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how far is duke university from unc chapel hill ~~

Duke University and UNC Chapel Hill are very close to each other in North Carolina, roughly 8–11 miles apart (about 13–18 km), depending on where you start and which route you take.

Quick Scoop: Actual Distance

  • Straight-line distance (point-to-point): about 8–8.2 miles (≈13 km) between the two campuses.
  • Typical driving distance : about 9–11 miles (≈14–18 km) by road, usually via Highway 15-501.
  • Drive time : around 15–25 minutes in normal traffic.

So if you’re picturing it for everyday life, think of Duke and UNC Chapel Hill as “same metro area, quick drive” neighbors rather than long-distance rivals. 🏀

Mini FAQ

  • Are Duke and UNC in the same region?
    Yes, both are part of North Carolina’s Research Triangle (with NC State), which means lots of shared events, research, and cross-campus interactions.
  • Why do people sometimes say “8 miles” and others say “11 miles”?
    The smaller number refers to a straight-line map distance, while the larger numbers refer to real driving routes between specific campus points (like central campus to main quad or arena-to-arena).

TL;DR: If you’re at UNC Chapel Hill and need to get to Duke, you’re looking at roughly a 20‑minute, ~10‑mile drive—close enough for classes, games, or weekend hangs.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.