I’m not buying that it’s not to replace international students. Even if it’s not to replace internationals who have declined their acceptances, it may well be a hedge against an anticipated number of internationals who fail to show up or a proactive move to protect themselves against an feared loss of internationals who drop out during the school year. The NY Times reported last May that Duke is one of the universitues most dependent on international enrollment with 25% stated in that article.
Here’s an article from the Duke Chronicle this spring about what the university is doing on this front: