Duke University to provide full tuition for eligible students with family incomes below $150,000

Beginning in the fall 2023 semester, Duke University will provide full tuition grants for undergraduate students admitted to Duke from North Carolina and South Carolina whose family incomes are $150,000 or less.

“This additional financial support for undergraduates reflects Duke’s commitment to our students from the Carolinas,” President Vincent Price said. “By providing even more equitable access to a Duke education, and ensuring students have the resources they need to truly thrive while here at Duke, we will also make our campus community stronger.”

Who is eligible?

For Duke University students who are residents of the Carolinas with family incomes of $65,000 or less, Duke will provide full tuition grants, plus financial assistance for housing, meals, and some course materials or other campus expenses, without the need for student loans.

Current Students

All current undergraduates at Duke University from the Carolinas who qualify will be eligible for additional assistance starting in the fall 2023 semester. Qualifying first-year students, sophomores, juniors, and seniors from the Carolinas will receive financial aid statements by July 1 that reflect this new commitment. About 340 students are expected to benefit in the next academic year.

“We want to make it easier for families to choose Duke,” said Gary Bennett, dean of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, which admits about 80 percent of Duke’s undergraduate students. “Attending college can expand a family’s opportunities for generations, and we aim to make the Duke experience as widely accessible as we can.”

Duke students from military families who meet the income requirements and whose legal residence is in the Carolinas will also qualify, even if they are stationed elsewhere.

“This additional financial support for undergraduates reflects Duke’s commitment to our students from the Carolinas. By providing even more equitable access to a Duke education, and ensuring students have the resources they need to truly thrive while here at Duke, we will also make our campus community stronger.”

President Vincent Price

What does this mean for students?

Duke has more undergraduate students from North Carolina than from any other state. In the 2022-23 academic year, 1,131 North Carolina residents from 65 counties were enrolled as undergraduates, representing 16 percent of the undergraduate student body. More than half attended public high schools. A further 160 are from South Carolina.

“This is our home, and it's where we have our most longstanding commitment,” Price said. “We want families in the Carolinas to know that a Duke education can be affordable, and that we will provide support and resources so all students who are admitted to Duke can have an exceptional college experience.”

Expansion of Financial Support

This expansion of financial support will be funded through university resources and is expected to increase grant assistance to North and South Carolina students by about $2 million for the 2023-24 academic year.

“We know that students with greater financial constraints are more likely to choose colleges that are closer to their homes, and that many of those students will also choose to stay closer to home after they graduate,” Bennett said. “Retaining talent is critical to our region’s success; Duke’s commitment to these students is also a commitment to the North and South Carolina communities they call home.”

Duke expects to enroll more eligible students from the Carolinas over the next five years and anticipates investing an additional $6 million to $7 million per year to provide the increased assistance.

Long Term Planning

The new program adds to Duke’s array of financial and structural support for students, including more than $130 million each year in financial aid grant assistance and the Duke LIFE program to support first-generation and lower-income students. Duke is committed to providing qualifying students with the financial resources that help them get to Duke, as well as additional programming and resources to support them throughout their time at Duke.

In addition, the university’s merit scholarship offerings include two programs specifically for students from the Carolinas, the Trinity Scholarships and the Benjamin N. Duke Memorial Scholars program.

More details about the program and eligibility requirements can be found at financialaid.duke.edu. Learn more about Duke’s engagement in North Carolina here.