Slightly more than 2,700 high school seniors from across the country and around the world can go online at 7 p.m. ET Thursday (today) to learn if they have been accepted to Duke University.

More than 31,150 students applied for admission this year -- the fourth straight year that applications have exceeded 31,000 -- with more than 28,000 students applying under Duke’s Regular Decision program. Among the Regular Decision applicant pool, 2,650 students -- 9.4 percent -- will receive a notice of acceptance today inviting them to become members of the Class of 2019. Another 69 students who applied Early Decision and whose decisions were deferred to March also will learn they have been admitted.

These students have until May 1 to make their final decision.

In December, 815 students were admitted under the university's binding Early Decision program, 18 more than the year before.

"This is the second year we’ve admitted fewer than 10 percent of our Regular Decision applicants, and there were some very difficult decisions we needed to make," said Christoph Guttentag, dean of undergraduate admissions. "Most of the students applying to Duke are extraordinarily well qualified both in their academic credentials and their extracurricular accomplishments.

“We end up disappointing a good number of exceptional, deserving students. With only 1,705 places in the class, we just don’t have the room for everyone who did their part to be a competitive applicant.”

Duke's admissions policy is "need blind" for U.S. citizens and permanent residents, meaning that applicants are accepted regardless of their ability to pay for college. Duke also meets 100 percent of demonstrated financial need for all admitted students.

"Every year we demonstrate that the university is committed to making a Duke education affordable for students across the economic spectrum," Guttentag said. "We’re one of a small number of universities where the admissions office has the freedom to admit the most compelling candidates regardless of a family's financial circumstances."

All admitted students are invited to campus for Blue Devil Days, a series of two-day events that provide students and their parents opportunities to discuss Duke's offerings with faculty and administrators, attend classes and tour Duke's campus. Participants also can get acquainted with other members of the Class of 2019. This year, Blue Devil Days will be held at three different times: April 9-10, April 12-13 and April 20-21.

All students who applied for admission will be able to receive their decisions online, but only those students who are admitted will receive mailed letters. As in previous recent years, students will be able to reply online to offers of admission or the opportunity to be placed on the waiting list.