Is Duke the ‘Harvard of the South?’
About seven years ago, I wrote a post to help my readers decided which school would be the “Harvard of the South. I recently visited Duke to take a student-directed campus tour. So, I thought that I would revisit this post.
I personally find the phrase Harvard of the South to be silly.
The schools that could most likely earn the honor have structured their undergraduate academics differently and place different levels of emphasis on athletics. Harvard has approximately 7,100 undergraduates in a single undergraduate college that offers humanities, social sciences, natural and physical sciences and engineering. Some also offer majors that undergraduates cannot pursue at Harvard.
For a college to be the ‘Harvard of Anyplace’, it does not necessarily need to be as selective as Harvard.
However, it should be similar in these ways:
- A national (vs. regional) private university with undergraduate, graduate and professional schools that has appeal across the United States as well as with college-bound students from other countries.
- Mid-sized, with less than 10,000 undergraduates. Harvard has around 7,100.
- Located in or near a major city, just like Harvard.
- Be administratively independent of any religion, while welcoming students of all faiths. Just like Harvard;
- Attempt to meet 100 percent of demonstrated financial need, as Harvard does.
- Compete in NCAA Division I athletics. Harvard competes in 40 D-1 varsity sports.
- Be a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU). These schools are recognized for the research accomplishments of their faculty. All of the member schools also have highly-desired graduate and professional schools. Harvard has been a charter member since 1900.
There are 27 private universities that are members of the AAU. Five are located in the South or Southwest.
These schools are Tulane, Emory, Rice, Vanderbilt and Duke.
I will cover Duke last since I was recently there.
Tulane University
Tulane has 7,100 undergrads. But it is structured more like a larger university with undergraduate schools in architecture, business, engineering, liberal arts and public health as well as a School of Professional Advancement that grants degrees to working adults. Harvard has an extension division that does the same thing.
- The acceptance rate for the Class of 2026 was 11 percent.
- Tulane graduates just over 80 percent of a freshman class on time. Harvard does much better (88 percent)
- Retention is an excellent 93 percent, though many state universities, including Rutgers in my home state, do a little better.
- Tulane does not meet 100 percent of demonstrated financial need—it most recently met, on average, 92 percent.
- Tulane has had recent success in D-1 football, upsetting USC by one point (46-45 in the 2023 Cotton Bowl, but the Green Wave play only 18 sports, less than half as many as Harvard.
Emory University
Emory has just over 7,100 undergraduates, just like Harvard. Like Harvard it has more graduate and professional school students than undergrads.Emory has a two-year undergraduate college (Oxford) as well as undergraduate schools of arts and sciences, business and nursing.
- The university graduated no less than 81 percent of every class that entered between 2012 and 2018.
- Emory is not as selective as Harvard, but the university accepted only 11 percent of the applicants for the Class of 2026.
- The university recently met 100 percent of demonstrated need for the Class of 2025.
- Atlanta rightly be called the ‘College Town of the South’ given the number of colleges there.
- Emory competes in 15 non-scholarship sports and does not play football. It does not share Harvard’s athletic ambitions. However, the Eagles ranked 15th among D-3 schools in the Director’s Cup standings at the end of last year across all sports that the university plays.
Rice University
Rice has a much smaller undergraduate population (around 4,200) than Harvard. The total student population, undergraduates and graduates, is just over 8,200. Like Tulane, Rice structures undergraduate education across multiple schools including architecture, business, engineering, humanities, music, natural sciences and social sciences.
- Less than nine percent of the applicants for the Class of 2026 were offered admission.
- Rice’s freshman retention is about the same as Harvard’s (97 percent). More recently, the graduation rate for the Class of 2020 was 88 percent, about the same as Harvard.
- And, like Harvard, Rice meets 100 percent of demonstrated need.
- While Rice has a less urban campus than Harvard, it is located in Houston, America’s fourth-largest city, which has over three times the population of Boston. ‘H-town’ is also a major medical and technology center, much like Boston.
- Rice grants athletic scholarships as a member of Division I Conference USA, but plays in only 14 sports. That’s the minimum that a university can compete to remain a D-1 school.
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt has 7,200 undergrads. Undergraduate education is structured into schools of arts and sciences, education, engineering and music.
- Most recently, Vanderbilt had a single-digit acceptance rate, less than seven percent.
- The most recent four-year grad rate was 87 percent for the Class of 2020
- Freshman retention for the Class of 2025 was 93 percent, which is excellent, though less selective schools have done better
- On average the university meets 92 percent of demonstrated need
- Vanderbilt is on the outskirts of Nashville, the largest city in the Southeastern Conference and one of the fastest growing metro areas in America
- While Vanderbilt is a longtime member of the Southeastern Conference, the Commodores play only 16 D-1 varsity scholarship sports
Duke University
Duke has approximately 6,700 undergraduates in two undergraduate schools, Trinity College for Arts and Sciences and the Pratt School of Engineering. Brown, Dartmouth and Princeton structure undergraduate education the same way. .
- It has the lowest acceptance rate among the schools covered here (just over six percent)
- The most recent four-year graduation rate was 90 percent. That’s better than Harvard
- Freshman retention is about the same as Harvard at 98 percent
- The university tries to meet 100 percent of demonstrated need
- Unless you are a UNC or NC State student or alum, it is fair to argue that Duke is the anchor school for North Carolina’s Research Triangle, which is the largest (by acreage) technology research park in America,
- Duke competes in 27 NCAA D-1 varsity sports. The university is not only a power in men’s and women’s basketball. It has also had dominant programs in women’s golf and tennis and men’s lacrosse. Last year, Duke ranked higher than Harvard in the Director’s Cup standings across all sports in a D-1 athletic department. Duke is the only school among the five here to rank in the top 54. The Blue Devils ranked 21st while Harvard ranked 38th, This year, as of January 12, Duke ranked 18th. Harvard ranked 40th. Duke is more similar to Princeton, which ranks 38th.
All of these schools are excellent-but Duke is the most similar to Harvard–and more similar to Princeton.
I have to consider not only the academics and financial aid, but also athletics. Duke has done more to build and grow an athletic tradition than any of the other four schools, and it has the largest athletic program.
For all of the mystique around Harvard and their Ivy kin, I have to believe that a school that plays 40 sports cares a great deal about athletics. Just like Duke, which could legimately be called the Princeton of the South.
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