What's Covered
All merit scholarships cover the following costs:
- Tuition
- Exact housing charges
- Standard meal plan
- Mandatory fees (includes student activity, student service, student health, recreation, dining hall, and registration fees)
The following costs are not covered by merit scholarships:
- Residential program fees
- Quad/1st year housing fees
- Post Office box charges
- Parking Permits
- Course fees
- Books and Supplies
- Summer School
- Health Insurance (except for international students--see specifics on Health Insurance)
- All other non-mandatory expenses
Note: Trinity Scholars from North and South Carolina, MasterCard Foundation Scholars, and David M. Rubenstein Scholars may receive funding to cover the full cost of attendance at Duke and may be an exception to the exclusions above.
Housing and Meal Expenses for Merit Scholarship Recipients
Your scholarship can cover the cost of a standard dining plan. The standard dining plan for a for first-year students is Plan H, and for upperclass students, the standard is the averaged cost of plans D and E.
Merit scholarships can also cover your exact on-campus housing charges during the fall and spring semesters. We assume that whether you're here at Duke or off campus, you will still have expenses for housing and meals. We'll base your off-campus aid on the cost of a standard room charge and the cost of meal plan D. Your charges from Duke will change, but your aid will still include consideration for your housing cost.
Students should note that financial aid is not released to students until after the first week of class each term. If you qualify for a financial aid refund (i.e. your aid exceeds Duke's charges) and you will be using it to assist with your off-campus housing costs, please note that you will need to make arrangements on your own to cover your August and January rent costs if they are billed at the beginning of the month. Financial aid refunds cannot be released early and will not be available in time to make these payments, so students who choose to live off campus must plan accordingly.
If you live off campus or choose a less expensive meal plan, your scholarship may exceed your charges for the semester. If this is the case, the Bursar’s Office will provide a refund of the difference to you to pay for off-campus housing and/or additional meals. Refunds are issued by direct deposit to your bank account, so you will need to complete a Direct Deposit Authorization form (available on DukeHub) and submit it to the Bursar's Office to ensure the refund is deposited to your account. Should you have any questions about your refund, you can contact the Bursar's Office directly.
Health Insurance
Merit scholarships do not cover the cost of enrolling in Duke's health insurance plan, with the exception of international students. International students receiving merit scholarships can have their Duke health insurance costs covered by Duke merit scholarship programs (except for the Robertson Scholars Leadership Program, which does not cover health insurance for any student).
All students at Duke are required to have health insurance coverage and must either show proof of existing insurance or participate in the Duke plan. If you have any questions regarding your health insurance policy, contact the Duke Student Health Insurance Manager at insurance@studentaffairs.duke.edu or 919-684-1481.
Students receiving need-based aid may be eligible to have their Duke health insurance costs covered by financial aid if they do not have access to other adequate insurance. Merit scholarship recipients must apply separately for need-based financial aid each year if they wish to determine if their health insurance cost can be covered. To do this, follow the steps listed on the apply for aid page.
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