During his years as a harmony and composition student at the Conservatoire, from 1924 through 1928, Duruflé wrote ten compositions identified in the Conservatoire records of examinations and prizes now housed at the Archives nationales. Three of them were published. If it were any other composer under scrutiny, student works would probably draw little or no attention in a biography. In Duruflé's case, because of his small opus list, the hope that he may have written other worthy pieces that remain unpublished ignites interest in his student works, an interest supported by the fact that one of these pieces, the Scherzo, was published in a performance edition. As to the whereabouts of the original manuscripts, the sources vary. At least some of Duruflé's published works are held by the Durand publishing house; the unpublished works undoubtedly remain among the Duruflé Papers.

In 1924, Duruflé wrote an untitled work on a basse donnée by J. Morpain. Published that year by Heugel in four-part open score, the piece will interest historians, but it does not merit publication in a performance edition. In 1926, he composed a Pastorale for organ and a Pièce pour orgue sur le thème du Credo as well as the Op. 2 Scherzo for organ. In 1927 he wrote Méditation and Pièce, both for organ. In 1928 he composed another Pièce (a Fugue in C Minor), on a subject of Henri Rabaud, which was published by Heugel in four-part open score, in 1928, under the title Fugues à 4 parties des élèves ayant remporté le Premier Prix aux Concours de Fugue (1928). Because the piece was not published in a performance edition, and because it remained unknown until 2004, it was probably never performed, perhaps not even by Duruflé himself. Despite its harmonically conservative nature, the work is extremely well crafted, bearing a refined, Bach-like sense of architecture, and reflects an advanced musical genius. It merits publication in a performance edition and wide performance in concert venues. The piece is perfectly idiomatic for the organ.

Duruflé's Triptyque: Fantaisie sur des thèmes grégoriens, Op. 1 (1927), for piano, is dedicated to Vierne and remains unpublished. Duruflé commented about it: “The piece is not really bad, because I had a second prix in composition with it.