Leadership, teamwork, and ethics are essential elements of the Duke Fuqua MBA, which is why you’ll need to make sure you express your passion for these qualities in your application essays. Impress the Fuqua adcom by positioning yourself as an innovative leader and team player, as someone who can see the big picture, work collaboratively, and shape global business.
To learn more about the school, listen to our podcast interview with Shari Hubert, Duke Fuqua’s associate dean of admissions.
Ready to get to work on your Duke Fuqua application? Read on.
Duke Fuqua application essay tips
You’ll need to provide your thoughts on one short answer question and two longer essay questions as part of your application.
Instructions for all written submissions:
- Responses should use 1.5-line spacing and a font size no smaller than 10-point.
- Do not repeat the question in the document you upload with your application as this will cause the essay to be flagged for plagiarism.
- Respond fully and concisely.
- Length requirements vary by question and are detailed below.
- Responses must be completed before submitting your application.
All submissions are scanned using plagiarism detection software. Plagiarism is considered a cheating violation within the Honor Code and will not be tolerated in the admissions process.
Required short-answer essay question
Instructions: Answer the following question in 100 words.
What are your post-MBA career goals? Share with us your first-choice career plan and your alternate plan.
What’s your professional direction? And if you cannot progress in your career in the most direct way, what is another way of reaching your desired destination? Since you are dealing with a 100-word maximum, you will have to think long before you start drafting and then write succinctly to get your point across.
Required essay #1 (25 random things about yourself)
The ‘Team Fuqua’ spirit and community is one of the things that sets the MBA experience apart, and it is a concept that extends beyond the student body to include faculty, staff, and administration. Please share with us “25 Random Things” about you. The Admissions Committee wants to get to know YOU – beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript. Share with us important life experiences, your hobbies, achievements, fun facts, or anything that helps us understand what makes you who you are.
Your list will be limited to 2 pages (750 words maximum). Please present your response in list form, numbered 1 to 25. Some points may be brief, while others may be longer.
Have some fun with this list. It certainly allows for a more creative approach than most essay prompts permit. Note that the question asks you to go “beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript.” So, you can list your Pez collection or perhaps your brief membership in a rock band, or the fact that you took violin from ages 6 to 18, your membership in a gospel choir, your volunteer work in a hospital, your needlepoint, your favorite recipe or photo. Gosh – the list is endless. Just let it reflect you. Think of this list as an introduction to potential friends.
Watch: Shari Hubert, Associate Dean of Admissions at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business on How to answer the 25 Random Things Question:
Required essay #2 (The Fuqua community and you)
Fuqua prides itself on cultivating a culture of engagement. Our students enjoy a wide range of student-led organizations that provide opportunities for leadership development and personal fulfillment, as well as an outlet for contributing to society. Our student-led government, clubs, centers, and events are an integral part of the student culture and to the development of leaders. Based on your understanding of the Fuqua culture, what are 3 ways you expect to contribute at Fuqua?
Your response will be limited to 1 page (500 words maximum).
Do your homework about Fuqua (and yourself) before responding to this question. What activities and groups appeal to you? How do you see yourself participating? Making a difference? Imagine how you would take part, collaborate, and sometimes lead. While you can reference similar activities in the past, keep the focus of this essay on what you would do at Fuqua, and choose three activities/groups that most appeal to you.
One approach to responding to this question is to address a letter to a close friend or colleague and tell them how you would contribute to this very participatory culture. That letter could easily morph into this essay.
Optional essay #3 (Tell us more)
If you feel there are circumstances of which the admissions committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g. unexplained gaps in work, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance). Note that you should NOT upload additional essays nor additional recommendations in this area. The Optional Information section is intended to provide the admissions committee with insight into your circumstances only.
Your response will be limited to 1 page (500 words maximum).
Why isn’t your current supervisor writing your rec? Why is there a six-month gap on your resume? Why did your grades dip during the first semester of your senior year? What are your responsibilities at your family business after leaving a prestigious investment bank, and why did you make that change? If these questions aren’t addressed elsewhere in your application, answering any of them (but hopefully not all) could be the focus of your optional essay.
Duke Fuqua application deadlines
| Round | Application Deadline | Final Decision Release |
| Early Action | September 4, 2024 | October 18, 2023 |
| 1 | October 1, 2024 | December 12, 2024 |
| 2 | January 9, 2025 | March 14, 2025 |
| 3 | February 2, 2025 | April 4, 2025 |
| 4 | April 3, 2025 | May 8, 2025 |
Source: Duke Fuqua website
***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with Duke Fuqua directly to verify its essay questions, instructions, and deadlines.***
Duke Fuqua class profile
Here is a look at the Duke Fuqua MBA Class of 2025 (data taken from the Duke Fuqua website):
Class size: 385
Women: 45%
Underrepresented minorities: 27%
International citizens (by U.S. status): 47%
U.S. military: 19%
Partnered: 36%
Countries represented: 51
Average years of work experience: 6.1
Average age: 29
GMAT range (middle 80%): 670-760
GRE Verbal/Quant combined (middle 80%): 306-330
Average undergraduate GPA (middle 80%): 3.10-3.89
Undergraduate institutions represented: 257
Students with advanced degrees: 21%
Undergraduate majors:
- Engineering/Natural sciences: 37%
- Business and accounting: 30%
- Liberal arts/other: 15%
- Economics: 12%
- Other 6%
Industries:
- Financial services: 18%
- Other: 15%
- Consulting: 12%
- Technology: 15%
- Health: 8%
- Government: 11%
- Nonprofit/Education: 6%
- Consumer goods: 5%
- Energy/Chemical/Utilities: 5%
- Manufacturing: 5%
Former associate director of admissions at the Yale School of Management, director of MBA admissions at MSU Broad, and consultant at Cardiff Business School in the United Kingdom, Esmeralda Cardenal has guided Accepted clients to acceptance in various graduate programs since 2014, including MBA and master’s in finance, business analytics, data science, sustainability, and public policy. Want Esmeralda to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!
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