Financing Your Degree

Merit Scholarships

Every admitted applicant is considered for a merit scholarship based on a student’s overall profile. For questions regarding scholarship awards or to receive more information about the scholarship review process, please contact your admissions counselor.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION:

• Prior academic achievement
• Demonstrated leadership qualities
• Involvement in the community
• Extracurricular activities

HOW WILL YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED A MERIT SCHOLARSHIP?

• Scholarship information will be included in your electronic admission letter.
• There will be more information about your scholarship and its benefits in your admitted student portal.

U.S. citizens/permanent residents have various options for borrowing the necessary funds to attend Fuqua. All student loans are disbursed to your student Bursar account directly to offset your university charges.

LOAN FAST FACTS:

• You may defer loan payments while you are in school.
• Loans offer a post-graduation grace period.
• Both the grace period and the repayment period can vary by lender.
• If you have completed your FAFSA after March 1, you'll typically receive your award notice within 10 business days.

STUDENT LOAN OPTIONS INCLUDE:

• Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan
• Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan
• Private Alternative Student Loan 

Applying for Federal Student Aid (Federal Direct Unsubsidized & Graduate PLUS)

• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
  • Duke University's Title IV Federal School Code is: 002920
  • New School Year FAFSAs are usually available after October 1 of each year:
    • The 2025-26 FAFSA became available after December 1, 2024.
  • Fuqua's priority date* to file a FAFSA is March 1 of each year:
    (*The priority date is a recommended filing due date; FAFSAs may be filed after the priority date.)
    • March 1, 2025 is the priority date to file a 2025-26 FAFSA.
• Once we receive the FAFSA Submission Summary (formerly the Student Aid Report-SAR), your student aid eligibility will be reviewed after March 1.
• The student aid review process begins in March. Students will receive an electronic loan aid offer notice.
• Student accepts/reduces/declines the aid offer in DukeHub and completes the loan application process outlined in the loan aid offer notice.
• Once an applicant completes the required application forms, loan amounts will be scheduled to disburse to the student's Bursar account no earlier than 10 days before the start of class.

Applying for Private Alternative Student Loans

• Complete one of the following student loan applications: Duke University’s list of Private Loan Options
• Once the lender reviews and pre-approves your loan request, they will send the school a certification request.
• The school will send a loan certification file to the lender confirming the approval.
• Once the applicant completes the required application forms, loan amounts will be scheduled to disburse to the student's Bursar account no earlier than 10 days before the start of class.

Estimated Cost of Attendance (COA) and Loan Borrowing Eligibility

Federal regulations determine the types of expenses that can be factored in the Cost of Attendance (COA). The COA is established to cover only the student’s education-related expenses such as tuition & fees, room & board, course materials, and student living expenses over the entire eleven-month enrollment period within an academic year.

Also, regulations require the university to use reasonable figures to establish the student living expense budget within the COA. The average living expense amounts are results from university-wide surveys completed by Duke students in graduate and professional programs. Triennially, students are surveyed on their monthly spending for living expense items such as rent, utilities, food (excluding outside dining), etc. In addition, the consumer price index rate is considered each year to account for inflation.

The COA regulates the total eligible student loan borrowing amount, allowing students to borrow only up to the total COA amount in any given academic year, minus other aid (i.e. scholarships, sponsorships, other student loans). The COA also serves as a guide to help students to budget within the overall living expense allowance. As students come to Fuqua from a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and resources, the student living expense budget allows for a relatively simple student lifestyle that demands a responsible approach to living as a student. Therefore, students are expected to seek housing (mainly shared housing) that does not exceed the allocated amounts for rent and utilities in the student expense budget, especially if students are applying for student loans to help cover living expenses.

Please access the following link to view the estimated Cost of Attendance (COA) budget:

• MQM:BA 2025-26 COA (Domestic) Class of 2026 - estimated

Frequently Asked Questions

Please view answers to some frequently asked questions about scholarships and loans for U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

Please access the Office of the University Registrar’s website to learn about using your VA or DoD education benefits at Duke.

Fuqua Participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program:

Fuqua is especially proud to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program. In order to support as many qualifying service members as possible, Fuqua will contribute up to 18,000 USD each VA academic year in Yellow Ribbon scholarship and does not limit the number of participants in the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Access this link to learn Yellow Ribbon at Duke.

How much may I receive?

Post-9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33) & Yellow Ribbon: at 100% eligibility, the following table estimates the Post-9/11 GI Bill® & Yellow Ribbon benefit pay-out for your program:

• Class of 2026

Montgomery GI Bill® (Chapter 30), Veteran Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31), Dependents’ Educational Assistance (Chapter 35), Montgomery GI Bill® Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606): see the rates on the following page.

