Your Family Contribution
Your family contribution is made up of two parts: the amount expected from parent(s) and the amount expected from you. Duke expects a minimum contribution from a first-year student of $2,600 per year, regardless of income. The parent contribution is calculated by the Financial Aid Office based on the income and assets held by the family. Families with a total annual income of $60,000 or less, and typical assets, will have an expected parent contribution of $0.
Your Aid
Once we’ve determined your family contribution, we’ll build your financial aid award. The financial aid award may consist of work study, limited student loans*, grants, and scholarships. All applicants are offered up to $3,000 in work-study funding, which can be earned during the academic year. (Click here to learn more about what work study is and how it can help.) In addition to work study, some applicants are offered federal or low-interest loans. The rest of your family's need will be met with grants and scholarships.
Sample Duke Financial Aid Award:
Below is an example of what a financial aid award would look like for a family whose expected contribution is $20,000.
| Example Financial Need | |
|---|---|
| Cost of Attendance | $75,370 |
| Family Contribution | $20,000 |
| Remaining Need | $55,370 |
| Example Financial Aid Award | |
|---|---|
| Work Study | $3,000 |
| Student Loan | $5,000 (varies by income level) |
| Need-based Grant | $47,370 |
| Total Need-based Aid | $55,370 (Total Aid = Remaining Need) |
Want to estimate your aid? Click here.
*Loan amounts included in an aid award are determined based on a household's total annual income as illustrated by the chart below:
| Total Income | Loan Award |
|---|---|
| under $40,000 | $0 |
| between $40,000 - $55,000 | $2,000 |
| between $55,000 - $70,000 | $3,000 |
| between $70,000 - $85,000 | $4,000 |
| Over $85,000 | $5,000 |
Once the appropriate loan and work-study levels have been applied, the remaining financial aid will be issued in the form of need-based grants and scholarships.
What to do next
There are many factors to consider when determining how much a family can contribute. The following links provide further information on our review process and policies, other sources of aid, and how to apply.
Learn more about how aid at Duke works
Learn about scholarships & other sources of aid
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