Duke Fuqua 2018-2019 MBA Deadlines

While Dartmouth Tuck eliminated its ‘early action’ round this year, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business is sticking with the early option. The deadline for Fuqua’s early bird action round this year is Sept. 12, a date that will allow a candidate to get an interview invite by Sept. 25th and an admission decision in little more than a month on Oct. 19th.

Fuqua set a round one deadline for MBA applications to its full-time program of Oct. 10, with a decision due on Dec. 13th. Round two applicants have until Jan. 3rd to get their applications completed in time for the deadline and can expect to hear an admit or deny decision on March 18th. The round three deadline, meantime, has been set for March 20, with decisions in on April 29th.

Fuqua says its new application for the class entering in the Fall of 2019 will be available in late July. Unlike many other schools, Fuqua says it awards merit-based scholarships for the MBA program to applicants in every round from the early action deadline to round three.

Duke Fuqua’s 2018-2019 MBA Application Deadlines

Fuqua Rounds	Application Deadline	Interviews	Decisions
Early Action	September 12, 2018	September 25, 2018	October 19, 2018
Round One	October 10, 2018	November 8, 2018	December 13, 2018
Round Two	January 3, 2019	January 31, 2019	March 18, 2019
Round Three	March 20, 2019	April 10, 2019	April 29, 2019

FUQUA LAST YEAR RECEIVED 3,796 APPLICATIONS FOR 433 SEATS

In the 2016-2017 admissions cycle, Fuqua received 3,796 applications for the 433 seats available in the Class of 2019. The school accepted 851 candidates for an overall acceptance rate of 22.4%.

The mean GMAT score for the incoming class was 702, with successful international students averaging a score of 707 versus 699 for domestics. The average undergraduate grade point average was 3.5. The average age of new entrants at Fuqua was 29.

Put into perspective, the average GMAT was up seven points from the previous year, with its median GMAT jumping 10 points to 710. In the process, the GMAT range rose from 660 to 750. This was an intriguing development for a program known for prioritizing talent, potential, character, and fit over quantitative measures.

ADVICE TO APPLICANTS FROM CLASS OF 2018 MBA GRADUATES:

“Be self-aware and authentic. In fact, “Authentic Engagement” is one of our paired principles. Future leaders of consequence should take time to internalize what that means to them and how they would engage and leave this school in a better place than when they found it. Also, if at first you don’t succeed, try again! “Failing up” is okay! I did not get into school on my first attempt, but I learned a lot through the process and the reward is well worth the journey!” — Julian A. Gordon, 2018 MBA graduate from Fuqua is now working for healthcare company DaVita

“Be authentic. The Fuqua community encourages everyone to be themselves, including during the admissions process. I would recommend that you use the essays, resume, and interview to tell different but complementary sides of your story to show who you are and what you would bring to Team Fuqua.” — Paige Swofford, 2018 MBA graduate from Fuqua is now working for NextEra Energy as a principal financial analyst

“Start early (but not too early) to get your GMAT or GRE done so you can focus on finding a school that is the right cultural fit. Accept your test scores; no single aspect of your application defines you! Finding the right cultural fit takes time and reflection, and in order to identify cultural fit I suggest visiting the schools you are interested in during the application process. While you’re there, ask to meet with alums, speak to current students, and sit in on a class to observe what people say (or don’t say). Try to envision yourself as a student and determine if the culture will challenge you to bring your best to class each day. If visiting isn’t an option, try to connect with alums locally and ask questions about their experiences, likes and dislikes. It seems obvious, but meeting face-to-face with members of the school community is one of the most important aspects to identifying a cultural fit.” — Lauren Gage, Class of 2019 MBA student

DON’T MISS: 2018-2019 MBA APPLICATION DEADLINES FOR LEADING BUSINESS SCHOOLS or FREE MBA INSIDER GUIDE TO DUKE’S FUQUA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS