Current Student Aid FAQs

How will my financial aid award be affected if I live off-campus?

If you choose to live off campus, Duke will neither increase nor decrease your budget. Need based aid will be awarded using a budget that includes the value of a standard on-campus dorm room (double occupancy, no AC), and the value of a standard meal plan. If you live off campus, aid will be credited to your Bursar account in the normal manner. If your aid exceeds your billed charges, it will be refunded to you by the Bursar's Office.

How would having a car on campus affect my financial aid?

It will not have any bearing on your financial aid.

I am interested in being a Resident Advisor (RA). How will this affect my financial aid?

If you are selected to be a RA, neither your Parent nor Student Contribution will be reduced. The value of your room plus 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 package. If your loans or work-study allocation have already been reduced by outside scholarships, grant amounts may be replaced.

I plan to study abroad next semester. How does this affect my financial aid?

Any student on financial aid, who plans to study abroad, with either a Duke or an approved non-Duke program, must complete a "Study Abroad Information" form, available from the Forms page on our site or from our office. Duke's Study Abroad Office will set a standard budget for each Duke program. Students attending non-Duke study abroad programs must provide documentation of the cost of the program. Also, Duke Financial Aid is only available for approved non-Duke programs offered during the academic year.

We will adjust your semester abroad budget to reflect the total cost of the program, up to the normal cost of a semester at Duke. Therefore, if you choose a program that costs less than a normal semester at Duke, we will reduce the standard on campus aid budget to the cost of the program. If you choose a program that costs more than a semester at Duke, we are unable to increase the budget. In this case, you will be responsible for the excess cost.

We will award aid as usual with regard to the established budget. Unless requested otherwise, we will replace your study abroad semester of work-study with Perkins Loan.

Your aid will credit to your Bursar's account. If you are attending a Duke Study Abroad program, the cost of the program will be charged to your Bursar's account. Any aid beyond the cost of the program will be refunded to you. If you attend a non-Duke program, you will only be charged a study abroad fee on your Bursar's account. The Bursar will refund all remaining aid to you. You are responsible for using these funds to pay any costs associated with your study abroad program. The Bursar's Office will (upon request) issue a refund check for those students studying abroad before the student leaves for his/her program.

We believe that studying abroad is an integral part of the Duke experience and encourage your participation. Financial aid makes studying abroad affordable for all, regardless of need. We are happy to invest in this aspect of your Duke experience and hope you will contact us if you have questions.

Is there financial aid available for summer school and how do I apply?

Each student eligible for need-based aid may apply to receive aid for two sessions of summer school. These sessions need not be consecutive. Summer One financial aid eligibility is determined using the current academic year Parent Contribution. Your summer Parent Contribution will be 25% of the academic year Parent Contribution. We will subtract the PC from the total summer budget and offer aid to meet any remaining need. As in the school year, summer aid will consist of work-study, loan, and grant funds to those eligible. Summer Two aid will be evaluated based on the Parent Contribution for the upcoming school year. For this reason, it is crucial that you have your application materials complete in our office by May 1. We cannot process Summer Two aid without your upcoming academic year aid application materials. The Summer Sessions Financial Aid Application is available electronically on the Forms page of this site, or you may also pick up an application at our office.