Current VA Education Benefit Rates | Veterans Affairs

Getting started:

Admitted students must submit their VA documents (i.e. VA Certificate of Eligibility letter, Purple Heart Certificate) to veteranseducation@duke.edu to start using VA education benefits at Duke.

The School Certifying Official (SCO) may be reached via email or at 919.684.4225.

Visit the Office of the University Registrar for detailed instructions on how to initiate/continue your benefits. Also, if students have questions or concerns, they may contact our financial aid office for assistance.Office of the University Registrar for detailed instructions on how to initiate/continue your benefits. Also, if students have questions or concerns, they may contact our financial aid office for assistance.

Veterans and service members who are expecting to receive 100% of the Post-9/11 GI Bill® (as indicated on their VA Certificate of Eligibility letter) and Fuqua’s determined Yellow Ribbon amount should be aware that Fuqua’s Yellow Ribbon offer is subject to change and may be fully rescinded should the VA determine a change in their Chapter 33 VA benefit status.

For an overview of the certification process and how to obtain the VA education benefits, access the following link and go to the “Certification Process” section.

For additional resources, visit the VA Education and Training Benefits | Veterans Affairs

The Fuqua School of Business offers both cosigner and no-cosigner international student loan options. For more information about these various loan options, please access Duke University’s list of Private Loan Options.

Cosigner Options: Loans with a U.S. cosigner typically offer a lower interest rate. The U.S. cosigner must be a creditworthy citizen or permanent resident. Keep in mind that for some lenders, a student must have a social security number in addition to having a cosigner.

No-Cosigner Options: Depending on the lender, International students using a no-cosigner loan option may borrow up to 100 percent of their Cost of Attendance (minus other aid, i.e. scholarships, sponsorships, and other student loans) through a no-cosigner International Student Loan Program.

Applying for Private Alternative Student Loans

• Complete one of the following student loan applications: Duke University’s list of Private Loan Options
• Once the lender reviews and pre-approves your loan request, they will send the school a certification request.
• The school will send a loan certification file to the lender confirming the approval.
• Once the applicant completes the required application forms, loan amounts will be scheduled to disburse to the student's Bursar account no earlier than 10 days before the start of class.

Other Funding Sources for International Students

You may find a suitable funding source from our list of external funding programs from international agencies.

Estimated Cost of Attendance (COA) and Borrowing Eligibility

Federal regulations determine the types of expenses that can be factored in the Cost of Attendance (COA). The COA is established to cover only the student’s education-related expenses such as tuition & fees, room & board, course materials, and student living expenses over the entire eleven-month enrollment period within an academic year.

Also, regulations require the university to use reasonable figures to establish the student living expense budget within the COA. The average living expense amounts are results from university-wide surveys completed by Duke students in graduate and professional programs. Triennially, students are surveyed on their monthly spending for living expense items such as rent, utilities, food (excluding outside dining), etc. In addition, the consumer price index rate is considered each year to account for inflation.

The COA regulates the total eligible student loan borrowing amount, allowing students to borrow only up to the total COA amount in any given academic year, minus other aid (i.e. scholarships, sponsorships, other student loans). The COA also serves as a guide to help students to budget within the overall living expense allowance. As students come to Fuqua from a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and resources, the student living expense budget allows for a relatively simple student lifestyle that demands a responsible approach to living as a student. Therefore, students are expected to seek housing (mainly shared housing) that does not exceed the allocated amounts for rent and utilities in the student expense budget, especially if students are applying for student loans to help cover living expenses.

Please access the following link to view the estimated Cost of Attendance (COA) budget:

• MQM:BA 2025-26 COA (International) Class of 2026 - estimated

Frequently Asked Questions

Please view answers to some frequently asked questions about scholarships and loans for international students.

Please consult our Financial Aid Guidebook (Policies & Procedures).

For U.S. Citizens and Permanent Resident Students

• Free Application for Federal Student Aid
• Federal Loan Entrance Counseling - Federal Unsubsidized & Graduate PLUS Loans
• Federal Loan Exit Counseling - Federal Direct Unsubsidized & Graduate PLUS Loans
• Duke University’s list of Private Loan Options
• Yellow Ribbon Program
• Private Education Loan Applicant Self-Certification

For International Students

• Duke University’s list of Private Loan Options
• Private Education Loan Applicant Self-Certification

For U.S. Citizen/Permanent Resident Students:

• Personal Finance @ Duke
• The SmartStudent™ Guide to Financial Aid
• Federal Student Aid: U.S. Department of Education
• Fast Web Scholarship Search
• The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship
• Student Loan Calculator

For International Students:

• Personal Finance @ Duke
• Fast Web Scholarship Search
• The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship
• Student Loan Calculator