Two important concepts drive much of the financial aid planning process at Duke: Expected Family Contribution and Demonstrated Need.

Expected Family Contribution

Students who have completed both the FAFSA and PROFILE and submitted their most recent tax forms and W-2 forms to Duke as part of an application for institutional need based aid will receive responses from the Department of Education and Duke University. The Student Aid Report provided by the Department of Education will include an EFC that will be used to determine the student's eligibility for federal student aid funds. Using the information provided by the PROFILE and the family's most recent tax forms the University will use the 568 Consensus Approach to Determining Family Ability to Pay to calculate Duke's Expected Family Contribution and the student's demonstrated need or eligibility for need based aid.

Demonstrated Need

Duke meets 100 percent of each student's demonstrated need, which is the difference between the institutionally calculated family contribution and the estimated annual cost of attendance. The family contribution consists of parent and student contributions, including a preset summer earnings requirement.

Expressed as a formula:

  Student's Cost of Attendance Budget
- Family Contribution         
  Demonstrated Need

Once need has been determined, Duke's Undergraduate Financial Aid Office creates an aid package to precisely meet that financial need. Aid packages generally include two forms of assistance: grant and scholarship funds and self-help. Duke grant funds comprise the main portion of most need-based grant awards; federal, state and local grant funds are also included as appropriate. Self-help funds are offered in the form of low-interest, deferred payment, subsidized loans, and work-study eligibility.