How to Apply to Psychology at Duke University: Apply to Trinity College, Declare the Psychology AB or BS as a Sophomore, and Requirements and Timeline for Chinese, Canadian High School and Transfer Students

At Duke University, psychology is offered by the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience in Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. Duke does not admit by major: you choose either Trinity or the Pratt School of Engineering and list preliminary academic interests. Psychology students apply to Trinity and declare the major after enrolling. Here is what you need to know for fall 2027 entry (the 2026-2027 admissions cycle), based on Duke’s official information, for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver), and transfer students.

1. School and major

• Choose a school first: Duke says you must apply to Trinity or Pratt and that it is not easier or harder to be admitted to either; pick the one that matches your interests.
• When you declare psychology: Trinity students usually declare their major as sophomores (Trinity has reported on sophomores celebrating after declaring). Students can combine up to three academic pathways (majors, minors and certificates).
• Two degrees:
  • AB: 11 psychology courses, at least 9 taken at Duke;
  • BS: 16 courses, at least 14 at Duke, including 5 quantitative studies and natural science electives;
  • plus an interdepartmental major (IDM) and a 5-course minor.
• New curriculum from fall 2026 (shared by the AB and BS):
  • foundation: PSY 101 Introductory Psychology, and Methods and Statistics PSY 204L and PSY 205L;
  • three breadth courses, at least one natural-science “A-side” course (biological, cognitive or cognitive neuroscience) and one social-science “B-side” course (clinical, developmental or social);
  • five electives, at least two at the 300 level or above.
• AP and IB do not replace PSY 101: AP or IB psychology counts as PSY 11 toward Trinity requirements but not the major; all majors and minors take PSY 101 at Duke.
• Graduation with Distinction: an overall Trinity GPA of at least 3.0 and a psychology GPA of at least 3.5 by fall of senior year; find a supervisor by the end of junior spring, write a thesis in senior year and defend it before a committee of three to six.

2. Dates and materials

• Early Decision (binding): due November 2, 2026, with decisions in mid-December; ED applicants also send first-quarter grades.
• Regular Decision: due January 4, 2027; midyear grades by February 15; decisions in late March or early April.
• Materials: the Common Application or QuestBridge, high school transcript, school report and counselor recommendation, two teacher recommendations, Duke’s supplemental essays and an $85 application fee.
• Interviews: alumni interviews are optional and not offered to everyone; not being interviewed does not hurt you. Duke also considers InitialView interviews from international applicants and particularly encourages students at schools in China to arrange one.
• Course advice: four years of English and at least three years each of math, natural science, world language and social studies, usually five academic courses a year.

3. Testing and English

• SAT/ACT: Duke is test-optional in the 2026-2027 cycle, including for international students and merit scholarship candidates; applying without scores is not a disadvantage. Submitted SAT and ACT scores are superscored by section.
• English tests: for non-native speakers or students not in an English-medium curriculum, Duke recommends but does not require a test and uses your highest score. Suggested minimums:
  • TOEFL iBT 100;
  • IELTS 7;
  • Duolingo 130;
  • Cambridge C1/C2 and PTE are also accepted.
  Official Duolingo submissions are free, so Duke suggests sending them officially; other English scores can be self-reported.

4. Students at high schools in China

• There is no separate international application, and testing policies are the same for everyone. Duke does not mention how Gaokao results are used; decisions rest mainly on your transcript, course rigor, essays and recommendations.
• Transcripts needing translation can be translated by an official service, an EducationUSA adviser or a school official, and the originals must be submitted too.
• Consider an InitialView interview and an English test score (TOEFL 100, IELTS 7 or Duolingo 130 as guides).

5. Students at Canadian high schools

• Duke lists no province-specific requirements (including for BC); you are reviewed like other applicants on your transcript, course rigor and school report.
• Students at English-medium high schools generally do not need an English test.
• AP or IB results can earn limited credit or placement after enrolment through the Registrar, but introductory psychology must still be taken at Duke.

6. Costs and aid (US$)

• 2026-2027, first-year students: tuition 73,740, fees about 3,019, housing (double room) 11,560 and food 10,469, for billed costs of about 98,788; with books, personal and travel costs, the total is about 103,180 to 103,975.
• Aid for international students:
  • foreign citizens must apply for need-based aid in their original first-year application to be eligible for Duke need-based funding at any point;
  • Duke says the admit rate for foreign citizens seeking aid is usually less than half the overall rate;
  • all applicants are automatically considered for a small number of merit scholarships, and applying for aid does not affect that.

7. Transfer students

• Deadline: submit between February 1 and March 15, with no early submissions; fall entry only, no spring transfer.
• Eligibility: college study within the past four years and at least one full year of transferable college work completed by the August you enrol; no applicants who already hold a bachelor’s degree; no part-time students.
• Size and selectivity: about 70 students transfer in each fall, most as sophomores and a few as juniors. In the 2025-2026 cycle, 2,460 applied and 160 were admitted, a 6.5% admit rate.
• How to apply: the Duke Transfer Application or the Coalition on Scoir (no Common App for transfers this cycle), with college transcripts, a final high school transcript, two instructor evaluations (at least one from a college instructor) and essays. Testing is optional.
• Credit: Duke gives no preliminary credit evaluation, grants credit for at most two years of outside coursework, and requires at least two years at Duke. At least half of any major must be taken at Duke; for the psychology AB, at least 9 of 11 courses.
• Aid: no need-based aid for international transfer students and no merit scholarships for transfers; international transfers cannot get fee waivers.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Apply to Trinity via the Common App by November 2, 2026 (ED) or January 4, 2027 (RD)
• Send translated transcripts with originals; consider TOEFL 100, IELTS 7 or Duolingo 130 or higher
• Book an InitialView interview
• If you need aid, apply for it in this application

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• Apply by the ED or RD deadline; SAT/ACT optional
• ED applicants send first-quarter grades; everyone sends midyear grades by February 15

Transfer students:

• Complete at least one year of college; apply between February 1 and March 15
• International transfers must fund all costs (about US$103,000 in 2026-2027)

Sources: Duke University, Undergraduate admissions: requirements, dates, international and transfer applicants; Admissions FAQs; Trinity College of Arts & Sciences; Undergraduate psychology; Psychology degree requirements; Psychology FAQs; Graduation with Distinction; Trinity sophomores declare majors; 2026-2027 cost of attendance. Information is for fall 2027 entry (the 2026-2027 admissions cycle). Check Duke for the latest details.