Like most of its peers in higher education, Duke believes that students should take some responsibility for the cost of their own education. That's why Duke expects students to earn a modest income between academic years, and that's why each financial aid package begins with an offer of a work-study job and a loan subsidized by the government or the university. The base allocation of $1,800 in work-study requires just about six hours of work per week. Loans range from a maximum of $4,900 for freshmen to $6,520 for seniors. Students with family incomes of $40,000 or less generally receive more in grants and less in loans.

Grants-funds which do not have to be repaid-are by far the largest component of the average financial aid package. In 2005-06, about 95 percent of all undergraduates who qualified for need-based aid received grants. The great majority of grant funding comes from Duke, but in some cases, it comes from an outside source. When a student comes to Duke with a grant from an outside source, such as a church group or community foundation, Duke reduces other components of its financial aid package in order to meet 100 percent-but not more than 100 percent-of the student's demonstrated financial need. But Duke reduces a student's loan or work-study allocation before reducing the university-funded grant. That way, students realize the maximum benefit of any outside grants that they receive.

Duke does not yet have sufficient resources to meet the full demonstrated need of all international students, but the university provides need-based support to a limited number of them. Through the Financial Aid Initiative, Duke plans to build more permanent support to help meet the financial needs of its international applicants.

The following two examples show how Duke's financial aid packages enable middle and lower income families to afford a Duke education.

Next: Meeting the Need of Middle Income Families