Duke vs NYU: Which is more prestigious OVERALL (not just for MBA)?
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Updated on: 20 Apr 2021, 18:49
Which university is considered more prestigious overall (rankings, brand, academics, and other intangible aspects)?
I'm mainly concerned about the OVERALL university's brand (i.e. business school's brand is just one of the aspects) and not just their business school's brand.
I've used various major aspects to compare both these universities. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this issue and any other aspects that I might have overlooked below.
International Rankings:
Looking at the 5-year averages, Duke ranks higher than NYU (i.e. 2-10 ranks difference) in almost all international rankings except for reputation rankings, in which NYU is marginally better (~3 ranks difference). The gap for overall international rankings was even greater but NYU’s ranking has gradually improved over the last few years.
National Rankings:
Again, looking at the 5-year averages, Duke ranks much higher than NYU in all national rankings: Duke is top 5 or 10 in almost all rankings (i.e. ranks equal or higher than most ivy-league schools) while NYU ranges from 27 to 125.
University Name:
I believe Duke is highly recognized in the US but not many people know about it internationally. Everyone's heard of NYU since it has "New York" in it (i.e. name speaks for itself).
Nobel Prize Winners:
NYU has more Nobel laureates, Turning Award winners and fields medalists than Duke, which might be due to the difference in # of students.
Selectivity/Notable People:
Duke (16000 students) vs NYU (52000 students). Hence, Duke is more selective but NYU might have more famous alumni (partially due to its famous film school) and more students.
Undergrad Admissions Rate:
Over last 8 years: Duke (7.7-11.6%) vs NYU (15.3-32.3%). NYU's acceptance rate has been going down rapidly in the recent years.
City/Campus/Weather/Culture:
NYU = Duke. While NYU has the city advantage, almost all big recruiters come to Duke. Duke has a much nicer, bigger campus. Due to smaller city, students at Duke might be more collaborative and supportive of each other. Duke has better weather.
Sports:
Duke > NYU. For NCAA, Duke plays in Div I while NYU plays in Div III.
Business School:
While NYU Stern is older than Duke Fuqua, Duke Fuqua ranks higher marginally in almost all MBA related rankings if we look at the last 5-year averages. Duke sends more people in Tech (27%) than NYU (17%), but that's not my concern since I have a strong Tech background. I'd prefer moving to West coast post-MBA since it has more opportunities in Tech. While Duke Fuqua is only for graduate studies, making it more exclusive, NYU Stern is for both undergraduate and graduate studies, with the potential of having more number of notable alumni. Money isn't a factor.
Endowment:
Duke (> $8.5 billion) > NYU (< $4.5 billion). More money = better students & ability to compete against other top universities.
Future/Potential:
I believe NYU's image will definitely improve overall since it's in NYC. Hard to project the future for Duke: can it overtake other leading/richer universities?
Originally posted by
suvandna on 20 Apr 2021, 17:56.
Last edited by
suvandna on 20 Apr 2021, 18:49, edited 1 time in total.