms must come directly from the school.
• English: Duke does not require English proficiency scores but recommends them for non-native speakers or students not in English-medium schooling. It accepts the TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, PTE and Cambridge C1/C2. “Minimum scores expected”: TOEFL iBT 100 (75 on paper), IELTS 7, Duolingo 130, PTE 70, Cambridge 180. Duke uses the highest score and has no preference among tests.
• Visa: an F-1 visa requires proof of ability to meet educational expenses and an I-20; I-20s are issued only after you accept an offer and return a Certificate of Financial Responsibility.
• Aid: Duke offers need-based aid and a small number of merit scholarships to foreign citizens. To receive need-based aid at any point you must request it in the original first-year application. Foreign citizens requesting aid are evaluated in a separate, more competitive pool, and the website says their admit rate is “usually less than half” of the overall admit rate. Aid awards for international applicants are four-year awards. Proof-of-funds amounts and limits on internships or employment are not stated on the pages we read; ask Duke Visa Services and the aid office.

Applicants from China

• The only China-specific line in admissions concerns interviews: students attending schools in China are particularly encouraged to arrange an InitialView interview. The pages also say 14% of students are international (labeled as the Class of 2027).
• Whether the Gaokao is considered and what Huikao records are needed are not stated on the pages we read; ask Duke admissions.
• In the transfer section, students at Duke Kunshan University who wish to transfer to Duke are “not at an advantage.”

6. Costs and scholarships

• Cost estimates are above. The aid office says students pay on a sliding scale, and 21% of the first-year class attended tuition-free “in the last year.”
• Types of aid listed: grants (based only on need), federal loans, work study, outside scholarships, employer tuition benefits, veterans benefits and merit scholarships (all applicants considered).

7. Transfer students

• Size and timing: about 70 students transfer in each fall, most as sophomores and a few as juniors; March 15 deadline (no year printed); there is no spring transfer program.
• Eligibility: you attended college in the past four years and will have completed at least one full year of transferable work by August; people who already hold a bachelor’s degree cannot apply; early-college students earning an associate degree in high school apply as first-years; part-time applications are not accepted.
• Competitiveness: Duke says transfer admission is highly selective, with an admit rate of 3%–7% over five years; in 2025–26 there were 2,460 applications, 160 admitted, 94 matriculated and a 6.5% admit rate; the “most successful” applicants have a college GPA of at least 3.7.
• Materials: the Duke Transfer Application or the Coalition (Scoir); the Common App is not accepted for transfers this cycle; College Report, college transcript, final high school transcript, two instructor evaluations (at least one from a college instructor), written essays (a transfer-reasons essay of 650 words and an academic-exploration essay of 250 words) and financial aid forms. Testing is optional for transfers too (scores must be within five years).
• Credit: credit for no more than two years of outside coursework; at least two years at Duke; at least half the courses of every major, minor and certificate must be taken at Duke; no preliminary credit evaluation. Any extra requirement for transferring into the Global Health co-major is not published.
• International transfers: the website says need-based aid is not available for international transfer students, and they cannot receive application fee waivers; Duke meets 100% of demonstrated need only for U.S. citizens, permanent residents and DACA students, with aid eligibility limited to nine semesters less semesters studied elsewhere. Duke offers no merit scholarships to transfer students.

8. Pre-health and graduate school

DGHI says the Accelerated MS in Global Health lets Duke undergraduates earn a master’s with one additional year; for pre-health advising see our general life-sciences guide for Duke. The undergraduate pages we read do not describe an MPH.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Apply to Trinity or Pratt, not to a major; Global Health is a co-major paired with another major, and its entry conditions are not published, so meet a DGHI advisor
• Early Decision November 2 or Regular Decision January 4; three recommendations (one counselor, two teachers); testing optional in 2026–27; $85 fee

International applicants (including China):

• English scores not required; expected minimums TOEFL 100 / IELTS 7 / Duolingo 130; students at schools in China are particularly encouraged to do an InitialView interview; Gaokao use not stated
• Request need-based aid in the original application; these applicants are evaluated in a separate pool

Transfer students:

• March 15; at least one full year of transferable credit; credit capped at two years; international transfers get no need-based aid

Sources: Duke University, Duke Global Health Institute: undergraduate programs; Global health undergraduate courses; Accelerated MS in Global Health; Admissions: apply; Checklist and deadlines; What we look for; Majors, minors and certificates; Trinity College; Financial support; Cost of attendance; Types of aid; Registrar: AP/IB credit; Trinity news: sophomores declare majors. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026–27 estimates). Admissions describes the “2026–27 admission cycle”; its dates (November 2, January 4, March 15 and so on) print no year, so check that they apply to fall 2027 entry. We did not read the course bulletin site or department sites other than the Global Health Institute.