No way that Duke or any other school has 125 seven figure donors each year. That means that they could cover the cost of attendance for every incoming freshman (for the first year anyway) with some money left over.

The 125 included others with connections. Connections/legacy are not always kids that could not get in on their own. I'll let you know how it goes for middle kid this year. Her legacy connection college isn't elite, but well known and fairly highly ranked. Mom, dad, aunt and uncle all attended the school, and the school heavily considers legacy. She is also above the 75th percentile test scores. So what if they let her in and that is in part due to her connections? I assure you it will not be because of a seven figure donation.