Other Aid Sources
Besides scholarships, loans, and work study aid, there are many other sources for funding your Duke education. State and other scholarships, military service, and civic engagement can complement your Duke experience and your tuition plan. To learn more, review and select from the list below:
AmeriCorps
Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC)
Gates Millennium Scholarship
Resident Assistants
Tuition Benefit Programs
Yellow Ribbon
Post 9/11 GI Bill Benefits
AmeriCorps
The AmeriCorps program provides a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of up to $4,725 for full-time members who complete their service to pay for college, graduate school, or to pay back qualified educational loans.
Students on financial aid who receive an Americorps Educuation Award will see the student contribution reduced, then the self-help (loans and work study award) reduced before any university grant funds are reduced. In order to make the most of the service award, it is to the benefit of the student to understand the self-help levels in his or her financial aid package before requesting the AmeriCorps contribution. Please note, AmeriCorps awards will not reduce the calculated family contribution in any circumstance.
Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC)
Duke University provides three Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs for interested students, all of which offer the possibility of financial aid in the form of scholarships and other aid options. For more information on each program, including how to become a Reserve Officer candidate, please follow the links provided below:
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Army ROTC Program at Duke See our Duke Army ROTC cadets featured in an online video.
- Navy ROTC Program at Duke
Gates Millennium Scholarship
The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Program selects 1,000 talented students each year to receive a good-through-graduation scholarship to use at any college or university of their choice. At Duke, Gates scholars will receive funding to replace the self-help portion of any need-based aid award. To learn more about the Gates Millennium Scholarship program, click here.
Resident Assistants
If you are selected to be a Resident Assistant (RA), neither your Parent nor your Student Contribution will be reduced. The value of your room, meal allowance and the RA stipend will be considered as aid, and will be included in your financial aid award in the same manner as an outside scholarship. The value of the room and stipend will reduce, dollar for dollar, the amount of loan or work-study funds in your award. If your loans or work-study allocation have already been reduced by outside scholarships, or if your RA room value and stipend are greater than any remaining loan or work-study award, university grant amounts will be reduced.
For more information on Resident Assistants and how to apply, visit Residence Life and Housing Services.
Examples: The following financial aid award examples illustrate how being an RA affects your need-based financial aid package:
| Example 1: | Initial Award Before RA Appointment |
| Budget | $56,000 |
| Family Contribution | $20,000 |
| Remaining Need | $36,000 |
| Work-study | $2,000 |
| Student Loan | $4,000 (Loan amount varies by income level) |
| Need-based Grant | $30,000 |
| Total Need-based Aid | $36,000 (Total Aid = Remaining Need) |
The above table shows an example need-based financial aid award.
| Example 2: | Revised Award After RA Appointment |
| Budget | $56,000 |
| Family Contribution | $20,000 (This number does not change when you are an RA) |
| Remaining Need | $36,000 |
| Work-study | $0 |
| Student Loan | $0 |
| RA Meal Allowance | $2,650 |
| RA Room Award | $5,740 |
| RA Stipend | $1,500 |
| Need-based Grant | $26,110 |
| Total Need-based Aid | $36,000 (Total Aid = Remaining Need) |
The above table shows an example need-based financial aid award for an RA.
Tuition Benefit Programs
Some employers, including Duke University and several other institutions of higher education, offer tuition benefit programs for employees and/or their dependents. Students attending Duke University that have been awarded aid through federal or university funding (including need-based, merit, and/or athletic sources) are required to report all tuition benefits received to the Financial Aid Office. Unlike outside scholarships, tuition benefits reduce Duke need-based grants first. The Parent and Student Contributions do NOT change with the addition of tuition benefits, though it is possible for the tuition benefit to exceed a student’s demonstrated need. Students that receive need-based, merit, or athletic aid in combination with a tuition benefit may not receive a total of assistance that exceeds the cost of attendance. Duke employees with questions about their tuition benefit eligibility or reporting should contact their Human Resources representative.
Yellow Ribbon
The Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program is a provision of the Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. Every school at Duke has agreed to participate in the program at varying levels. Trinity College will provide a maximum of ten $5,000 scholarships and Pratt School of Engineering will provide two $5,000 Yellow Ribbon Scholarship on a first come first served basis. These awards will be matched by the Veterans Administration with an additional $5,000 for each qualifying student.
All Yellow Ribbon awards are based on Post 9/11 Veterans eligibility requirements established by the Veterans Admininstration and are not need-based. All applicants for the Yellow Ribbon program must submit VA certifications to Duke's Certifying Official in the Registrar's Office. Duke's certifying official will date stamp each certificate of eligibility and forward a copy to the appropriate school at Duke. This date will be used to determine the order in which the awards will be made. All awards by the VA are paid directly to the University on behalf of the student.
For more details go to the Registrar's Website.
Post 9/11 GI Bill Benefits
The Post 9/11 GI Bill makes provision for veterans and active military personnel to transfer their military educational benefits to their dependents. More information about how to begin the process of eligibility and transfer of these benefits can be found on the Registrar's website at http://registrar.duke.edu/special-registrations/veterans.
Please note: For institutional need-based aid purposes, VA benefits work the same way as outside scholarships, reducing loan and work study first and then Duke University Scholarship, if applicable. The family contribution is not reduced unless all funds within the need-based aid package have been replaced by the VA benefit.