General Financial Aid FAQs

Will I receive the same financial aid package each year I attend Duke?

Duke University makes a commitment to our students to meet 100% of their demonstrated need each of the four years they are enrolled at Duke. While Duke's costs may increase from year to year, if your family's circumstances remain relatively unchanged, you can expect to receive a comparable amount of aid during your upper-class years. The self-help portions of your award will increase slightly as you progress through the four years, as will the amount of your summer earning contribution towards your expenses. For specific information see the "Financial Aid Statistics for Duke."

What do I have to do to continue to receive financial aid each year?

You must update your financial records by filing renewal financial aid applications every year in the Spring. Your need-based financial aid is not contingent upon maintaining a target grade point average, other than to meet Duke's standards for minimum academic progress. Students receiving selected merit-based scholarships may have to meet additional academic standards to retain these awards.

I am a merit scholar, is it necessary to re-apply for the scholarship each year?

You do not need to re-apply for merit scholarships. If, however, you have received need based aid in addition to the merit scholarship, then you must update your financial records by filing renewal financial aid applications every year in the Spring. Students receiving certain merit scholarships may have to meet academic standards to retain these awards.

Will my chances of admission be diminished if I apply for aid?

Duke University has a need-blind admissions policy, which means that our Admissions Office evaluates each student's academic and extra-curricular credentials without knowledge of a family's financial circumstance. Your application for aid will in no way affect your chances of admission to Duke.

When will I receive a response to my aid application?

If you apply on time (see the Calendar), you will receive your response along with your offer of admission.

Does applying for Early Decision (ED) hurt my chances of receiving adequate financial aid?

No. Students admitted to Duke under ED who demonstrate financial need will have 100% of their need met in full. The composition of all financial aid awards to ED students is exactly the same as it is for students applying under the Regular Decision program.

I received a better financial aid award from another university. Will Duke match the other school's award?

Duke does not "negotiate" or match financial aid awards from other universities. It may be that another university is offering scholarships based on things such as merit, and not demonstrated financial need. If, however, the other school has information about your family's financial situation that you did not share with us, or if you have reason to believe we have made an error in our evaluation, please contact us to discuss a possible re-evaluation.

If I don't qualify for aid, can I reapply as an upper class student?

Yes. You may apply anytime during your period of enrollment at Duke.

I'm expecting to receive outside scholarships from my high school or other sources outside of Duke. How will these affect my financial aid award from Duke?

Because Duke University meets 100% of your demonstrated need, the federal "over award" rule requires we make a dollar-for-dollar adjustment when students receive outside scholarship funds. To ensure these awards can help a student as much as possible, it is our policy to replace a student's self-help first (loan and work-study awards) with any earned outside scholarship funds they receive. If the amount of outside aid received exceeds the amount of loan and work study in your package, Duke grant funds are then reduced. Unearned outside scholarships such as Tuition Benefits and state grants reduce Duke grant funds first within the package. Entering first year students are sent an Outside Scholarship Form to complete early in the summer.

I notice my award letter says that my financial aid is contingent on receipt of additional documentation and information such as my parents' Federal Tax Returns. Does this mean my financial aid award could change?

If the additional documentation or information still required reflects different information than what your family provided to us on the CSS PROFILE or FAFSA, your aid eligibility will be re-evaluated. Your award might then be changed to reflect the more accurate information.

I want to apply for financial aid as a Regular Decision applicant, , but my parents cannot complete their Federal Tax Returns by your application deadline. What should I do?

Regular decision applicants are required to submit copies of their current year tax returns (including all schedules and W-2's) directly to the College Board's IDOC Service no later than March 15th. If you are unable to complete your tax returns by this date and must use estimated tax data to complete your CSS Profile and FAFSA applications, you must submit, directly to our office, NOT to the IDOC Service, copies of your previous year tax returns and a letter explaining when your current return will be available. This information must be received by March 15th. Again, remember that the IDOC Service will not accept previous year tax information. Financial aid awards based on estimated data and previous year tax information will be estimates only, and will not be made final until the current year tax return information has been reviewed for any necessary changes to the estimated award.

My family's circumstances have changed dramatically since we filed the CSS PROFILE and the FAFSA. Can Duke take these changes into consideration?

Yes, we always want to know if you experience a dramatic financial change such as an unexpected significant change in income, a serious medical problem, or other extenuating circumstances. You should contact our office in writing (either by letter or e-mail) outlining the change and giving us as many dollar-specific details as possible. If you are a recently admitted applicant, we understand that you must make your decision by May 1st and we will certainly do all we can to respond to your request as quickly as possible.

Can my parents find out in advance if they will qualify for a parent loan?

The most frequently used parent loan program is the Federal PLUS Loan Program. Most lenders participating in this popular program have a Pre-Approval Service that parents can use to determine their eligibility prior to actually completing the application process. The External Loan Office does not actually begin processing applications for the PLUS Loan Program until mid-summer.

My parents are divorced. What information does Duke require from my non-custodial parent?

Once you have completed the CSS Profile registration, the College Board will notify you that Duke requires the Noncustodial Profile. You will be sent an e-mail that details the requirement and you will be directed to share this e-mail with your noncustodial parent. This e-mail will contain a link to the Noncustodial Profile website as well as login instructions for your noncustodial parent. Your noncustodial parent's tax return should either be submitted in the same packet with the custodial parent's information or in a separate packet mailed to the College Board's IDOC Service with a copy of your original IDOC letter.

My parents own a business or a farm. Does Duke require additional information from them?

Please have your parents complete the "Business/Farm Supplement" form, available from the Forms page.

What can I do if my parents are unable to meet the parent contribution?

If there are no changes in your financial circumstances and no additional information that you did not originally share with Duke, your parents will need to consider ways to pay based on their income, assets, ability to borrow, and their own financial priorities. Duke offers a number of parent payment and loan options that can help make paying for Duke a manageable expense. For further information see the "Alternative or Commercial Loans" and "Paying for Duke" sections.

How did you determine my expected student contribution?

The minimum expected contribution for all students varies by year in school and is based on the expectation that a student will work during the summer and use some or all of these earnings to help meet the costs of the following year's attendance at Duke. Please consult the "Financial Aid Statistics for Duke" page for a listing of specific summer earnings levels.

How will the Undergraduate Financial Aid Office communicate with the student?

Most of our communication with students is now done via email, often with documents attached. New freshmen receive a mailed packet of information, including their Initial Award Notification, as part of the acceptance packet from the Admissions Office, but after that, almost all communication from our office is done via email.

Can parents request that our communications with students also be sent to parents, or be directed to parents instead?

FERPA prevents us from providing financial aid information to parents. It is certainly possible for a student to forward any correspondence to the parent, but our direct communication will be to the student's home email address in the Admissions system (for incoming freshmen) and the preferred email address on ACES (for current students).