Review
The actual in-depth review of your file is conducted in the department to which you are applying by an admissions committee, usually led by the Director of Graduate Studies. All applications are reviewed competitively. Attention is given to every aspect of an application, with an attempt made to evaluate past achievement as well as scholarly potential. Academic transcripts, letters of recommendation, GRE scores, as well as your own Statement of Purpose, are all taken into consideration in the review process.
Applicants are understandably concerned about Duke's standards for admission with regard to grades and GRE scores. Duke does not have an absolute cut-off point for either of these, although it may be useful for you to review the averages (and ranges) for grades and scores for applicants admitted in recent years. This information can be found by selecting the appropriate department or program in Statistics and selecting admission and enrollment statistics in the appropriate department or program. These numbers do vary from department to department; on a school-wide basis, however, the average GRE score in each section (verbal and quantitative) is usually well above 600, and the undergraduate grade point average is usually well above a "B." You should keep in mind that, depending upon the department, any one of the sections of the GRE may be weighted more heavily than the others. What is most important to understand is that all applications are considered competitively, and the quality of the application pool for a given term will significantly determine your chances of being offered admission.
Remember that grades and GREs are only two factors taken into consideration in the review for admission. Letters of recommendation and your Statement of Purpose are equally important. While your obvious concern is to have recommenders who will make complimentary remarks, remember that the Graduate School is interested in recommenders who are in the best position to assess your true potential as a graduate student, particularly those who are in a relevant field of study. Take care, too, with your Statement of Purpose. Be as specific as possible about your research interests and qualifications. If you have particular reasons for choosing Duke, be sure to indicate these.
The Graduate School has a policy of limited enrollment; in recent years approximately one in five applicants has been offered admission, with the expectation that a third of those offered will actually matriculate. However, in some departments the competition for new student slots is quite keen, and the ratio of applicants to offers of admission can be thirty-five to one, or even higher.