Duke FinAid: January Highlights

This monthly newsletter provides relevant information, helpful tips, and upcoming deadlines to help you make the most of the financial aid available to you.  For each headline, you can click the available link to be redirected to the relevant page on our website, or you can scroll down for additional info. 

•   New Counselor Assignments

•   Course Fees

•   How Housing Affects Your Aid

•   How Being an RA Affects Your aid

•   Personal Finance@Duke

•   Summer School and Global Education

•   Upcoming Deadlines/Reminders

 

New Counselor Assignments 

There are a few new faces in the Office of Financial Aid, and it is possible that your counselor may have changed.  Check the chart below to find out who your counselor may be, or you can also view your assigned counselor on ACES.

Student Last Name	Counselor
A-Chub	Colin Clark
Chuc-For	Fred Holding
Fos-Hub	Miranda McCall
Huc-Lee	Justin Clapp
Lef-Nez	Erin Almond
Nf-Schm	Hayley Broadhead
Scho-Var	Jackie Alford
Vas-Z	Janice Coleman

Course Fees   

Some courses carry fees over and above the cost of tuition.  Music lessons, Phys Ed courses, and courses with class trips commonly have additional fees associated with them.  These course fees are charged to your student account at the time of registration.  If you receive a financial aid scholarship from Duke, your scholarship funding will automatically be increased to cover additional course fees after the drop/add period each semester. 

How Housing Affects Your Aid   

Each year, the financial aid budget for students living on campus includes exact housing charges.  Should your housing charges change throughout the academic year, your financial aid budget and financial aid award will be adjusted to reflect your actual housing charges.  Your expected family contribution thus neither increases nor decreases based on your choice of dorm or room type. 

If you live off campus, financial aid will still budget for food and housing expenses.  The food budget is equivalent to the average of Dining Plans D and E for upperclassmen, and the housing budget is equivalent to a two-bedroom suite on Central Campus. You can view your financial aid budget via your ACES account.

How Being an RA Affects Your Aid   

If you are an RA, this will impact your financial aid award.  The value of the free room, meal allowance, and stipend is factored in like an outside scholarship, replacing loans and work-study first before reducing any Duke grant.  Being an RA does not reduce your family contribution.

Personal Finance@Duke  

Personal Finance Tip of the Month

Did you know that the Personal Finance@Duke website includes a section regarding how to save money at Duke? It is a great resource for ideas, such as how to save money on food. You do not need to break the bank, or charge a lot of flex or dining points to your Bursar account, in order to eat well on Duke campus. Sometimes you just need to get a little creative!

Did you know that many groups on campus offer free workshops with free food? Keep tabs on what is available on the Duke Events Calendar.

How about snacks? When raiding a vending machine, it seems like you are only spending a dollar here or there, but it can add up quick! Try stocking up on healthy snacks in bulk, instead, rather than purchasing individual items.

Check out resources for discounts at local restaurants and more tips at www.personalfinance.duke.edu/save-money-duke/food. 

First Time Student Borrowers

The Student Loan Office and Personal Finance@Duke have teamed together to create a workshop for first time borrowers entitled Understanding Student Loans. This can fulfill a part of the entrance counseling requirement for first time borrowers.

Borrowing money can be a good resource for paying for your education, but it is one that should be used with foresight and careful consideration. You don't want the money you borrow now to be a financial hardship to you after you graduate. During this workshop, you will learn how to limit your borrowing, live on the resources that you have, manage the repayment of your loans, and the qualifications for current loan forgiveness and cancellation programs. Follow this link to view times and locations and register.

REMINDER: New Tool Available for Managing Loan Debt!

Duke student loan borrowers now have the ability to view all of their Duke student loans in one place. Students can see a comprehensive list of their Duke student loans, interest rates, and loans fees for each loan by logging in to ACES at http://www.siss.duke.edu/siss/aces and viewing the new page labeled "My Loan Info."

Summer School and Global Education   

You are eligible for two summer terms of need-based financial aid during your four years at Duke.  This aid is available for courses taken at Duke, at the Marine Lab, or as part of a Duke-in summer Global Education program. Check out the information provided on our website regarding how financial aid for summer school and summer Global Education programs are determined at http://www.finaid.duke.edu/undergraduate/current/summer/index.html.

Upcoming Deadlines/Reminders  

Renewal Financial Aid Applications
Renewal financial aid applications are due May 1, 2013.  You’ve got plenty of time, but you may want to remind your parents or guardians and be sure to keep your financial documents (W2 Form, Form 1098, etc.) organized! If you'd like more detailed instructions on the renewal application process, visit our website at http://finaid.duke.edu/undergraduate/current/apply/index.html.

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