Financial aid is a core commitment at Duke. In spite of these uncertain economic times, Duke has reaffirmed its commitment to the principles of need-blind undergraduate admissions and has pledged to continue to meet 100 percent of the demonstrated financial need of all admitted U.S. undergraduates.In fact, beginning in 2008-09 Duke enhanced aid packages, increasing grants and decreasing loan requirements for need-based aid recipients.
About 40 percent of Duke undergraduates receive need-based financial aid, and another approximately 5 percent receive athletic or merit scholarships. In addition, Duke provides funding to virtually all doctoral students and offers significant support to master's and professional degree students.
In 2008-09, the university spent a total of $192 million on financial aid grants for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students–including $63 million on undergraduate need-based aid alone. To help Duke meet this rising cost, many generous alumni, parents, and friends have established endowed scholarship and fellowship funds over the years. Between 2005 and 2008, Duke held a fund-raising effort dedicated to this important need.Gifts and pledges to Duke's Financial Aid Initiative totaled $308.5 million.
While this is a significant accomplishment, financial aid endowment remains an important fund-raising priority. Read about a few students who have benefitted from financial aid at Duke, and listen to audio clips from students and alumni whose voices are distributed throughout the final report for Duke's Financial Aid Initiative. You can also contact a gift officer to discuss to the possibility of setting up your own named scholarship or fellowship endowment.
